Negadelphia

Donovan McBlog

2008-01-10T15:27:00.000-05:00

Donovan continues to circle the drain; his latest outburst being a frantic cry for help on his blog (see the linked article from Philly.com). He is demanding playmakers and who can blame him for that? I for one cannot. However, why doesn't he just learn to keep his mouth shut or ask to be traded? Is blogging about it to the public going to make it happen? In the end, these protestations are just more examples of his whining and finger pointing. It's sad to watch.

From the Philly.com article:
"He used the New England Patriots as an example of a team that 'went outside their locker room and stocked up on playmakers last year.' The Patriots, of course, went 16-0 in the regular season.

'It certainly helped to have Randy Moss, Donté Stallworth, Wes Welker and Adalius Thomas making plays for them all year,' the Eagles quarterback wrote, referring to four of New England's off-season additions."

I think it's funny that he even uses the Patriots as the example....as if McNabb could ever display the leadership that Brady has shown. With playmakers around him in 2004 McFive showed that his numbers could be gaudy; but he still didn't have what it took to win....and in my opinion, he never will. McNabb is a very good quarterback, but will never be great because he doesn't have the leadership skills and drive to be.

Again, time to say goodbye McNabb. For your part, you deserve to play in a city that will appreciate your skill set. But Philly is tired of your whining.

I know, it was long overdue this season, but.... wait for it... wait for it.... HE'S COMIN' ON!!!!!!!!!

2007-12-24T00:51:00.000-05:00

From the Philly website:

"Bradley was one of the rookies in the spotlight on defense entering Sunday's game along with weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan and defensive end Victor Abiamiri. Bradley was scheduled to see his most extensive action on defense and he responded brilliantly with six tackles, his first career sack and first career interception. Two of his tackles came during the pivotal goal-line stand."

Urlackerzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

JDubs Writes to a 'Boys Fan

2007-12-17T10:09:00.000-05:00

"First off, sorry Boys. Sorry we had to rain on your parade and keep you from almost certain homefield advantage thru-out the playoffs. Tough titties, you'll still wrap it up in the next 2 weeks, and this was our super bowl. It had the feel, for eagles fans at least, of a mid-90s eagles-cowboys game. Remember those days, when you guys used to dominiate us, when Emmitt got half his career rushing totals just off us, when there was nothing we could do to stop a 3rd and 3 or 3rd and 4, 'cos you know Emmitt would pick up 5 yards or they'd just dump it off to Novacek. (And Moose wonders why Ealges fans are just starting to warm up to him and many still issue him death threats when he covers our games...) When we had a turntable of scrub QBs going thru the rotations and gettin decimated by your D. That's what it felt like going in...

Ugly game, no lie. I have to say, tho you guys got the benefit of most of the "no-calls" by the officials, it was the worst officiated game I've seen all year both ways. The helmet to helmet, a hit out of bounds, lots of holds (what else is new), and the running into the kicker (by both teams!). Just awful. Glad to see they finally threw a flag on a horse-collar this year. Seriously, is Roy just stupid, is that all he can do to stop a ballcarrier, or does he know he'll still get away with it 99% of the time? Wait til he breaks Peyton's or Brady's ankle, then it's over. Props to AJ Feeley for pulling a WWF manager move and distrating a ref so BDawk could pull off a PI with no flag. Good times.

Really, the game is summed up by this one thought: you guys got beat by 4 points (really 11) playing your absolute worst game of the year after u clinched a 1st-round bye. We just BARELY beat a playoff team in a game that went down to the last cpl possessions, and we played like we've been playing all year (actually, better on D, about the same on O). So fret not. Now that you've watched 2 complete Eagles games this year, if not more, you must understand what we're going thru all season. I think we're 1 top WR (who can fucking get open) and more healing time for McNabb (and now apparently a kicker, tho that used to be a lock) from being a playoff team again. 5 losses to playoff teams this year by a combined 16 points. The difference in 6-8 and not having to watch the playoffs from the couch this year is bone-headed penalties (especially the drive-killers on offense), AJ Feeley last-play interceptions, and Andy Reid's atrocious play-calling and game-day coaching.

Anyway, thanks for ending a 3-game losing streak and keeping me from beating my children. Good luck in the playoffs, and wish us luck in the coaching-change department."

Is this 3 times now...

2007-12-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

... this season we've seen the Birds trying to rally late in a game that they should have won if only they could have mustered MORE THAN ONE touchdown drive on the day? Only to again see the rally fall short on a failed 4th and long play?

I find myself wishing this season were over already, and I have now boarded the Reid-must-go bandwagon. That's right, my luggage is packed, I brought snacks and bottled water, and I'm here for the ride. Let's do it.

I am sick and tired of watching McNabb run around on ev ery play, hoping beyond hope that one of his cotterie of inept, slow, and overall subpar receivers will stop running, slowly, directly at the defender that's covering them. Seriously, Plaxico burress can get open every play on a bum leg, and when u see our guys, every route looks like they're setting up a downfield block for a running play. This ain't new news. It's been a problem for years, the announcers have been laughing at us for it for years, it already cost us a championship game, and it has never been properly addressed during Reid's tenure (with the temporary exception of TO's stay here).

Sorry, Big Red, but the past couple of years of coaching on your part have been attrocious. your clock management is the laughingstock of the league (well, everyone's laughing except Joe Gibbs). and I'd fire a high school coch that was as predictable as you. It's obvious you can't keep your own crackhouse in order, and you obviously can't maintain discipline enough on this team to avoid having every other drive stall due to some bone-heard, unnecessary penalty. Defense? Just line up in the neutral zone! Offense? False start! Illegal motion! Delay of game! This all stems from the coach, it's his responsibility to get a team ready to play on Sunday, and this group of misfits has shown week in and week out that they're not prepared to play the game. you've had years to get better, and you only seem to be getting worse. Maybe your criminal kids are too much of a distraction, but something has to change. And since you're unwilling to change, it's you that has to be changed.

Now, I'm not ready to give up on McNabb, but I agree with Paulumon that if you're not going to give him the weapons he needs to succeed, there's no point in wasting his career and our time here. Trade him while you can still get value, and start fresh. OR, go get him a couple of DECENT receivers to throw to. Don't go out and replace Curtis (who replaced his twin, Stallworth) with another Curtis clone. Go get a read receiver. A #1. Reggie sure the hell ain't it. Hank Baskett, Foots, what a joke. Le'ts stock an offense that relies on the pass with a bunhc of nobody receivers. That'll trick em!

While we're at it, maybe get a real punter, who doesn't shank a 20 yarder every other kick. Or for that matter, a punt returner? Not a converted pizza restaurant host who goes to the same church as you, but a real, friggin punt returner, who has at least a chance in hell of ever taking one back.

Just a couple of ideas...

5 and 7

2007-12-04T04:35:00.000-05:00

No, seriously... don't get your hopes up.

"They Call Me Mr. Glass"

2007-11-18T17:10:00.000-05:00

McNabb got injured yet again today. A sprained ankle this time, but he had to leave the game. Donny needs to get out of the gym and into the Yoga studio and drink a gallon of milk everyday. His demise may not be completely his fault in the end...both his body and Eagles management are working against him (should I also include his apathetic attitude?). In any case, this news just supports my position that Number 5 needs to go after this season. Not that I don't like him and all as a good guy and proficient QB, but it's time to wipe the slate clean....

From the Birds' website today:

"On a third-and-10 from the Dolphins' 16-yard line, McNabb took the snap out of the shotgun and rolled to his right. With pressure coming from cornerback Michael Lehan on a blitz, McNabb threw the ball out of bounds just before he was knocked to the ground by Lehan. McNabb got up and limped to the sideline where he talked with trainers before heading to the locker room. McNabb returned to the sidelines in the third quarter and remained there as Feeley led a touchdown drive to open the third quarter...McNabb's injury history is well-known. McNabb tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee a year ago Monday. In 2005, McNabb fought through a sports hernia for two months before he was placed on injured reserve Nov. 22. On Nov. 17, 2002, he fractured his ankle and played through the game -- a four-touchdown performance against the Cardinals -- and missed the final six regular season games. He returned for the playoffs. He missed one game in his rookie season because of a knee injury."

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

2007-11-12T23:08:00.000-05:00

This season has no doubt been tough. And the worst part is that it's not even a re-building year for our beloved Iggles. So, what the hell is this season about? And where is this team going?

For a few seasons, Andy Reid had me buying into his "system". I even had a fleeting thought that it was modeled like the Patriots championship factory... but alas, I was a fool, a sucker, a dope even. There is no system here. We are living in chaos right now and have no direction, so it is time to behead the captain and throw him overboard...I am sorry about the bad nautical analogy, but my point is that we can't possibly consider returning this same crew for another run next season. Years ago when we tried to come back after the humiliating Tampa loss in the NFCCG, Bill Simmons likened Reid's lack of upgrading as trying for the "degree of difficulty" thing. Why come back with the same exact motley bunch and think it will work this season.

Not counting our brief (but eye-opening) stint with one Terrell Owens (T-O! T-O! T-Oooo!), we have gone 8 seasons without really upgrading our receiving corps or our running game. We were fortunate to land Westbrook but rather than an upgrade, I consider it just good fortune...at least management had the foresight to sign him to a lucrative contract because he is our entire offense right now.

But, come on, do we really want to bring this tired group of people back for yet another season? ("You can do it THIS time Andy, we know it!").

Just look in their eyes, THEY don't even think they are good. You can literally see the exhaustion and apathy, can't you? I don't blame the players either, it's the "system" that does it. McNabb looks like he's on pain killers most of the time. He just does not really care anymore. Would you? I would not care at all, not after the long road it has been here in Philly for Donovan. Since the time he was drafted until now, through all of the injuries and his choking in the Super Bowl, he has faced almost nothing but adversity here. The fans are tired of him and I am positive he despises us by now...but I can't really blame him for that to be honest.

TRADE MCNABB??: On "Inside the NFL", Cris Carter mentioned sending McNabb to Atlanta. I like that idea actually. Or even to the Bears. Dmac's better days are behind him, and I think we need a re-building year in any case. I even want the best for old #5, so I think he can put a spark back in his own game and ignite Atlanta from its post-Vick malaise. Or even Chicago - they really need a QB and it's McNabb's hometown...can you imagine that homecoming celebration? Talk about perfect timing. We can still get REALLY good trade fodder for McNabb and it's inthe team's best interests to do so...in another year or two, McNabb will not nearly have the value he has now. Plus, if we're not going to put a supporting cast around the guy, what value is he?

Donovan did rebound this week, completing 20 of 28 passes for 251 yards, 4 touchdowns and no INTs. But again, it was a come from behind victory, which just says to me that these guys don't play hard for 4 quarters. They always seem to get motivated in the fourth quarter. I'm sick of it.

My prediction: McNabb is gone after this season.

Team Note: McNabb broke Jaworski's team record for completions (2,089). Noteworthy, but still not a Lombardi trophy.

Jokes?

2007-11-12T23:04:00.000-05:00

Negadelphia's Puerto Rican office sent us these "jokes" today:

Q: What do you call 53 people sitting around a TV watching the Super Bowl?
A: The Philadelphia Eagles.

Q: How do you keep a Philadelphia Eagle out of your yard?
A: Put up goal posts.

Q: Where do you go in Philadelphia in case of a tornado?
A: The Linc - they never have a touchdown there.

Q: What do you call a Philadelphia Eagle with a Super Bowl ring?
A: A thief.

Q: Why doesn't Camden have a profess ion al football team?
A: Because then Philadelphia would want one.

Q: What's the difference between the Philadelphia Eagle & a dollar bill?
A: You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q: What do the Philadelphia Eagles and possums have in common?
A: Both play dead at home and get killed on the road.

And Finally:
Q: What do the Philadelphia Eagles and Billy Graham have in common?
A: They both can make 70,000 people stand up and yell "Jesus Christ".

If you are still able to laugh this season, that is....

3 and 4

2007-11-01T03:40:00.000-04:00

Don't get your hopes up. That's all I gotta say.

Neither Fish nor Fowl

2007-10-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

Well, I suppose that Eagles would be considered fowl, being birds, but they are also "foul" this season...as in stinking up the jizz-oint. Sorry, I digress...

We all know how Big Red has favored passing over the years, usually hitting 65%-70% passing rates. I think this is because Andy is obsessed with passing and believes that it gives him more points and credibility than grinding out a scoring drive on the ground, and partly because our running game has been anemic from time to time, except for the days of the 3-headed munstah that is...say it with me: DUUUUUUUCCCCE!.

So what are we now - a passing team or a running team? or both? It seems that our Pass v. Run stats are starting to level out - we are throwing only 56% of the time this season. I don't think that's by design, but rather by necessity: our passing game is broken, busted, absent. Our WRs can't get separation and McNabb is scrambling for his life back with a porous O-line. Kevin "White Lightning" Curtis is having a fine year with 29 catches for 506 yards and 4 TDs, but what other Eagle receiver is? [ahem, Westbrook doesn't count folks!]

Apparently, with the $109MM salary cap this season, the Birds are only about $8MM under, which to you and me is a lot of money, but puts us in the top 10 for least amount of cap room. To put it in perspective, the Pats are an estimated $29MM under. Would you say they are getting value for their money? You might also say that the Birds are not.

Knowing that however - the fact that we have $8MM in cap room - why didn't we keep Stallworth? He really was not that expensive...and don't argue that it was his "drug" habits that scared Big Red. Given what's going on in Andy's own home with his drug-dealing sons, a little weed shouldn't be enough to scare ol' Andy away. Stallworth's stats are really solid this season: 22 catches for 367 yards and 3TDs...he is even averaging 16.7 yds/catch. These stats would put him as our #2 WR, by a LONG shot.

What do we have to show at this point: Reggie has been kidnapped and placed in a basement on South Street somewhere and replaced by James Thrash (no TDs and averaging only 12.6 yds/catch), and Avant is just as bad, with only 1 TD.

Granted, the 2007 Pats are a dynasty and might end up being the best team in history, but none of our WRs, other than Curtis maybe, could even start there. Having Stallworth would have provided McNabb with some extra deep threats and speed. This is the worst WR corps in football overall and it's killing our Offense. Dare I say that it may be worse than the Pinkston/Thrash/FredEx triumvirate? Yes, yes, I dare.

How did Andy & Co. not see this coming? Every year there is some glaring problem that they overlook, and these mistakes have held us back year after year.

Speaking of overlooking glaring errors, has Winston Justice been cut yet?

P.S. The Birds are winning today [Sunday], but are not running well. Reggie has 7 catches...shut me up!

Heeeeee's Baaaaaaaack!

2007-10-24T15:41:00.001-04:00

That is all for now.

Reid thinks we're running enough. Seriously.

2007-10-10T18:22:00.000-04:00

Andy was asked today about whether he thought that in the past few games, it might have been better to run the ball more. His answer was both unsurprising and revealing:

"We're actually running the ball more in the fourth quarter than the league average. Our first half stats are just slightly below the average for the league. So, I think we're doing a good job of running the football enough. We just need [to be] efficient."

Now, even though he's profoundly wrong, there's certainly no surprise that Andy believes that he's "doing a good job of running the football enough."

But what is actually very telling is the fact that Andy responded by quoting to league statistics. Certainly, he anticipated the question. Even though he consistently tries to portray himself as above the media, he made sure to have some sort of explanation ready. And most tellingly, his explanation -- or more accurately his defense -- required him to actually find statistics that could support his flawed position that he is "running the football enough." No easy task.

So this leads to a troublesome conclusion: That he is in fact aware of the media criticism of his coaching, but instinctively, or just as a matter of practice, rejects it -- even when it's indisputably correct.

His huge ego, the size which even dwarfs his waistline, prevents him from admitting he isn't running the ball enough, because it would be acknowledging that the media is right. Sure, he can admit that he "didn't do a good enough job" after each game, but that's on his terms, and his self-criticism never delves deeper than platitudes. But to admit that the media was correct is something his ego will not allow.

How large is his ego? Can he even accept any advice from his assistant coaches? According to G. Cobb, the assistants are nothing but sycophantic "yes men" anyway (except for Jim Johnson). There can be no question that Reid's pigheaded stubbornness is hurting the team. And now, it's almost as if he's going to keep passing the ball 70% of the time out of spite...

Well, at least I'm looking forward to getting a good draft pick. (Which we'll probably trade to another NFC East team again).

What Kris Jenkins and Andy Reid Have In Common

2007-10-09T12:59:00.000-04:00

This is not meant to be a trick question. The answer is the obvious one -- nothing, other than the size of their waistline.

After an embarrassing loss to the Bucks, the Carolina DT came out and spoke the brutal truth: "As a team, collectively, we have no heart, we have no energy, we have no drive. The pride and passion that you have for this game makes you want to win. It's not about the money. It's not about looking the part. It's not about standing on the field so everybody can see you on TV and you look good. It's about pride and passion. If you have those two, if you win or if you lose, you're going to look like a football team".

Now if you ask me, this statement could not illustrate more accurately what is going on with the Eagles. If you ask Andy Reid he'll tell you we're "off by a hair" and he just needs to "do a better job next time"...

Time Mag on How to Cope with a Losing Team

2007-10-06T11:16:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday, Time Magazine actually ran a piece on how sports fans can cope with the heartbreak from their team losing.

Typically -- and ironically -- the article spoke directly to Mets fans, who have "lived through so m uch disappointment from this franchise" and how they can deal with their losing the NL East . . . to the Phillies.

Of course, this of course presents the author, a Mets fan, with the irresistible platform to dump on the Phils. Referring to one of the oh-so insightful psychologists he consulted (who probably holds his degree from Hollywood Upstairs Medical College), he wrote:

Luckily, End also recommends a trick any fan can use, something psychologists call "social creativity." Basically, make yourself feel better by comparing your team to one which, historically, has been much worse off than yours. Take the Phillies. They've been around for 125 years, and won just one World Series, in 1980. The Mets have won a couple since their birth in 1962. Philadelphia lost its 10,000th game this season, the most in professional sports. The franchise is also famous for a choke of its own, the 1964 team that lost the pennant after leading by 6 1/2 games with 12 left to play. They may have topped us this time, but thank God the Phillies aren't my team.

That feels a little better. Wann, the Murray State psychologist, also recommends what he calls "retroactive pessimism." "A guy doesn't get a job, and he tells himself, 'Gosh, the field was so competitive,'" he explains. "'There was nothing I could do to control it.' It has nothing to do with the fact that he's lazy and unqualified." You can do the same thing here. The Phillies are a team of destiny. Sure, the Mets didn't play well down the stretch, sure they made 21 errors over the last 17 games. But gosh, give those Phils credit: They went 13-4 in those final games. Really, who could stop them? (Answer: a team that did any better than 5-12 in those same 17 games).

Needless to say, the article was relatively useless fluff, but again seems to reinforce how the national media (especially the NY media) has such a self-centered and shamelessly obvious anti-Philadelphia bias. I'm not even talking about the "social creativity" or "reactive pessimism" non-theories fabricated for the article, but just the fact that fans with a losing team don't matter until they're New York.

Then again -- we don't need no stinkin' coping mechanism. We don't need no psychological comforting. This is Philly. We get psyched up, we play, we lose, we get pissed, but we get over it. Maybe not quickly, and maybe not totally. Hell, maybe not at all in some cases. But the point is that we deal. We can leave the coddling for others.

Nothing to Cheer For

2007-10-04T10:19:00.000-04:00

OK, I'm being really negative here, but have you seen our cheerleaders this year? Man, everything's falling apart in Philly.

I live in a glass house, etc., but come on, from the look of these girls, I think they could drill a hole in your tooth and just laugh.

Oh, by the way, Herremans had surgery

2007-10-02T16:53:00.000-04:00

...Now move along. Nothing to see here. Don't you worry about it. We'll tell you what we think you need to know. When we feel like it.

It was just reported that Herremans underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. And it was successful.

Um, successful in doing what? Christ, I didn't even know he was hurt. Did I miss something?

Well, let's see... I haven't any articles since the game that mentioned any problems. And in Reid' press conference immediately after the game, Big Red declared, with his trademark eloquence and verbosity: "No new injuries."

I guess in ReidSpeak, that means "No new injuries that I think you need to know about." (Yes, in ReidSpeak you can end sentences with prepositions). Or maybe it just simply means "Screw off." Actually, it seems like almost everything he says to the microphone means "Screw off." I know it must be unpleasant to have to address the media -- especially in this town where we all take our sports seriously -- but they are the link between the head office and the fans. And if I'm not mistaken, without the fans, there would be no NFL, no Eagles, and no multi-million dollar coaching contract.

Putting aside his apparently distaste for the media, this Herremans thing appears to be a little more than just being a little circumspect with doling out information. Now, I'm no doctor, but in most cases, people don't just suddenly have surgery. I tend to think he might have had something like ... an injury. Isn't that something about which that he's supposed to inform the media? Maybe at least in some sort of unspoken practice, if not by any rule?

I guess my point is that the entire Reid-Lurie-Banner machine operates with an apparent contempt for the fans. They know better. They only need to tell us the bare minimum, because we don't deserve to know more. When something goes wrong, they can just mollify us by sprinkling a few meaningless mea culpas to us like feeding stale breadcrumbs to mangy pigeons...

And Scott Young is Herreman's backup. Great. I think he takes a false start penalty every third snap or so...

Justice For Nobody

2007-09-30T23:12:00.000-04:00

If there was any doubt left that Andy Reid has lost control of this football team, tonight's embarassment eliminated it. Since our 42-0 loss a couple years ago, I haven't seen such a gutless, pathetic performance by this sad franchise than the loss tonight.

The Birds' stats are overwhelming:
*12 SACKS BY THE GIANTS
*15 PENALTIES/132 YDS
*190 TOTAL YARDS (ha ha)

The big story was the nonexistence of the O-line, in particular Winston Justice. To be fair, Justice had to come in to replace William (not "Tra" anymore) Thomas, so he had big shoes to fill. However, I have never seen such a sad performance by an O- Lineman - Justice's man Osi Umenyiora had SIX sacks and was pushing Justice around like a child. Umenyiora set a Giant's record with that stat. SAD. Justice needs to be cut - period. The picture above says it all: McNabb is being sacked and Justice (#74) is standing there in the background, looking helpless.

Aside from the O-line being a sieve, McNabb had his familiar problems and looked really tenative on his knee. He's now lost his main strength (scrambling), and is stuck with his kryptonite (pretending he is a pocket passer). D-linemen were running him down like a scared rabbit tonight.

To add to the problem, once again, the WRs got zero separation and were unable to get open. We have no threat downfield and our shortgame has been shutdown. And once again, our runningback (Buckhalter this time rather than Westy) was our most productive receiver, with 35 yards. When you can't pass, what else is there to do? Run, I guess...oh yeh, no Westbrook tonight. I will say that Buckhalter played hard, so limited props go to him; and our running game showed some life occasionally. Other than Buck's lukewarm performance however, no one showed up at all.

John Madden, who I generally think is no more than a caricature anymore, had some good points at the end of the game. Madden made a bold statement that he could not recall a more dominant performance by a defensive player than Umenyiora's tonight - wow. How many games has he watched over the years, to make a statement like that? Justice should be cut on that observation alone. He also summed the whole situation up nicely, saying that these performances all come down to coaching. Very true.

Lurie needs to set an example, damnit. I am ready, and the COBL is ready, for a bloodbath with this team. Wipe the slate clean and start over, starting with Big Red.

Andy, make it easier for us and please, please just RESIGN.

LOSING IS FOR THE BIRDS.

Man, that hair grows back awful quickly

2007-09-30T23:10:00.000-04:00

As Sheldon said in one of the NBC promos for the game: "The decision maker in the game tonight is simple. It's whoever wants it the most."

Did the giants want it more? Or did we just want it less? Or, even worse, and more likely, did we just not even care in the least?

This debacle was entirely mental. (Except in William James' case, because he doesn't even have the physical potential to play the game). We came out emotionally flat and mentally vacant. This is inexcusable by itself -- but this was a division game, and a huge rivialry -- one of the biggest in the entire leage. Hell, I have more intensity when I sleepwalk to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

I don't even know which is more embarassing -- the penalties, or the shocking non-play of our offensive line:

-- FIFTEEN penalties for 132 yards. FIFTEEN for ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-TWO. This was just 58 yards shy of our entire offense.

-- Twelve sacks for 62 yards. TWELVE for SIXTY-TWO. This tied the NFL record for most sacks in a game. And Umenyiora had SIX by himself, tying the NFL record for most sacks in a game. Here's some perspective: We gave up 4.4 times the amount of yards in sacks than we had in net passing yards.

And not to blame just one defensive player, since our entire D, starting with out DL, really never came to play, but why the hell do we even allow William James to put on an Eagles uniform? I'd almost rather send Reno out there to play CB. Christ, James can't even blitz even when he's uncovered. He got faked out and left his feet by the most obvious pump fake, allowing Eli to get off the ball. At least he took the interference call in the 3Q rather than allow Toomer to score. If he's going to get beaten every play, he might as well try to minimize the damage he causes to this team. For him to have talked trash in the off season about taking Sheldon's starting spot is simply mind-boggling.

We need to be able to activate another head coach on gameday, so we can pull Reid when this happens. Can we at least take away his shiny playcard, so he can't keep calling nothing but pass plays? We weren't setting the field on fire on the ground, but we were definitely getting positive yards into the second half. But still, despite our line's consistent failure to protect McNabb and our WRs' consistent failure to get an inch of separation, we kept throwing. Why not just pound the ball? We had time and were down by only one TD until the end of of the 3Q. If nothing else, running might've helped to give the OL some confidence back. Our play calling is so one-dimensional, it's like the football equivalent of tetherball.

The failure to get up for the game and the mental breakdowns fall squarely on Big Red's sloping shoulders. But no -- I don't mean in just the "I need to do a better job next time" or "we're just off by a hair" type of purely linguistic and meaningless mea culpa. Accepting responsibility is empty when there are no repercussions, and is just plain insulting when there is not the slightest attempt at any degree of insight. This is his fault, and he needs to hand over the reins, and for good. Letting Marty call the plays won't solve everything, but it is a start. JoePa had the courage and the true desire to put the team before ego. Reid needs to do the same.

I must've watched a different game on Sunday...

2007-09-25T22:17:00.000-04:00

Though I know very little about football (which is arguably far more dangerous than knowing nothing at all), I nonetheless feel fully entitled to rant and rave as a battered Eagles fan. Sure, my husband is all too quick to point out that I’ve only experienced the ‘good days’ but I can argue back that these are far from being ‘good’ – I guess it’s all relative. I see little ‘good’ in a winning record that comes with consistent mediocrity and lack of passion or commitment to what can be the ONLY goal at this point – a superbowl title. A team which is committed, from the person at the very top all the way down (to Reno Mahe) – that is a team I respect. A team can only be ‘good’ if it acknowledges that this is a serious profession and thus should treat it as one -- I have never been allowed half the flexibility or tolerance for mistakes, idiocy, lack of interest, you name it, on any of my jobs, while on a meager salary mind you, than the allowance we afford our head couch *shudder*, managers *convulse, convulse, convulse* and very often our players. I have so far sat through two 8-hour Saturday classes listening to my professor go off about Leadership – of all the points a 16-hour lecture can cover, I still have not found one that is represented by the Eagles coach or management – unless ‘presence’ is one, but in our head coach’s case it is not due to his personality but rather due to his girth. But alas, I digress.

Does anyone else find it troubling that the *only* way this team seems to care about playing some half-way decent football is when it’s at the verge of being mentally abandoned by all its fans, and/or completely ridiculed by everyone else? I truly believe that had there not been so much controversy last week (both thanks to those oh-so-thought-provoking remarks from our ‘leader’ McNabb and thanks to the sheer embarrassment of the MNF game), we would’ve come out to see a very different (albeit still very yellow) football game Sunday afternoon. How can this team not be able to find motivation in the sheer game itself? It can only mean that the team has no real goals – other than to be ‘good enough’ to (just) make it to the playoffs and thus make an extra dollar for the management.

Btw – speaking of Sunday’s game, I’m still not all that impressed with it. We were playing the Lions for crying out loud. Sure, they were 2-0 coming in but then again the Packers are 3-0 and we all remember their complete inability to score against us on opening day – and not because we were demonstrating any sort of defensive excellence 3 Sundays ago. Did we not notice the complete lack of effectiveness of our secondary? Sure, it is plagued with injuries, but the fact remains that we are completely unable to control an aggressive passing game. Yes, our D-line did stop the run – I’ll give them that, but we were playing the Lions after all. And yes, our O-line did great as well, but other than Shaun Rogers, I’m not sure we can talk of an exceptionally strong D-line on Detroit’s side. And I’m still not convinced that Curtis can get open against a decent corner – which might not be surprising given that he is accustomed to practicing against our own secondary (and I am becoming more and more a believer that even a post-knee-surgery rehab patient can outrun James).

Next Sunday is looming ahead and we’re coming off a ‘huge’ game – we thus have nothing to prove and no reason to try. I wonder if the players share the amount of animosity the fans do against the giants – if so, that would provide a glimpse of hope that we’re not going to embarrass ourselves on national TV. Then again, maybe all Eagles fans should take a conscious mental and psychological hit this season and hope for a horrendous season, if that means that we will FINALLY see some change – new coach, new mentality, and, dare I say this, new QB – at least one with some leadership skills because our current one sure never had, nor has he shown signs of ever developing any. Then again, I can’t help but being a horrendous hypocrite because I will always stand and cheer our Philadelphia Eagles on, through rain or shine.

The Freak -- Hall of Shame

2007-09-25T15:30:00.000-04:00

I recall B. West's magical runs on Sunday; I recall Curtis standing completely by himself on the field with no Detroit defender in the vicinity. But I also recall thinking to myself that Kearse has been completely invisible this season. I remember looking closely through my binoculars to make sure that # 93 was in fact on the field -- and my vision told me that indeed it was so. The numbers, however, tell me otherwise; Jeavon has yet to play football this season. That's right -- in 3 games the Freak has registered ZERO tackles, ZERO sacks, ZERO effort. The numbers deviate from zero when it comes to penalties -- he has flirted with the neutral zone a couple of times and as such, has been charged negative yards. Now someone please tell me again -- why is it that Juqua Thomas is not starting in that position??

P.S. I wish to extend my sincere apologies to all readers and to Jeavon himself -- he is, after all, putting up pro-bowl numbers -- 1 tackle and 0.5 sacks so far this season. I regret the error of implying a zero output earlier on.

Jumping the Shark, McNabb Style

2007-09-20T13:42:00.000-04:00

Like Happy Days after the Fonz's infamous waterskiing heroics, I think the death knell has rung in Philly for #5. Donovan, in his familiar passive-aggressive manner, blew up before the media yesterday after Wednesday's practice.

McNabb again showed that his state of mind is not in a good place when asked yesterday about his comments to HBO that black QBs are scrutinized more heavily than white QBs : "It's just reality. It's something that I've been a part of and other quarterbacks before and after me have been a part of. Did I expect any backlash? Yeah. Everything I say, I expect backlash from it."

{Paulomon Grundy thought bubble: I wonder where a Mexican-American QB would stand on Mcnabb's Wheel of Criticism. A solid parallel story for ESPN would have been to interview Jim Plunkett, if for no other reason that I love the way that guy wore his helmet...}

But OK, I am only an armchair psychaitrist by training, but when someone says that "I expect backlash from everything I say", it seems that the guy has some kind of unhealthy complex going on. Time to see Dr. Feelgood for a few sessions?

McNabb went on: "People are trying to dig too deep in this whole situation. I wasn't pinpointing particular people. What I said was the fact that we [black QBs] have to do a little extra. No matter the style of play you're displaying, there's always going to be criticism."

"Situation"? When did this become a situation? It sounds like he just made a bunch of ridiculous comments, but now we have a situation apparently...to me, a situation means that something is happening...is he leaving Philly? Retiring? Donovan, please tell us what the situation is.

Sometime after that, #5 stormed off the podium. Excellent. I suppose that was another example of McNabb's "class and dignity" that he referred to during the HBO interview.

To sum up my feelings, I don't even need to reiterate what I blogged about the other day on this "situation"...Vince Young (who I believe is a black QB too) said it all for me yesterday: "Black or white quarterbacks, we all go through something because that's the life of a quarterback...You've got to be able to handle all the pressure. You've got to be able to handle the losses. You've got to be able to handle the media. If you can't handle it, you've got to get off that position and go play something else."

Andy Reid seems to be completely unable to reach his players right now, so I don't have much faith that he can control McNabb's spiral downward. Reid needs to do something however...someone needs to do something to help this QB. And not only for the Birds, but just because it is just getting sad to watch this happen to the guy....

Come on everybody, sing along with me now: Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days, Thursday, Friday, Happy Days, Sunday, Monday night...um, happy...days..?

"Sensitive" Subject

2007-09-18T12:33:00.000-04:00

I have not had the energy to blog about last night's debacle yet...and oh, there is so much to vent about...but in the meantime, I cannot ignore Dmac's latest media foray. Seems like with every season (and with every failure), old #5 steps into the spotlight surrounding a controversy. At this point, I am conflicted whether he is a lightning rod of criticism or the lightning itself, but I am leaning toward the latter.

The latest now is a report that during an interview on "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," McNabb says that African-American quarterbacks face added pressure because "there are fewer black QBs -- and because some still don't want black athletes playing the position." Wow, that's a bold statement and is just another landmine that threatens this already shaky season.

First, let's put aside 2 things: my general feelings that I have been happy to have a talented QB at the helm in Philly for the last 8 seasons and that I think McNabb is a "quality guy", a "good" guy. Many franchises, like the Skins, have suffered for years without that kind of talent. He has provided a lot of entertainment for Philly fans.

The problem is that the name of the game is winning; in particular, winning a Super Bowl, being a champion. Let's face the facts we're presented with - McNabb has had his shot and has cracked under pressure on a number of key occasions...most notably, in the Super Bowl where I saw a man who was downright panicky and frightened to be there. Anyone see his eyes during closeups in that game? FEAR. So, I think he has proven that he is a very good QB, yes, but not championship caliber.

The report noted that Dmac mentioned a couple white QBs: Manning and Carson Palmer: "'Let me start by saying I love those guys," McNabb tells HBO. 'But they don't get criticized as much as we do. They don't.'" This is just not true in my opinion - I think Manning received a ton of criticism...that is, until he went out and won a Super Bowl. Dmac, can't you do the same? Hey, you had a shot 3 years ago and you threw 3 INTS, my man! Not your best game...when it counted the most. I promise Donovan McNabb that if he could win Philly a trophy, he would be crowned as King of Broad Street, South Street, Market Street and every other street in Philly for eternity (except Quince Street, because that's Popstar's kingdom)...AND Philly fans are waiting and wanting to crown you ,Dmac...we really are. We WANT to love you, we want you to be great.

Also, it is obvious to me that Manning is a technician and a student of the game.
Is Donovan? Just an observation, but after a possession is over, I see Manning go directly to the phones and begin studying printouts, and I also see him work like an animal with Harrison to perfect his passing routes....does Dmac have the work ethic? Donovan, I see you standing around the sidelines a lot, smoking and joking with your boys, jawing and acting goofy....I see that quite a bit in fact. I also see you saunter up to the line of scrimmage, with seconds left on the clock, as if there was all the time in the world to get the play off. I don't think I have ever seen Manning do that, with or without time on the clock...I see him march down the field like a commander, urgently directing his soldiers....is that your style, Dmac? Maybe you just don't have the personality to be great; not everyone does.

I thought Dmac's final comment in the report was hilarious: "'I try to handle myself with class. I try to handle myself with dignity. I think sometimes people look to players to act out, speak loudly, pretty much be an idiot. But that's not me.'" Um, Dmac, was that you doing the robot in the booth last season when you were hurt or was I seeing things? I also swear I have seen you break into "the Michael Jackson" (badly) after you score TDs...is that what we're calling "class and dignity" these days? I'm not saying the McNabb is not dignified, but come on, let's not go too far with proclamations here...

Look, I don't doubt that Dmac has faced many pressures, and probably some because he is black. But you often see this kind of finger pointing from people who don't succeed...it is always someone else's fault. The bottom line for me is that Donovan is a very sensitive person and has let normal criticism get to him. He needs someone to step in and manage this situation right now, or he is not going to accomplish anything significant as a leader of the Birds, or any team.

Male Pattern Baldness

2007-09-18T09:09:00.000-04:00

I have not yet watched the game on TV, so I'm just going by my impressions from watching it from the Linc. Frankly, I haven't fully processed everything yet, because I'm still caught in a bit of an emotional fog consisting of depression, anger and downright disgust. (I wish surprise was in there, along with some hope, but they're nowhere to be found).

So my comments are, in no particular order:

By far, the most glaring, humorous, depressing and downright surreal thing about the "game" last night was Andy Reid's statements at his post-game press conference. He actually said "We're off just by a hair, and we're going to work like crazy to get that straightened out." About this wee "hair," he explained: "It's not all Donovan, number one. It's me getting him in the right position to do some things, an then him continuing to knock the rust off, and the guys around him. It's everyone pulling together and doing their thing. Like I said, we're off by a hair and once we get that straightened out, we'll be okay."

This is downright delusional (of the grandiose type). Ignoring the fact that he claims that we're off by a hair and then enumerates a number of serious problems, it is a statement that is simply not based in reality. In my experience, when someone is trying to negotiate from a weak position, they often increase their bluster to cover it up; likewise, when someone truly lacks real hope, they often talk as if they are very positive.

If our issues were just mental errors that could be corrected with some more film study or more work memorizing plays, that's one thing. Hell, that could even be, possibly, considered to be a "hair". However, it appears -- now more than ever -- that our issues are not so easily correctable.

Is Kevin Curtis a "hair" away from being able to get off press coverage? Are any of our receivers for that matter? They were manhandled and smothered in coverage virtually all game.
Is William James a "hair" away from not being beaten on man coverage on every play?
Is Donovan a "hair" away from gaining the mobility he had a few years ago, which made him the real threat he was (and which enables him to throw accurately -- since he clearly throws better on the run).
Are our special teams a "hair" away from performing at an average level? (Our kickoff team was especially abysmal, but I thought Bucky showed some promise returning, at least)
Is our coach just a "hair" away from developing a gameplan that isn't obvious to every other team in the league? (It's no longer only Gruden).

William James actually said "It wasn't my best game." That initially pissed me off, as a monstrous understatement. This also implies that he thinks it was not his worst game, or at least it should not be considered among the worst. Getting one pick doesn't make up for being beaten on every play. (And now I'm really curious to see what he considers to be his "best" game -- which IMO would be any game in which he rides the pine).

Reid is simply out of sync with his players. He can't even get on the same page from a PR standpoint. After Reid's PC in which he described one of the numerous problems comprising the "hair" to be Donovan's "rust," Donovan said in his PC that "I don't believe in rust and all of that." Even Westy, the only offensive player who has consistently made plays, talked about how the team just did not have the sense of urgency. Again, Reid's view was dramatically different: "I thought the emotion was there tonight. I thought we were off by a hair all the way around -- both sides of the football, special teams and coaching. We're off by an inch and we have to fix it and close the gap." Is Andy getting PR advice from former Iraqi information minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf?

One TD in 22 possessions. The Phillies scored more points than we did last night. But hey, we're off by just a hair?

The Onion: McNabb has 3 Weeks to Win Championship

2007-09-14T18:04:00.000-04:00

I think The Onion sums up the Philly spirit best in this article...after all, it is "America's Finest News Source".

Is this truth or fiction?

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/eagles_fans_give_mcnabb_three_week

Reno Mahe....Sorry, I Mean Reno F@%#ing Mahe

2007-09-11T13:17:00.000-04:00

Ok, two muffed punt returns on Sunday were an obvious factor in the Birds' opening day, humiliating loss to the lowly Packers....that much we can say at this point. Of course, there are other factors such as McNabb's hesitant ball release and our pourous, ineffective O-line, but for now, let's focus on those special team muffs.

In answering up for the punt returning problems, Reid again pulled out his tape recorder and hit the play button to give a patented pre-recorded response: "Obviously we made too many mistakes. I'll take the blame for that, in particular in the punt return game," Reid said. "It's my responsibility to put guys back there than can do a better job and so that's again my responsibility and my problem." Yes, we've heard this all before. I wonder whether he really believed that Greg Lewis would be a good punt returner? If that's the case, we should all be more worried than I am right now about this team. I bet it has something to do with the salary cap than talent.

Everyone is painfully aware how lacking our special teams skills are, and have been for years. Despite Andy's unwillingness to accept it, a ground game (which includes punt and kickoff returns in my opinion) counts just as much as, and probably more than, passing does. Andy has NEVER had a commitment to a ground game and the Birds have paid a dear price for that ignorance. Westbrook is the only dynamic player we have, and he can't do everything.

But not to worry, Andy's going to "fix it". Queue our favortite busboy, RENO MAHE...

I am stunned that the Birds are even considering this again. Yes, I really dislike Mahe...but um, am I the only person to see that he has no business playing in the NFL? (I said the same thing about Pinkston for years before they finally cut him. Who is Pinky playing for these days? Did Reno get picked up by anyone or even looked at for that matter?).

I hear Reno is a swell guy and a "locker room favorite". That's great. Make him team co-ambassador with Hugh Douglas for all I care. Just don't let him wear the uniform again and handle the football.

But wait, what about the stats? I'm sure there are people out there clamoring about his stats...ok, let's talk stats:

Yes, it is true that in 2005, Reno led the NFL with 12.8-yards punt-return average. In that year, though, he had only 21 returns, the lowest amount for any of the qualifying returners AND the Birds special team coverage in general was much better. His average dropped to 9.4 yards in 2006 when things hit the skids, which would have made him 13th in the league (he didn't have enough returns to qualify). All this talk about his put return stats is misdirected. Note that he averaged 22.2 yards per kickoff return, which ranked 26th in the league...and kickoff returns really highlight how slow a player is. And most importantly, it's the X-factor - the ability to break one. The actual threat alone is enough. But that will never, ever ever happen with Reno in there...breaking one is not even a remote possibility with him. I'm sorry but every NFL team has to have a guy back there who can break one if given the blocking. I need point no further than Westy's miraculous, season changing return against the Giants in 2003 to drive that point home. So, in summary, I hate Reno Mahe and bringing him back is just taking a step backward for this team. It's a signal that this team is not going anywhere this season and management seems OK with that.

Surely there must be somebody who is actually qualified to play in the NFL who can step into this role. And preferrably, Mormon.

I Vent, Therefore I Am (Erumpo Ergo Exsisto)

2007-09-04T00:06:00.000-04:00

Everyone stoked for another round of professional football in the C.O.B.L.? To be honest, I'm having difficulty caring this season. It's not that I don't desperately miss football, and it's not that I am less of a Birds fan this year. No, it's that I am beat down and still suffering from the toll the last 6 seasons have taken. Seriously, the end of last season crushed my spirit into a fine powder and was snorted up by Reid and Banner during their yearly spare salary cap bender. Every year since our humiliating NFCCG loss to Tampa back in 2003, it has taken me longer and longer to recover. This year, here we are as the season is about to begin, and I can barely muster the energy to vent on this blog. Sad.

In any case, venting about the Birds feeds the soul, so I'll get to it. But, first I will begin on a positive note...there are 5 things I am thankful for so far as the season begins (in order of importance):

1) NO RENO MAHE. I mean, come on. Why did this take so long? Because he's a Mormom like Big Red? Oh, I said it didn't I - everyone knows it's true. Reno is a busboy at Chickie and Pete's and that's it. I know, I know - he's a great guy supposedly and Jdubs will prattle away to remind me how he led the League in punt return yardage 2 seasons ago. I can imagine that anomaly has something to do with either the Eagles special teams performance or Reno's few attempts...in any case, it's a GLICHE in the system. Thank the God I don't believe in that he's gone.

2) A thinner McNabb. I've been saying for years that he needs to get back to his original playing weight when he entered the League - 225. Not going to happen, but dropping from 245 (or dare I say it, probably 250 at times), back to 235 is a step in the right direction. Let's face it, he's Wilma McNabb's son....when you blow out your knee running out of bounds, you're fat. Glad to see you stepped out of the weight room for a while, Dmac. No, I still don't think you're a championship caliber QB because you're not serious enough, but glad to have you back anyway. (Isn't this what being a Negadelphian is all about, weaving tons of criticism into positive statements?) To continue, I wonder if that weight loss has anything to do with the drafting of Kolb? Feeling the heat Dmac? I would if I were you - you're over 30 now [evil laugh].

3) Sav Rocca. Dirk Johnson was "hurt" last season. Whatever. Dirk sucks. How many 35 yard punts did we see from that clown over the years? Do you know what that does to your Defense? An extra 10 yards per punt can be game changing. And I'm sorry, but if all you do is punt balls for a living, it better be 50+ yards EVERY TIME; ok, almost every time. Anyone disagree with that? Surely, there must be 32 guys in this world who can punt a ball consistently.

4) JR Reed Returns. He's back. He's never been the same since he popped his ankle jumping over some fence or some bs like that, but I think he'll produce for us this season (which makes me want to rant about how incredibly dumb these players are with how they treat the talents that they were blessed with, but I'll refrain... for now). I do not like T.O., but he's the only guy I've seen, other than Walter Payton (may he RIP), who realizes what kind of asset his body is.

5) Lower Expectations Set In. Everyone in the COBL now knows what I've known since Tampa whooped us - Reid is a moron and does not have what it takes to win it all. I've said many times that I enjoyed watching during the 90s when we were 5-11, then I have the last few seasons of heartbreak. Apathy is OK for now. Time to just enjoy the games.

Ok, I feel better. Now that I got those positive things off my chest, time to unleash everything else...if you haven't guessed, there is a lot more of that kind of stuff so I'll save it for later.

LOSING IS FOR THE BIRDS.

The REAL Concern with Special Teams (and it's not Rocca)

2007-09-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

Rocca or Johnson? Nah. What Heckert said about Rocca's upside being better than Johnson's makes perfect sense; the guy really has a Steve Austin leg (not as in "Stone Cold" but as in Six Million Dollar). And while Dirk had a good preseason, I tend to put more stock in his performance all last season, which was below average. Sav beat out Dirk fair and square, and that's not a big deal. The real concern is our snapper, Jon Dorenbos.

Just rocketing the ball backwards isn't enough. Judging from the preseason, Dobby flubbed quite a few snaps, including the one that cost us the easy Akers FG in the 1st quarter of the Jets game. And from what I remember, the second FG attempt -- where Akers was able to get his foot on the ball but missed the uprights -- was the result of another poor snap that Rocca wasn't able to set in time for Akers. Sure, Rocca can share some blame on that one, but it all starts with 'ol Dobby.

To recap his humble career: He was signed by the Bills in 2003 as an undrafted rookie free agent, and snapped for the full season, as well as 13 games into the 2004 season, until he was placed on IR with a knee injury. When he came back for the 2005 season, he was dropped by the Bills after camp, and was unemployed until he found a job with the Titans in mid-season. In 2006, he apparently didn't even attend any team's camp, and just snapped for the Titans for a single game. After Bartrum went down with a neck injury in the Indy game last season, Dobby was plucked out of retirement to finish the season, and retains the starting job for this season. Yet again, our arrogant coaching staff believes they can take any undrafted free agent and magically transform him into an NFL starter.

Perhaps they were hoping Dobby would magically transform by himself, like an obedient house elf. As most people know about him, he's also a professional magician. According to the Eagles website, he has even performed magic "in front of" Lindsay Lohan and Garth Brooks. I'm glad that Big Red hasn't held that against him. Although I'm not so sure I can say the same thing. And Dobby even has an entry on Wikipedia. In true informative Wikistyle, it purports that he "is a big fan of decks. His favorite brand is Trex." (I assume this is a joke. ...Altho composite decking materials do certainly hold a ton of advantages).

So how important is snapping? Well, as far as long-snapping, last regular season Dirk punted a total of 78 times, ranking the Birds 14th overall for number of punts. However, we were only 24th in total yardage. (See above, why Rocca won). As far as short snaps, Akers attempted 71 place kicks (18 for 23 FGs, and 48 for 48 PATs). We were tied for 6th in the NFL for FGs attempted, but get this -- we were tied for 30th for total FGs made.

So many things need to go right with punts, and even more with FGs. But it all starts (literally and figuratively) with the snap. We've definitely been spoiled with Bartrum, who was as automatic as they come. Sure, Dorenbos sounds like a good guy, and is probably a great Quidditch player, but so far he has not inspired too much confidence and hasn't proved he can do the job with any degree of the consistency that we need.

Eagles' Draft in One Word: SMUG

2007-04-30T21:54:00.000-04:00

Someone on the Cowboys' message board said that this weekend's draft was "not for the casual fan." Very true, at least from what I saw. Not only was it the longest draft in NFL history, it was also the most boring and indistinguishable from a talent standpoint. I usually don't follow college too closely so I'm not a draft maven, but this year was particularly obscure to me. We didn't even have a reliable draft guide on hand so I didn't know these guys at all.

Anyway, here are our picks:

Round Overall No.
1 26 (Traded to Dallas)
2 36 (from DAL via CLE) - QB Kevin Kolb
2 57 - DE Victor Abiamiri
3 87 (from Dallas) - LB Stewart Bradley
3 90 - RB Tony Hunt
4 125 (Traded to New Orleans)
5 159 (from Dallas) - FS C.J. Gaddis
5 162 - TE Brent Celek
6 201 - CB Rashad Barksdale
7 236 - RB Nate Ilaoa

First, let's put aside the QB pick for a second. Other than that freakshow, I'm actually pretty satisfied with the Bird's draft overall. I think Tony Hunt from PS is exactly the type of player we need. We needed that guy 3 years ago however, but hey, that's not news. The other picks addressed needs, although I wish we went after a more defined Safety rather than a crossover type. Not a big deal however.

Ok, the QB pick: Why? What was the pressing need to trade down then go after a guy we could have still waited another round for? Also, I don't understand why anyone would trade out of the first round unless there is a huge payoff somewhere along the line. From what I saw, there were some great players that we could have nabbed, like that LB Posluszny from PS. Anyway, the whole trading down shell game is just more of Reid's and Banner's chicanery that has gotten SO OLD. Everything has to be done the hard way - they like torturing us and acting like they are so clever. It's a game to them.

I wish Andy would just follow the damn rules and get the best players you can when it's time to pick. He has to be so SMUG and cute with everything....just like passing on 3rd and 1. No need. But he still doesn't have a trophy to show for it. Andy, please leave Philly as soon as possible. We're done with you here.

Anyway, I assume this QB move is a signal to McNabb that his time is nearing an end here. He certainly is injury prone and hasn't shown us he can execute under pressure, but he's still our guy. It worries me that McNabb's delicate sensibilities will be broken however...he's very FRAGILE although he tries to pretend he's not.

I do think getting a QB for the future is a good idea, but didn't think we'd needed to make that move this year...we have 5 QBs one the roster now. Oddly, the same number of WRs we have also. Yeh, that makes a lot of sense....

Phun Phillies Phacts

2007-04-13T19:27:00.000-04:00

Ah yes, the essence of Philly sports. Any wonder why we have a huge chip on our collective shoulder?

The Phillies have lost three games so far this season. If they lose 42 more they will be the first team in history to reach 10,000 losses for a franchise. They entered the season with 9,955 losses, so with the three losses they are at 9,958.

Only the Giants have won 10,000 with 10,114 wins against 8,639 losses (through last night's loss to the Dodgers.)

The Cubs need a 100 win season (only 98 more to go) to reach 10,000 wins. They entered the season with 9,900 wins and are 2-2 so far this year.

The 2007 Schedule...Yippee

2007-04-13T19:22:00.000-04:00

Question: Why do we play Green Bay so much?
Comment: Only one Monday night game this season = good news.

2007 Regular Season

Sun., Sept. 9 @ Green Bay 1 p.m. FOX
Mon., Sept. 17 Washington 8:30 p.m. ESPN*
Sun., Sept. 23 Detroit 1 p.m. FOX
Sun., Sept. 30 @ Giants 8:15 p.m. NBC*
Sun., Oct. 7 Bye
Sun., Oct. 14 @ Jets 1 p.m. FOX
Sun., Oct. 21 Chicago 4:15 p.m. FOX*
Sun., Oct. 28 @ Minnesota 1 p.m. FOX
Sun., Nov. 4 Dallas 8:15 p.m. NBC*
Sun., Nov. 11 @ Washington 1 p.m. FOX
Sun., Nov. 18 Miami 1 p.m. CBS+
Sun., Nov. 25 @ New England 8:15 p.m. NBC*+
Sun., Dec. 2 Seattle 1 p.m. FOX+
Sun., Dec. 9 Giants 1 p.m. FOX+
Sun., Dec. 16 @ Dallas 4:15 p.m. FOX*+
Sun., Dec. 23 @ New Orleans 1 p.m. FOX+
Sun., Dec. 30 Buffalo 1 p.m. CBS+

More of the Same: Stallworth in Free Agency

2007-02-08T09:46:00.000-05:00

ok, I know I'm completely burnt out, but with my last gasp of life, I'll reach down deep for the energy to rip Andy Reid one more time - the guy hasn't learned anything over these last 7 seasons. Here we go again...Big Red has chosen the "degree of difficulty" routine in trying to build a Super Bowl team. "The more difficult the better"...and of course, "the cheapper the better". Ticket prices continue to rise, yet we can't "afford" to pay our only deep threat.

Donte Stallworth entered free agency this week, which isn't surprising. I saw it coming right after our playoff loss where Andy indicated in his press conference that he "felt as comfortable having Donte on the field as not having Donte on the field." Wow, that's a ringing endorsement!

OK, playing Devil's advocate, Donte has an injury history and maybe, just maybe, it's worth the gamble to release him into the free agency market to see if the market won't pay him top dollar....but how many good deep threats are there in the market? Are we seriously satisfied with Brown, Baskett and Avant to help us go all of the way? We're reverting back to the Pinkston, Thrash and FredEx years...I mean, Brown is definitley an upgrade from that catastrophe, but Brown's not a number 1 guy...did anyone pay attention to how McNabb's numbers skyrocketed when TO arrived and he had a real WR to throw to? Does receiving matter in this system?? Yes, yes, it does when you pass 60% of the time! I give up.

I'm so tired of Andy's crap. As I've said over and over, it's clear he is the second coming of Marty Schottenheimer - he doesn't have what it takes to win it all. He's been outcoached in every big game he's had...regular season against the Skins, yeh, he's terrific, but when it really counts...not so much. Andy and the cheapskates in management may end up being right about not fighting for Donte, but they better have a plan for upgrading our receiving corps before the season starts.

More Evidence that I'm Not Alone

2007-01-16T18:00:00.000-05:00

Most people tend to rush to the defense of Andy Reid, calling him a "great coach" because of our many trips to the playoffs (Buddy Ryan went to the playoffs a lot too). Anyway, as I've cited previously, Andy's play calling and on field leadership is suspect, at best; that's why he is always outcoached in big games (big games tend to feature the best coaches, so his deficiencies become more obvious). Saturday was no exception - a great example was his terrible play calling on that critical short yardage play down on the Saints' goal line early in the 4th Q.

This analysis is from Tuesday Morning Quarterback (written by Gregg Easterbrook) and is exactly what I've been saying:

"Lowlight of the game: Trailing 27-21, Philadelphia faced third-and-1 on the New Orleans 4 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Eagles rushed for 6.2 yards per carry in this game: just run the ball and the first down is likely. Instead, the Eagles pass, loss of yardage, field goal and the visitors never penetrated New Orleans territory again. Just run the ball! Especially since in this situation, any result except a loss of yardage and a fourth-down run is a high percentage play, too. TMQ has done numerous items on how the pass-wacky Andy Reid seems to think that only passing yardage counts. Down at the goal line in a game in which the Eagles rushed well, Reid didn't want a rushing touchdown, he wanted a passing touchdown -- the sports press treats passing success as evidence of coaching genius, while viewing rushing success as just bump-and-grind. Reid's tragic flaw, his desire for passing numbers, may have cost the Eagles a postseason win. This isn't important enough to call Greek tragedy. Maybe it rises to the level of Albanian tragedy."

Not only is this analysis hilarious, but it seems to be written with the same frustration as I feel, not only about that play but also about Reid's decisions in general. Reid has been completely obsessed with passing, and we've lost many games because of it. He always, always wants to pass on 3rd and short. He's so intent on being tricky and cute about short yardage situations rather than just jamming down the opponent's throat. True, the Saints' defense was stopping the run up the middle for most of the game, but not the run outside, and passing that close to the goal is always tough.

How long are we going to ignore this stupidity? I need to do some research on Andy's 3rd down success rate compared to the League average. More to come...

Predictable End to an Unpredictable Season

2007-01-16T08:51:00.000-05:00

Since Saturday night, I have been so disgusted that I have been trying to avoid even thinking about football. I haven't watched any football since, and I AM NOT WATCHING THE SUPER BOWL. I woke up Sunday morning in a fog, actually trying to think of ways that the Birds could still make it to the Super Bowl this year. They lured me once again into thinking that this could be the year we do it, a magical alignment of the stars that seems to bless every other franchise from time to time. This year, that franchise at least in the NFC, appears to be the Saints.

Will it ever be the Birds time? As I've been saying for years, not under Andy Reid it won't. Andy is quickly becoming Marty Schottenheimer. Although his coaching wasn't nearly as weak as it has been in his other playoff loses, he certainly didn't do anything to help the cause. I believe that we have a better, or at least as good of a team, as the Saints this season. The Birds had played hard over the last 6 weeks and were likely very tired. They played like it at least. So, it really came down to coaching, and it's obvious which coach is a winner and which one is not - Sean Payton takes the prize.

Even though I've already done it in my head, it's not worth going through all the plays that brought the Birds to those final disappointing (but oh so typical!) minutes of the game, but overall the teams were pretty evenly-matched. The biggest problem we had was the same problem we had against the Giants - we got handily beaten on the lines. The O-line couldn't stop the Saints bum rush and the D-line couldn't get any penetration - the sacks we did have were coverage sacks. I do think our secondary did a nice job considering no one was open. The Saints were just bigger, stronger men than the Birds were and shoved it down our throats.

Despite the Saints controlling the tempo of the game for the most part, we still had some key opportunities late in the game. So, the most crucial point in the game? 2nd and 1 on the Saints 4 YL with 12 minutes left in the 4th Quarter...and what happened? ANDY REID FOOTBALL BABY! The same BS that occurred the previous week (and really throughout Reid's tenure in Philly - "tricky plays" in short yardage situations). Here's how it played out:

2nd and 1 at NO 4 (12:38) - B.Westbrook right end to NO 4 for no gain (W.Smith).
3rd and 1 at NO 4 (11:57) J.Garcia pass short right to T.Tapeh to NO 6 for -2 yards (S.Fujita).
4th and 3 at NO 6 (11:12) D.Akers 24 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-J.Dorenbos, Holder-K.Detmer.

So, we settled for another FG goal just like we did in the Giants game , and it turned out to be (as I thought it would be at the time), the decisive point in the game. WE NEEDED THAT TOUCHDOWN and a great coach should have known that. A pass to Tapeh? Who...what? Why pass at all? Why not use the biggest O-line in football to jam it down their throats? Or what not bootleg Garcia? Or try Brook again outside? Reid loves to pass on 3rd and short, but it never seems to work, especially when the field is so tight on the goalline. Put Nick Cole and plow someone over if necessary. The Saints are not THAT great on the line. Let your team have a shot at being the bigger man.

Then of course, things went from bad to worse. We were fortunate enough to get the ball back after the Reggie Bush fumble with a great opportunity to march down to tie the game. So, our wonderful play selection was as follows:

1st and 10 at PHI 44 (3:18) (Shotgun) J.Garcia pass short left to B.Westbrook to PHI 43 for -1 yards (F.Thomas).
2nd and 11 at PHI 43 (2:37) B.Westbrook right end to PHI 44 for 1 yard (S.Fujita).
3rd and 10 at PHI 44 (2:02) (Shotgun) J.Garcia pass incomplete short right to B.Westbrook [S.Fujita].

3 plays to Westbrook. Andy, listen up: The Saints heard about Westbrook before this game, and they were obviously keying on him and shutting him down for the most part in the second half. Give it to someone else. Our passing game was working. Stallworth and Reggie were open most of the game, and what about LJ? LJ was completely underutilized. Then, 4th and long after the false start penalty, we all know what happened next: we punt...WE PUNT?? Well, that was the game. We went out with a whimper. I'm sorry, you can argue for Andy's decision all you want.. Dave Spadaro was on WIP this morning defending Andy and hailing this season as a success, but there is no way you punt in that situation. Our Defense was exhausted and couldn't stop the Saints' running game the entire second half. Basically, we had one last shot to get 15 yards. Andy blew it.

The bottom line is that the Saints played an overall better game, controlling the clock and seem to be a tighter organization at this moment. Yes, we were tired and yes, losing Andrews in the second half was huge, but we still could have won that game despite all of that. A few key coaching decisions and you have a 28-27 victory.

I still need to go on one more anti-Reid tirade before next season so more later...

The Birds Didn't Bring their A-Game, but...

2007-01-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

...we didn't have to, what, with Koy Detmer back holding the ball during kicks and all. Was anyone a little worried when Akers set up to kick that ball? Remember the days when a 38-yarder was automatic? whoa. Akers cried again after making the kick, which was heartwarming and all...for people in Arizona maybe. Come on, David, this is Philly! But congrats to Green Akers for having nerves of steel in the pouring rain. He must be more comfortable with Detmer there. Good move by management bringing him back.

The Giants did bring their A-game however. They came ready to play yesterday, you have to give them that. The stats match up nearly perfectly across the board - Garcia and Manning had about 160 yards passing each, the Brook and Tiki had about 140 yards rushing each, time of possession about 30 min each. Amazing. I have the overall impression however that we're just a better team despite the stats...coaching may be the difference, although I sort of hate to say that.

Offensively:

The Birds O-line was getting shredded most of the day. Come on, can we give Garcia a little time to throw please? Garcia's numbers would have been a lot stronger had he been afforded more than 1.5 seconds to make a decision before scrambling for his life. The pocket was collasping around him all day, and the WRs weren't getting great separation to help the situation either (Reggie and Donte played well when they were open however so I'm not knocking them). Not sure what went wrong there - it didn't appear that the Giants were blitzing a lot. Their front four were just pushing harder, it seems.

Also, I'm not sure what the play-calling duties were but I loved the heaping load of Brook. Can't say enough about this game-changing, hard-running, ass-kicking RB we have. Brook loves running to the right: 8 runs to the right for 117 yards. I need to study the break-down over the course of the season, but he's much stronger on the right side than left. I wonder if that's because Runyan and Andrews are just better run blockers? Speaking of Runyan, what a beast, but yikes, anyone think we dodged a bullet not having him ejected? Back to play calling - my guess is that Andy and Marty shared play calling duties. Why? Because we had good success with our running game - biggest line in the league after all - so what did we do in the 2nd quarter when it was First and Goal on the Giants 4? We did this:

1st and 4 at NYG 4 J.Garcia pass incomplete short middle to L.Smith.
2nd and 4 at NYG 4 J.Garcia scrambles right tackle to NYG 1 for 3 yards.
3rd and 1 at NYG 1 J.Garcia pass incomplete short right to H.Baskett.

THREE PASSING PLAYS! That choice assortment of tricky pass plays had Andy Reid written all over it. Why pass 3 times when (1) it's the most difficult place to pass on the field (no space, no lanes to throw), (2) you have the biggest line in football, and (3) the running game is already working? That's signature Andy Reid football everybody. Whatever. If he's not abundantly aware of how wrong he's been all of these years about WRs and Running backs, then he's dumber than he is fat.

Defensively:

The same problem as on offense: we got owned on the line. Eli's uniform was basically clean at the end of the game. We were obviously concerned about Tiki running wild, but he did that anyway. Why we didn't blitz the snot out of Eli and rattle him is beyond me. Remember when we made Eli a human pinball a few years ago when Eli made his debut? Well, Eli remembers that too. He already looks scared out there, all we needed to do was hit him a couple times early and it was over. The secondary did a nice job overall covering their talented WRs, but at the same time we didn't seem to be double covering Plaxico which made no sense to me. Anyway, I won't question Jim Johnson very much, as he's the master of all he surveys IMO. The front 4 need to play much better next week or we're done.

More later....

Giant-Eagles Last Minute Prediction (i.e. Guess)

2007-01-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

All bets are off now that the playoffs are here. I think that both of these NFC East rivals have major weaknesses, but the Birds have less problems than the Giants at this point. The G-men are riddled with injuries for one thing - in particular Strahan is out, and their record is terrible when he's not playing.

Defensively, Jim Johnson seems to have Eli's number, and considering Eli's lack of progress as a technical QB over the last few years, a good blitz scheme like we used against Dallas should confuse him enough to throw his rhythm off. So, the key will likely be how much muscle we have in stopping Tiki. Our run D has improved so much since the early part of the year, that I feel pretty confident about it right now.

Offensively, I see the same issue as always: Brook, Brook and more Brook. I hope he gets many carries today. If Garcia can dink and dunk our way down the field on passing downs, we can distract the Giants D enough to let Brook run wild at key times. Reggie Brown and Stallworth need to work hard today to make things easier on Garcia too.

So, bottom line is that I see the Birds winning 27-20 in a game that's not as close as that may sound.

Garcia v. McNabb

2007-01-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

WIP is buzzing with talk of a QB controversy in Philly now that Garcia has shown us how this West Coast offense is supposed to be run and has inspired many players to step up and compete. I'm not saying that there is a controversy - I don't know, but it's interesting to think about. So, I want to re-post what I wrote about McNabb's leadership back in October when McNabb was playing like a god...what do you think most people would say now that the Birds are playing so well (and maybe better?) without him?

Careful, one thing may sway your opinion: did anyone see McNabb doing the robot on national TV when the camera panned to him during the Falcons game?

One more thing: Does anyone think that we wouldn't be in the playoffs if McNabb played out the whole season?

Post from October 14:
No doubt that Donovan is having a career season so far; his MVP-like play has been well-covered by the media. His play this season has made me think a lot about him - how he's matured over the years, how he endured the stress of playing in this city, and whether he is our team's leader or just a very good player. Journalists and announcers routinely, especially this season, refer to McNabb as the Birds' "undeniable leader". Is it undeniable that he's our leader?

Before answering that question, I'll put aside his play on the field and the duties that come with the QB position: McNabb is for sure one of the most electric and talented players on the team and in the NFL, and may end up being considered a great QB one day (let's all hope). And QBs are forced to be leaders of the offense because they touch the ball on every offensive play. So, beyond his role on the field and the offensive leadership that has been thrust upon him, does McNabb voluntarily take on the role of team leader?

Well, if he does, he's certainly not vocal about it - like Andy Reid, he's very measured in his interviews and on the sidelines. I like that trait personally because he conducts himself with class and doesn't appear to overeact to any situation. It's easy to have the expectation that your team leader should be boisterous and more showy, which is what you get from players like Ray Lewis. For sure, it's certainly easier for players and fans to be attracted to that type of leadership - there is little doubt as to who is in charge. Trotter and Dawkins seem to share a role like that on defense (and probably for the entire team).

McNabb's more measured approach would seem to translate to poise on the field in high pressure situations - that hasn't necessarily been the case however. His performance in his biggest games has been covered thoroughly so I won't get into that in detail here, but merely reference it as evidence that he may be a reluctant leader. I think the pressure does get to him, but how could it not? For the most part, he has deflected it or bottled it up for the last 7 seasons, but it comes to the surface from time to time. Take the Super Bowl for instance. Let's face it, in the Super Bowl, McNabb looked flat-out scared. It may have been fatigue and the aches from the pounding he took (which is what I like to believe), but his face showed signs of fear...and while his performance was great in some respects (he had 350 yards passing and 3 TDs in that game), it was horrible in other respects (3 INTs and basically a shutdown at the end of the game). He wasn't able to rally the troups when it counted the most - which to me is a key sign of a leader. As an aside, the general failure to show a sense of urgency when the game is on the line exists among both Reid and McNabb and is one of the reasons why our 2-minute drills are horrible.

As everyone knows, McNabb is playing best when he's loose and smiling, joking with his teammates on the sidelines. To me, this indicates he views himself as one of the boys rather than their leader. I think the Birds' leadership resides for the most part in its defensive players, who play like crazed dogs; but to be honest, it's hard to tell sometimes.

Of course, none of this is intended to be criticism of McNabb, but just a thought about what his role is on this team. The city is really fortunate to have a franchise QB of his caliber, especially when you see teams like the Skins, Cowboys and Ravens suffer for years with journeymen signal callers. In any case, I don't know yet whether he'll be the one to lead this team to a Super Bowl trophy, but I really hope so.

Anyone Nervous about Next Weekend?

2007-01-01T20:29:00.000-05:00

Ah yes, a new year, a new opportunity for disappointment! I don't know about anyone else, but if I wasn't completely burnt out from the emotional rollercoaster I've been on which has been fueled by Andy Reid's inability to win the big games over the last 5 years, I'd be very nervous about facing an NFC East rival in the first round of the playoffs. Although the Giants are not a good team, many bad teams seem to channel the '85 Bears as soon as the playoffs begin.

Theismann said: "As for the Giants, they have to rely on another big day from Tiki Barber to have any shot. It's obvious that Eli Manning is simply too young and inexperienced to give them what they need at this point in his career." What? Why is Eli given so much slack all of the time? Brady and Roethlisberger won Super Bowls already at his age, and a lot of other young QBs are showing vast improvement as rookies while Eli seems to be stagnating; and it's not like Eli doesn't have enough weapons at his disposal. He seems to lack the killer instinct above all and that may be the ultimate issue. He's had enough time to make strides and hasn't really stepped up yet. That could be changed starting this Sunday.

It'll be interesting to look at the match up as the weekend gets closer, but this game could go either way. I don't like all of these statements by analysts about how favored the Birds are for this game and how we're "soaring into the playoffs" and such. It's true, a 5 game winning streak is money, but it means nothing now that the playoffs are beginning. Overall, I'll be mildly disappointed if the Birds lose, but the playoffs seem like gravy to me anyway after all we've been through this season. Clinching the NFC East was pretty sweet and that's more than enough for me at this point.

As a side note: Great win vs. the Falcons yesterday! Our second stringers schooled Vick and the Dirty Birds. AJ had a really nice day - 321 yards, 3 TDs - which makes me think that he would have filled in nicely for McNabb as well, although obviously not as well as Garcia has. Baskett had a monster day, receiving for almost 200 yards. He's big, he's strong and he has good hands. I like it. Defensively, Considine played his balls off, literally. His balls were lying on the field after the game...He was hitting huge and could have had multiple INTs had he been a little more sure-handed.

Bizarro Birds

2006-12-25T22:46:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas - did everyone like the gift that the Birds' gave us today?

First off, I couldn't have been more wrong about this team over the last 4 weeks. Not that Jeff Garcia cares what I think, but I need to apologize to him for my poor assessment of his abilities. Based on his performance in other systems over the last few years, I thought he was a complete dud. Yet, he has run this offense with optimum efficiency...and dare I say that he's been running this offense the way that a west coast offense is supposed to be run?...and could I say further, that he's been running it better than McNabb had been running it? Ok, maybe I went too far there...or did I? That sure is an interesting topic for debate.

There's no way a few weeks ago that I thought I'd be saying the following now:

* Eagles beat Dallas on Christmas 23-7in Dallas.

* Third straight Division road win, catapulting our team to first place in the East.

* We clinch a playoff berth.

COMPLETE DOMINATION TODAY. I haven't been able to say this very often, especially recently. Even Bill Parcells said that the Cowboys had no real shot at winning at any time during the course of the game today. The Birds played their best game of the season and in my opinion, had their best overall performance that I've seen in years.

More than usual, today's game was won on the Lines: Along with Jeff Garcia, the O-line deserves a commendation medal for its performance. They were blowing the Boys' D-line off the ball, gouging large holes for Buck and the Brook. The "heaviest line in the League" pulled more than its weight today. Andrews played to his Pro Bowl abilities. The Brook had 122 yards rushing - what a great season he's had. He's an elite RB now - how fortunate are we to have a guy like this? Pro Bowl snub is all I can say! In any case, it was nice to see a sense of urgency back in the offense...Garcia doesn't saunter up to the line, letting precious time tick away, he doesn't hesitate and go deep every time. I actually love the way he runs the offense now. I hated him a month ago, now he's completely earned my respect.

I am all about clock control and gaining the edge on time of possession - today was a great example of how that translates to victories. Marty Mornhinweg called a great game, sticking mostly to the run and the occasional short pass: 42 RUNS, 23 PASSES, which helped us control the ball for 37 minutes, and thereby dictate every aspect of this game. I love that ratio. Um, can I ask where the run has been all of these years? I don't get it Andy. You're an enigma.

On the Birds defensive side, the D-line again stepped up and put good pressure on Romo, but better yet, they completely killed the Cowboys' running attack, holding them to 83 total yards. HOW ABOUT THAT 4TH DOWN GOALLINE STAND? What an idiot Parcells is for going for two 4th down conversions on one drive - Dallas had no points then - why not just take the 3 points? Why risk it? At that point, it would have been 7-3 and it was still early in the game. After that crushing blow on the goalline, Dallas had no wind in its sails...good for us I guess, but just a strange decision to me. Overall, I was most surprised by the Birds' run defense. Romo was the rushing leader for Dallas, and those yards were mostly from broken plays. Lito and Dawkins had a couple of nice INTs, again created from pressure from the D-line. Has the decision to move Gaither in for McCoy been important?

As an "added bonus", wasn't it nice to see TO have 2 key drops today? Did I hear right that he's leading the League with 14 drops? I hope that's correct. Man, I hope he just disappears over the offseason - mostly I'm just sick of hearing and talking about him.

So, I really don't have a lot of criticism of this team after today's performance, except...

...the only negative I see from the win today is that it will delay the Birds' organization in moving Reid to a GM only spot and getting a new on-field head coach. Another playoff berth will contribute to Reid's tenure as being a "success". I know, you're thinking, how can Big Red not be considered a success given all of his victories? But I still don't have confidence in him, that is to win us a Super Bowl. Again, I'm a broken record, but I don't understand Andy Reid: Why does it take a coach so long to realize that a running game is essential? That Pinkston and Thrash aren't championship caliber WRs? That controlling a clock is crucial? That throwing deep 12 times in a game isn't a good plan? etc. etc. All I'm saying is that it's been interesting to see how different the team looks when they finally do the things that we've all been bitching about for the last 5 years. Things that winning coaches do. So, Andy's not going anywhere for a long time now.

In any case, it's amazing how quickly ones fortunes can change. "One more bet and I'm up" as Poppy the Jew likes to say.

Can anyone figure the NFC out at this point? What does this win mean to our playoff hopes? Not too much in my opinion - it's wide open right now so we don't have a better chance than any other team. And most importantly, I still need to protect my egg-like psyche from another crushing disappointment, so I think it's best not to worry about it for now. I think I'll just bask in this third straight Division road win, and let visions of sugar plumbs (whatever they are) dance around in my head.

Being a Superstar in Negadelphia

2006-12-21T09:44:00.000-05:00

As we've heard, it's not easy playing in the COBL. I think that's mainly because this city is starving for a championship. It's been too long.

From A.I., our latest superstar to depart the COBL:

"'Iverson repeatedly thanked his fans for all of their support, but he appeared relieved to be leaving the Philadelphia sports pressure cooker.

"'I love my fans in Philadelphia, but this is the hardest place in the world to play in," Iverson said. "And I think it's the hardest place to play in to be a superstar. Just to be the No. 1 guy. All eyes on you -- because everybody wants you to be perfect, but not themselves.'" From ESPN.com.

Nibbling on Crow but Staying the Course

2006-12-18T09:33:00.000-05:00

Well, well. Looks like we played like a motivated team yesterday. I was dead wrong in my prediction, for this week at least. The players care after all! But do the fans?? Most probably are still watching with one eye. Me? Well, I didn't even bother watching the game - I was sure that it was going to be disappointing. Plus, I needed a week off. So, I can't provide any real commentary on the game. Looking at the stats however, I'm glad that Big Red stayed with a balanced attack. The Brook didn't get 20 carries, but close. It seems that the more the Brook handles the ball, the better he gets. Even Buck contributed. Rumor has it that Reno almost broke one for a TD...and was subsequently caught from behind. We haven't run one back since 2001, I believe. And it ain't happening with ol' Stubby Legs returning kicks. Props to Reno though on 60 yard effort.

Apparently, the Giants are not as good as I thought they were. Now the big question - Is Dallas? Yes, I still say that they are. I sound like a broken record, but I just don't see us winning a third straight division road game. Not this team at least. They've played pretty well the last 3 games, but we're going to lose big next weekend. I'm sticking with my prior prediction: 41-20. It pains me to say it, believe me, but Dallas is looking way to good at this point for us to even have a chance at winning. However, seems like we can still make the playoffs since everyone else in the NFC sucks like we do....so that's something to be mildly interested in.

Will the "Streak" Continue?

2006-12-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

Answer: No.

First of all, there is no streak. Second, we're not a good team so let's all come back to reality.

Everyone is talking up our "playoff hopes" and how Garcia's play has been better than McNabb's MVP-like play from earlier this season. Peter Queen said "Maybe I'm overselling Jeff Garcia, but this three-game starting streak he's on? Donovan McNabb had a great opening-season stretch this year, but it wasn't better than the last 12 quarters played by Garcia."

Jeff Garcia, League MVP? Not quite. Like I've said he's done a nice job stepping in and I respect his heart, but let's not get crazy here. Everyone's crowning this guy the second coming all of a sudden.

Jdubs wrote to me today: "garcia has 8 tds and no picks in 3+ games. that's better than mcnabb. and his qb rating is the 1st time in eagles history that we've had a qb rating that high 3 games in a row. and he's only been sacked twice. look at how long some of our scoring drives have been in those games. i admit, i was way down on garcia after his 2.6 ypa outing vs the colts, despite being efficient, but yards don't mean shite. scoring does."

I disagree with this assessment for a bunch of reasons, but for the sake of brevity here during my lunch, let's just say that we've been playing bad teams during this stretch, and we have some other players stepping up and playing a little better as well.

Fun to listen to all of this...I mean, funny. These people need something to talk about so they start talking streaks as soon as a team wins one game. The NFC is so replete with average teams, they are scrambling to make sense of it all so they can write stories. If anyone can recall the early parts of the last 5 seasons, the Redskins were continuously being crowned as the "hot" team every time they scored a TD... that's what I'm talking about here.

Focus on the big picture people: We have no playoff hopes and it's best for everyone to come to grips with that now. We're an average team who needs to focus on the offseason at this point - LBs, D-linemen and a RB should be our priorities. Sure, let's play the next few games and try to win; however, fans are getting themselves psyched up for another let-down. Let it go.

In any case, the streak is going to end this weekend, so we can all get back to feeling bad about this team again...hopefully, we will all get mad enough and get Reid tossed out on his large behind.

My predictions for the next couple of weeks:

Giants 31, Eagles 17
Cowboys 41, Eagles 20 (this game may even be worse than this - the Cowboys are going to whoop us hard...I'm just saying, be ready)

um, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah...and a safe and healthy Kwanzaa to all!

Among Our Many Problems

2006-12-13T15:15:00.000-05:00

Can you imagine the difference these dropped balls could have made over the course of a season?

NFL Passes Dropped
Rank Team Passes Dropped
1 Philadelphia Eagles 33
2 Green Bay Packers 31
3 Seattle Seahawks 29
4 New Orleans Saints 28
5 Miami Dolphins 27
6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27
7 Cleveland Browns 26
8 New England Patriots 25
9 Carolina Panthers 25
10 Indianapolis Colts 24

From "Real Football 365".

Move Along People, There's Nothing to See Here

2006-12-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

Yep, the Birds won another one. Where does that leave us? Absolutely nowhere. The Birds' website described it as a "big win": "It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win, especially during the stretch run to the playoffs and the first of three straight road games against NFC East foes." Indeed, it was a win. And better yet, it was a win against my least favorite team in the league, so that was nice.

There were some bright spots yesterday. The Brook had another good game - his presence is so critical to our Offense. Question: With the Brook averaging over 5 yards a carry, why isn't he getting 25 carries every game? I guess the answer is that we don't control the ball long enough to have enough plays to allocate 25 handoffs to him. Time of possession again was heavily in favor of the other team. Every team we play controls the tempo of the game, even bad teams. We'll never be good until we fix that huge problem: championship teams dictate the tempo.

Garcia has been touted as a hero during these last few games. To his credit, he hasn't made critical errors, and that has made him a "success" in filling in for McNabb. I like his grit for sure - He's an older QB and still pushing hard to win. However, he threw for 164 yards, going 15 for 23. How does that really help us against a good team? He's a good back up for McNabb and that's all he is.

Michael Lewis made a couple of nice plays to help redeem himself from earlier this season. I like how they are using him and Considine together out there. Our Run D is pathetic. We made Ladell Betts look like Ladanian - he almost had 200 yards rushing. If the Skins had Portis yesterday, it would've been a bloodbath. We obviously see the value of the Freak right now. Our D Line went from being amazing during the offseason to nonexistent. Can we sack anyone anymore? I don't get it. Maybe another year or so of development will make Patterson and Bunkley more effective? McDougle is just a bust altogether so it's probably time for him to move on.

Also, all of you people out there, talking about us being back in the "playoff hunt"? Please, please stop. We're an average team in a very weak Conference. The win yesterday was the result of 2 fortunate turnovers in the first half. That was exciting for sure, but mere fortune only. Given a few more minutes on the clock, and the Skins were on their way to winning that game. The second half showed our true colors.

Even the announcers were talking the Birds up as a team that's getting "hot", and those are the types of teams that do well in the playoffs...huh? Have they watched us play? We're not good, although we have moments of brilliance here and there. We managed to beat 2 average to below-average teams. We've lost to every good team we've played this season. In the playoffs, you generally face good teams.

Vaughn Hebron on Eagles Post Game Live summed it up best last night in saying that the fans have lowered their expectations and are simply enjoying the games as entertainment. And that's fine for now. When the season ends, hopefully we can take this average team and make it better. However, the next two weeks are going to be UGLY, but then again, so has this season.

Showing Some Heart; Booing Garcia?

2006-12-05T13:17:00.000-05:00

Last night was a very nice win (for a mediocre team over another mediocre team). Although I despise Hoge, he nailed it in saying that these 2 teams wouldn't even be mentioned as playoffs contenders if they were in the AFC. The circle of life continues...

On offense, I liked the play selection by Big Red overall although he did stick win the same off-tackle running plays at times that were getting stuffed. The Brook did a great job as usual. We of course have to tip our collective caps to Garcia for playing very well, especially in light of the overall consensus that AJ should be starting. I think the O-line should be commended as much as Garcia should be in this case, and the WRs did a nice job overall making plays to help Garcia's cause. Runyan owned Peppers. I understand from JDubs that DUUUUUUCE has been cut from the Stillers - let's grab him! Hell, I'll take a bruiser like him right now, slow or not.

The Defense still showed signs of weakening in this game as Smith ran circles around us, and they have yet to have an outright dominating performance this season; but at the same time, they made key plays when they had to. Lito's interception to seal the victory was very nice - but I have been hoping that our DBs would learn from that goalline fade play that burns us frequently. At least the D demonstrated SOME heart this game, as opposed to none at all. It's as if they showed they want to contend this season, albeit a bit late in the season.

Booing Peter Pan: A friend of mine commented how horrible the Philly fans were for booing when AJ didn't come in as Garcia appeared to be injured - he didn't understand why fans would boo a player who is playing well for us, as Garcia was last night. Why did they boo? The answer to that is more complicated then can be addressed on my lunch break, but suffice it to say that it's been the topic of countless rants and posts on this blog, and in the end, I believe the fans were justified to boo. Those boos have been a long time in coming, and if we were in Green Bay, Dallas or Pittsburgh, then Garcia may have received a ticker-tape parade for his performance under adversity. Here in Philly however, a town starved for a championship and destined to be second-rate in perpetuity, Garcia will hear the gentle sound of Boo-birds. And I say, too bad for Garcia. It's not easy playing here. Win us a Super Bowl and those boos will disappear.

Despite Garcia's very nice game, I still prefer AJ. I can see Garcia's meltdown around the corner, as can the other fans I assume. When it's all said and done, AJ and Garcia are completely different QBs, but AJ can make many completions that Garcia fails to make - AJ is taller and has a better arm and would deliver the football more effectively. Garcia oftens dances around in the pocket and appears panicky. Having said that though, I'll repeat that he had a very nice game, and I am proud of him for sticking in there and performing well...

I'd still boo though!

Is it (next) Monday yet?

2006-12-04T09:01:00.000-05:00

So, is everyone ready for the NFL season to be over? I am. It always starts out with such energy, then by December, I have nothing left. I can't imagine how the players feel. 16 games is entirely too long of a season, especially considering our preseason was 5 games. I know the NFL Officials, like all pro sports officials, are money-grubbing bastards and have forgotten what the game is about...by the way, what is the game about? I think I've forgotten too...oh yeah, it's about competition and providing local fans something to root for to help them escape their miserable lives for a few hours and possibly providing kids with role models here and there. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that the regular season needs to be cut back to 14 games. I'm ready for the playoffs, and thus the end of the season. Even when the Birds are playing well, I get antsy around this time of the season.

Having said that, the Birds are now entering into their most challenging part of the schedule. Three division games on the road and 2 others against playoff contenders, all in December. I think we'll finish strong though...HAHAHAHAAAAAAHHAAAAAA. HA. ha.

It's completely unfounded for me to say this, but I think that the Birds have a good chance to win tonight. Although there hasn't been any evidence of it thus far, at some point the D-line and LBs are going to have to find their pride and start playing aggressively. If nothing else, they should at least be worried about their JOBS and start playing harder. The Panthers are very beatable right now. If we get to Delhomme early and often, that should set the tempo. Steve Smith will be difficult to contain and Considine, although a great tackler and container, will be mismatched against him; so, I assume he'll be double-covered most of the game. All the more reason to blitz the hell out of Delhomme. It's really all up to our D-line right now.

On the other side of the ball, the Panthers will obviously be focusing on the Brook, so I say let's unleash Moats tonight and create some mismatches. I'd like to see both Moats and the Brook out there at one time. Also, I'd like to see a 4 WR set once in a while and some designed QB runs - Peter Pan can actually scramble a little still, so let him do it. He certainly doesn't have an arm at this point.

Lest I be mistaken, I do not expect us to win this game or any of the remaining games (although I really hope we don't lost to the Skins), but I think we could win tonight if the stars align...and maybe if Steve Smith contracts food poisoning around 4 or 5 today.

Enjoy the game everyone!

"We drafted a skier."

2006-11-29T20:35:00.000-05:00

-- Former Eagles FB Jon Ritchie on the Eagles' 2006 draft class and the organization's inexplicable attraction to smaller players.

Bent, broken

2006-11-27T09:36:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts about last night's predictable debacle:

Did anyone notice how profoundly and thoroughly confused Reid looked whenever the camera focused on him? It looked like he was perpetually in that hazy state when the telephone wakes you up out of a deep REM sleep, and you answer it even though you're barely conscious and can't process what's going on around you. At some level you are aware that you're talking to someone, but it's still feels like a few miles away, you have no idea what you're saying or who you're talking to, and don't remember much of anything in the morning. Well, that was the guy calling the plays last night.

And what would a losing season be without festering discontent in the locker room? Eskin has said that a lot of players have bristled at Trott's comments last week when he implied that other members of the D weren't really stepping up to play. He basically said something on WIP about how, at one point in the Titans game, he looked in the faces of the other members of the D and got blank stares back, and that he needed to see if they got any dawg left in them). And last night, when Trott was asked if he could fix what was wrong with the defense, he said that three weeks ago he would've said yes, but now he doesn't even know the answer. Apparently, some players think that's a hollier-than-thou approach, since Trott's not blameless for the defense's problems. I don't really know what to say about this, except that at this point, criticizing the guy criticizing them doesn't seem all that productive, especially when it seems like everyone has hung up their cleats for the season. Trott's show on WIP tonight will be fun...

I have to admit it, but Peter Pan played fairly well for us at QB, but I still am absolutely in favor of AJ -- as is every single person I have spoken with or heard from on talk radio. Everyone. I think Madden may have mentioned it last night -- that the possibility is that when Reid brought Peter Pan on, Reid promised that he'd be the #1 backup, no matter what. That would certainly jibe with Reid's Bush-like treatment of the media (saying after the Titans game that he hasn't decided who will start, but then mentioning that he knew it would be Garcia all along, but he just "didn't want to" tell the media that). Seems like Reid could have really wanted AJ, but then later remember his promise. But Madden said it best when he observed that we were running Westy because Westy could run a lot farther than Garcia could throw.

The giants lost to the Titans in glorious, embarassing style. At least something positive from this weekend. But here's an observation: After the game, Coughlin commented how that last pass thrown by Eli that was intercepted was a pass that never, ever should have been thrown in that situation. Now, that may seem like hanging Eli out to dry. But you know what? I think that's just a coach actually responding honestly to a question. Sometimes the answer isn't positive, but that's life. He's not calling Eli a bust or a horrible leader (as many have) but is just answering the media, who is part of the entire NFL machine that pays coaches' salaries. He just responded to the question truthfully and completely. And that's something that we'll never hear from Andy Reid.

Does anyone else think it's a little peculiar that we keep passing when we're ahead, and keep running when we're behind? That said, Westy did a great job yesterday. As we have all stated time and time again, he needs to get more touches like that. When he gets in a rhythm, he's really unbelievable. It's incredible the way he makes people miss, as if he's willing them to miss by using Jedi mind tricks or something.

Okay, most importantly, is there anyone who is still in favor of Reid as remaining as head coach and GM of this team? Even Ray Didinger, the authority IMO, mentioned that something is truly wrong with this team -- whether it's the communication between the players, or the players and the coach, or whatever -- and it needs to be addressed. If everything starts with him, and he is so responsible, why isn't he accountable? Claiming responsibility without any real accountability is meaningless, and frankly, insulting.

This leads into another point of mine: The Reid era is done -- not necessarily because it's just time for a change, but because Reid doesn't make any effort to change. When we were a novelty and were a little unpredictable, it was cool. We could come out in a weird set with Westy split wide, confuse defensive coverage schemes, and have some success. Now, as soon as we line up, defenses call out the plays we're going to run. Likewise on D -- when JJ's blitz packages were all new and never seen before, they were impossible to predict and counter. Now, it seems like there's enough film out on us, that everyone (not just Gruden) has our number. If Reid and his coaching staff had the ability to adapt even slightly, it would be another story. But like the old Model T that Reid still drives, we have become fixed in time and unadaptable. Reid is essentially a VCR -- he's good enough to squash betamax and look impressive doing it, but he has now been rendered obsolete because of DVDs, with no conceivable way to compete with the new technology. ...Um, okay, that was a horrible analogy, but you catch my drift.

So maybe we can at least get a solid draft pick out of this... I just hope that by then, someone else is in charge to select it.

Spadaro Getting Real

2006-11-20T19:56:00.000-05:00

Listening to Spadaro's post-game audio commentary and his articles, I actually have liked what ol' Mr. Blind Optimism has had to say about our current situation. Yes, I actually have been agreeing with Spads for the first time, ever. Spads has been openly critical of both the coaching staff and the players in attempting to get to the bottom of what's going on.

Below is his some commentary from "On The Inside" regarding the O-line:

"We know how big they are. We think they have the capability of being one of the best offensive lines in the league. Yet we don't really know how well the Eagles block in the running game for a consistent period of time because they haven't asked the line to do so. This is the time. I'm talking Brian Westbrook for 20 carries and Correll Buckhalter for 10 to 12. I'm talking using a move-the-chains principle rather than a throw-the-ball-around-the-yard theory. I'm talking 'bout managing the game offensively and winning the battle of ball control. I'm talking about short passes and pound-it-out offense."

I think this is the only way to go, so Spads is right on here. Force these guys to wake up and start playing smash mouth football. Our running game is actually pretty good when we use it - it's our receivers who can't catch or get open. Reid attempted 61 pass plays yesterday. Crazy. And stupid.

Spads continued by attacking the culture: "Intensity and focus sure seem to be fleeting for this team and these players. Andy Reid has always had a hierarchy in the locker room: The Players Committee reports to him with issues and then the veterans take it from there. The word filters down from above. The young players learn the ways from the older players. But now this team has so many young players that I wonder about the culture. I sure hope nobody is accepting losing at this level."

The culture is obviously very aloof right now. No leadership. The young players don't care because the veterans aren't leading by example. Leadership comes from the top and Andy Reid is providing no leadership whatsoever. He needs to light a fire under his veteran "player's committee" but I don't think he's capable of doing that anymore. The message has been lost on these players because they've heard it all before. Time for Reid to pack it in and someone new to come in. Look, coaching turnover is natural and has to happen from time to time to deliver a new message, motivating the same players in new ways.

It's nice to hear constructive criticism from Spads. It's about time.

The Dreaded ACL and what you can expect

2006-11-20T06:51:00.000-05:00

Yes McNabb is done for the year.

I was asked to do a quick run down on what happened to 5 and what it means to blow your ACL and what he and fans can expect in the upcoming months and more importantly, next season.

Your ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is a major stabilizer of the knee. Most experts will argue that it is THE major stabilizer of the knee. Regardless, you cannot play any kind of sport without one with any real success. With that said, it MUST be repaired through surgery. This is not an injury that will heal on its own, ever.

McNabb will go under the knife immediately, probably tomorrow or the next day. I am writing this with no knowledge of the plans, but am basing that on my experience with pro athletes that need this type of surgery.

The ACL surgeries of today are 1000 X better than those that were done just eight short years ago. This means, much less down time, much faster healing times and ultimately a better success rate of 5 getting back on the field by training camp. Rehab is aggressive and the athletic trainers, and docs will have him running in no time. The mistake that is made by the public is taking this news and figuring that he is good to go. Running is one small step in the healing process, so if you see that in the news, don’t be so quick to think he is all better.

The new ligament will most likely be from a cadaver’s (yes, from a dead guy) achillies tendon. The tendon is harvested in a way that makes it able to be used as a new ACL. Although the tissues are different…one being ligament and the new tissue being a tendon, the body is amazing in its ability to “change” the tendon to a ligament. Once that happens, most healing has taken place and things are looking good. The problem is that it takes many months for this conversion to take place. Tendons are forgiving tissues and ligaments are not. It does someone no good to have a springy tendon where a rigid ligament should be. How long for this conversion? 8-12 months in most healthy people. Running, jumping, and lifting weights in a controlled manner are all possible and encouraged during this transformation, but the chaos of full contact football where cutting, is a must, can’t happen until much later. Besides, strength, speed, agility and conditioning must all get back to the same level they were before. That takes time and a good rehab program

Ultimately, the question is, “Will he be the same as he was before?” That is always impossible to answer, but based on the amount of these injuries that I have seen, I would have to say yes, or almost. Everyone is different and he is in pretty good shape physically (disregard my last post about his cardio condition) so healing and recovery to normal is possible. Carson Palmer had the same injury and the same surgery. The problem that I usually see is that the person will be “gun shy” for a bit when they come back. But most pro’s get over that quickly. I have been personally involved with about 8 ACL rehabs with athletes over the past 4 years and with all of those athletes they were able to return the next year with not much trouble at all…and these were high school kids.

Will McNabb be the same QB he was before the injury? I think so. I think he will get back to where he was, at least from a physical point of view. The injury is serious, but surgical techniques are the best they have ever been and as long as there are no other complications, he should be right back where he was before. But with that said, he may be just a bit slower, and in the pro's that could mean all the difference.

The real question is: Do we want him to be back where he was before, or maybe a little better than he was before?

-KES www.Kescott45.wordpress.com

See Youse Guys in '07, Maybe

2006-11-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

Well, um...the season's over officially.

Football in this city has entered into its darkest days in 7 years with McNabb's injury. The ACL tear is a potentially career-ending, or at a minimum, career-dampening injury for McNabb, and the death knell for any Super Bowl shot we had for the forseeable future. As a mobile QB and not a strong pocket passer as it is, McNabb is not likely to bounce back too quickly from this one. Even if the knee heals by next season, I don't see him being as effective. In fact, we should go ahead and draft a QB to develop for the future on the offseason. Seriously. I don't want to be too negative, but the future looks bleak at Eagles QB.

Where do we go from here...can only up go fortunately. In the beginning of the season, I was counting on this being a re-building year. In between, there were some glimmers that it might be a playoff season, but now all of that is gone and we're back to re-building. What do we need to re-build? Answer: Pretty much everything.

This team cannot even do the basics competently. It is truly sad. And again, that all goes back to coaching. Just some random thoughts before I fall into a chemically-induced sleep:

* Jeff Garcia is entirely too old to be playing in the NFL. How can a guy complete 26 passes and only have 189 yards - that's a 3.9 yard average! He didn't even look downfield - just threw to his safety valve every time. No arm strength. AJ needs to start the next game.

* How depressing is it when Reno Mahe actually looked better than the rest of the team.

* We threw 61 TIMES today! Andy, do you have a learning disability??

* How does having the heaviest O-line in the NFL help? This squad is the least physical team I've seen play the game in decades. We don't intimidate anyone, we can't tackle anyone, we can't stop anyone, even on our home field.

* Can anyone catch passes anymore? Reggie has so many dropped passes, I'm beginning to get negative about him too.

* Finally, during the offseason, Andy Reid needs to be moved to GM permanently, or if I had my way, just go altogether. He's had his shot and his system isn't working - things are just getting worse in fact. We need a new head coach...one who can teach our players the basics again: how to tackle, how to be disciplined enough to avoid penalties, how to block and execute in the Red Zone.

[sigh of relief]

I feel a little better...my bloodpressure just dropped 30 points actually. At least now I'll be able to enjoy watching other games...after a period of mourning that is.

Running Backs Revisited

2006-11-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

Based on Westbrook's solid performance in a true running back role last weekend, I'm hopeful that Andy Reid has finally acknowledged that having a good running game is a critical part of a Super Bowl team. Progress. He released his little color-coded chart from his sweaty grip to Marty.

So, it's a good time to start thinking about our running game and where we go from here. Westbrook has already matched his season total for rushing yards for last season (617 yards last year on 152 carries compared to 613 yards this year on 119 carries) and his average per carry is way up to 5.2 ypc, which in fact is the league's best so far for running backs. That's a telling stat so that means: give him at least 20 carries per game, maybe even 25. It would probably open up the pass a little more as well. McNabb has been struggling a bit compared to earlier this season as it seems defenses are catching on to our "big play or bust" offense.

The main issue is that we have no real alternative to the Brook, like a guy who can carry the ball 10 times and punish the defense, wearing them out over the course of a game. Not that Buck is that guy, but the Birds' website is reporting that he is suffering from the flu and may be out this week so that's not good...does that mean we'll see Moats come out of his cocoon? Surely, Mahe can't be the alternative...or COULD HE? Isn't Sunday the Mormon Day of Rest or something?

One of the offseason priorities, other than a play maker on special teams, should be a bruising RB. Our running game can be solid with a guy like that - hell, we have the heaviest offensive line in the league...might as well use it to bust some heads.

All is Forgiven....Nah

2006-11-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

Andy Reid is a great coach now that we won a game and I want him to stay...just kidding, he still needs to go! But today was a nice win for the Birds for sure. Other than the score itself, there were a lot of positives, including things that I wish the coaches had been doing all year (or for the last 7 years):

One important change today was the play calling which Big Red noted in his press conference - Andy finally let Marty and Donovan control the play calling. I thought that was a good concept, one which needed to be done...however, the offense didn't execute as crisply as they did earlier this season and a lot of the plays were predictable (uh, the flea-flicker, again?! Come on, Marty. I had a momentary flash-back to the on-sides kick to open the game that Reid did against Dallas for the second time a few years ago when it was run back for a TD. Been there, done the flea-flicker, now let's move on Marty).

Westbrook had a great day and is really developing as a more stable runner. Some of his runs were unbelievable. He carried the ball 22 times which is a season high for him, with good results (113 yards baby). The offense just doesn't tick without Westy around. I hope Andy and Marty will continue to focus on the importance of the running game. We'll be much better in the long run if they do.

And I wonder why it took Andy 7 years to realize he's not a great play caller? hmm.

McNabb wasn't very sharp today and either was the offense in general - they did OK, putting up 20 points. The magic beans McNabb was eating early in the season definitely wore off over the last 3 or 4 weeks. Although he didn't play poorly and the conditions were wet, he looked like the McNabb of old at times, throwing many errant balls into the mud. Strange kid - I'd love to know what's going on in his mind. I still love him in any case, but still...just strange........hey, maybe fashion is his thing and football is just a means to an end?

Overall, the defense played pretty well but the Skins were their own worst enemy, leaving points on the board, sticking with a broke-down QB and calling predictable plays. Despite that, the Birds still allowed the Skins to control the tempo of the game for a large portion of the game (into the 3rd Q or basically up until the time that Portis went out with his broken hand). The Skins managed to rack up 146 rushing yards overall, and they were gashing our D in the first half, which in turn aided them in controlling the clock to the tune of 20 mins of possession to our 10 mins. We still can't seem to stop the run very well - as we've been droning on about all season, that's going to present problems for us if we have any kind of playoff aspirations. We seem to be missing Kearse around the edges too - our ends and outside LBs don't contain very well. If I was an offensive coordinator, I'd throw screens all day against us - we can't stop it.

Dawkins had a great game today. I think his pass defense against Randle El's one attempt was incredible...it set the example man. He made a statement about hustle and aggressiveness on that one.

Anyone see Matt McCoy out there today? Thrown around like a RAG DOLL. Not sure whether he's the real deal or not - right now, I'm saying not.

On a positive note, we got better at controlling the clock in the second half - we made up a significant portion of time of possession by running out the last 9 minutes or so of the 4th Quarter, like the Saints did to us a few weeks ago. That was an impressive display of ball control and is a sign of a superior team. We need to build on that last drive and take it into the next game. Crafty running by the Brook and Buckhalter throwing himself into the breach a few times on that drive helped squash the Skins' hopes for a chance at winning.

Finally, I'd like to see Andy and Marty go for it on 4th down once in a while. They had a couple opportunities today and only took one of them, and succeeded with it. Give the guys a chance to be great, Andy. Have some balls once in a while!

Back on the subject of Reid staying or going - from listening to the callers during the post-game shows on WYSP and WIP, it seems that everyone is happy again, enamored with what Andy's doing. Short memories around here. People, he can't deliver the goods - a regular season win against a 3-5 team doesn't mean much. He's just teasing you again. Keep the big picture in mind: We have no Super Bowl trophies.

Eagles-Redskins - Last Minute Prediction

2006-11-12T12:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, although I have no energy for this game and have no confidence that the Birds will actually perform the way they should on any given Sunday (Bye Week or not), I think they will be ready to play today and will beat the Skins by a significant margin (+10). Because the weather is wet however, the passing game will likely not be as sharp as it could be, and we'll likely have trouble stopping Portis so he'll probably have a good game. I'm hoping that Jim Johnson's game plan is to stack the line - 8 or 9 men in the box would be fine with me. Brunell isn't a great passer so I say make him pass all day.

Final score: Birds win 31-20.

What the Hell Did I Drink Last Night?

2006-11-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

[YAAAAAWWWWNNN] You wake, your mouthing tasting like a cat threw up in it...and then the pain comes. Waking from this Bye Week feels familiar...that familiar feeling you experienced every weekend (and for Popstar, most weekdays) in college. "Man, I'll never do that again...EVER." I've been saying that to myself for the last several years, that I won't get emotionally invested in the Birds, not again, not after last season...yes it's DRS, the syndrome that Jdubs wrote about last week after the Jags loss. When will I learn my lesson and just stop at 2 beers?

I spent most of the Bye Week questioning why I even watch anymore.
Is the game of football still enjoyable? Yes, I loved watching Peyton rip apart the Pats last weekend; Tom Brady and his Dudley Dooright chin, sulking!
Is watching the Birds enjoyable? No, not at all.
When has it been enjoyable? The only time I really loved watching the Birds play for more than a week at a time was during the '90s when it seemed that we were perpetually 5-11 and so much joy would come just from stealing a game from the Cowboys once in a while to put one of their Super Bowl runs in question, even if only for a week (or injuring one of their key players, perhaps to a neck injury?...cough cough).

These days, all I'm basically doing is just waiting for my beloved Birds to win a Super Bowl so that I can rest on those laurels for the next 25 years and enjoy my Sundays again. That's sort of what happened to me with baseball after the Phillies made it to the Series in 1980 and '83 - I stopped caring after that. I know that I'll never be quite that way with the Birds because I love the game of football a lot more than the pastoral romp known as the "sport" of baseball; but a Lombardi trophy would appease me for many, many years to come. But alas, being a Birds fan over the last few years has taken several years off of my life instead of getting me to the promised land of stress-free football...hopefully those years that Andy Reid has stolen from me will just be the diaper and drooling years at the end, so I'm not too bummed about it.

With the stress momentarily lifted during the Bye, I spent some time digging around to find out how our players were spending their undeserved week off...the results were not surprising and just made me more depressed:

*Last week, it started while watching the "Andy Reid Show". Watching him explain the Jags loss and what needed to be done to "fix it" was like watching paint dry.. I actually dozed off a little during one of his interviews that Spadaro was spoon feeding him. He had no new material to offer, not even now, in our most desperate hour. What a leader! By the way, even the hedge fund guru Jim Cramer called out Andy from his show 'Mad Money' last week: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15445071/ Maybe Cramer has some pull and can regulate this horrific coaching situation.

*Reading player blogs has been similarly disappointing - everyone took the week off, visiting family and drinking with their boys. Look, I know that these guys are only human and need downtime, but to me, that comes AFTER the season ends. During the season, they need to be unstoppable machines with the single-minded goal of winning this city a Super Bowl. I know, I know. That's crazy, especially considering most pro players didn't even grow up in the area where they're playing, so in the end, it's mostly about the money and getting as much time off as possible, just like the rest of us in our boring jobs. But, that's what I expect them to be doing.

*McNabb seemed to be very productive during the Bye. Last Monday, the day after the embarassing loss to the Jags, McNabb taught some local Philly children the importance of dancing. Action News was there to cover all of his moves. This Tuesday (yes, this Tuesday, during the week in which they're preparing for a critical contest with the Skins), McNabb introduced his new clothing line called 'Super Five'. From Fox Sports: "'This is very near and dear to me,' McNabb said. 'I took a lot of pride in the design, the comfort level and the look.' While models strutted down a makeshift runway inside the RBK Concept Store on South Street, McNabb described the clothes they wore with intimate detail. He seemed to know as much about materials and textures as he does cover-2 defenses." Downright scary folks. McNabb might be the only guy who deserved a week off because his play has been pretty great overall, but things like this just make me worry even more. Can't this clothing line wait until after the season? Even Mrs Grundy said "shouldn't he be focusing on his playbook and not some clothing line right now?" Indeed, he should.
On a more positive note, check out the cool montage of McNabb from Philly.com: http://inquirer.philly.com/specials/2006/mcnabb_half/

*WIP's Howard Eskin was interviewed via phone on the NFL Network a couple days ago, and talked about whether Big Red's job is on the line. Eskin said that it's on the line with the fans for sure, but not management, not by a long shot. Very true statement of this current situation. Did you know that Andy has a contract extension until 2011? That's A LOT of paid time off if he gets canned. Popstar, I think you're right, Andy has just become too comfortable in his position. All hail King Reid, Ruler for Life.

*We've all heard that Big Red is 7-0 coming off Bye Weeks, which makes for a good stat but a bad prediction for this Sunday. Ever notice "streaks" that are hyped like this one invariably come to an end every time they are harped on? Like the stat that Tampa Bay could not win when it was below 40 degrees - MY ENTIRE EXISTENCE IN 2003 DEPENDED ON THAT STAT
HOLDING UP! (Jdubs was there with me at Popstar's pad, as we pledged our very souls to that stat!)

Speaking of Tampa Bay, this is interesting: Did you know that in their entire 30 or so year history (1700+ returns), the Bucs have never returned a kickoff for a TD? I heard that stat on Sirius NFL Radio earlier today...That is simply unbelievable.

Damn, I love football...please Andy, please allow me to enjoy it again.

How Bad Is This Season Already?

2006-11-07T12:36:00.000-05:00

I'll tell you how bad it is. On sunday night 2 nights ago -- during the Eagles bye week, mind you -- I dreampt that the Birds were playing and that Reid ran the clock out before halftime instead of kicking a short gimme field goal! The worst part is not that I had Eagles nightmares during the bye week, which was supposed to be a break from the b.s. that was our last month of football. No, the worst part was that there was nothing unrealistic about that dream. I can see it happening. It totally could happen. It probably will happen!

Pat(erson) on the back?

2006-11-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

According to Philadelphiaeagles.com, Patterson was just given a seven year contract extension.

Now, is this really the most appropriate time for this? I mean, his performance hasn't exactly been getting any better over the course of this season. For example, in our last game against the Jags -- who ran the ball 36 out of 46 plays -- Patterson had a total of . . . two tackles. Before that against Tampa, he had 1 tackle and 1 assist; and against New Orleans he had 2 tackles and 1 assist.

I normally wouldn't care about any of this. In fact, it probably wouldn't even cross my mind. BUT I'm still fuming over McDougle's monstrously idiotic act of kicking the penalty flag -- but I'm not as mad about McDougle's act as I am at Reid for apparently not punishing him for it. (Presumably just like Cole's groin kick in front of the ref). Now what kind of message does that send? Patterson, like the rest of the DL, is not playing well right now. So we show him we appreciate him enough to give him a huge contract extension? How's that for incentive? If Big Red is having an increasingly difficult time motivating the team, it sure ain't hard to figgur out why.

PHILLY TEAM IS UNDEFEATED

2006-11-01T21:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, the Philadelphia 76ers just crushed the Atlanta Hawks 88-75. From the beginning, they commanded a large lead and kept it throughout. Allen finished with 32, followed by my man Iguodala with 15. Dalembert had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and CWebb pulled in 13 rebounds. That means, the Sixers are UNDEFEATED and are TIED FOR FIRST in the Atlantic Division.

...Okay, okay I know it was only their first game, and the Hawks are far from a juggernaut. (They weren't dead last last season -- they won nearly a third of their games and finished above New York and Portland). But hell, I'm just dying for something...

Pointless, Balls-to-the-Wall Negative Rant; Poll: Who Will Win Another Super Bowl Before We Win our First?

2006-11-01T09:27:00.000-05:00

FIRST OFF, THANKS ANDY! THANKS FOR RUINING MY WEEK THAT IS. YOUR OVERSIZED BEHIND BETTER BE AT THE OFFICE DAY AND NIGHT FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS FIXING THIS THING!

I've literally been sick to my stomach thinking about the current situation. Needless to say, I'm feeling VERY negative, so I've decided to go with it. Not that I need more reasons to hate football right now, but I can't stop thinking about how this team fails, year after year, and how much I resent Tom Brady and his Dudley Dooright chin, Merrill Hoge for being right, my parents for raising me in the Philly area, etc. We've had a lot of talent over the years - what became of it?
When you're playing poorly but with vigor, there is always hope left...but when the players have given up and only care about their days off, what's left? Not much.

On the plus side, I'm going to see La Boheme at the Academy of Music tonight, so that should cheer me up. It's an upbeat musical, I think.

Ok, who will win another Super Bowl before the Birds win their first? Pick your favorite:

(A) The Patriots : That Golden Boy Tom Brady disgusts me. I don't get it, they just get better and better all of the time. Brady is flawless and the players are ALWAYS up for big games...why? why I ask? There is always a team like this in every era, one that never seems to make mistakes, never miscalculates. So, so annoying.

(B) The Giants or Cowboys: or worse yet, maybe the Redskins. How is that every other NFC East team has multiple Super Bowl trophies, but we can't win one? This category probably is the worst scenario, watching T.O. or Shockey hoist the Lombardi Trophy - they might as well just take a dump on William Penn's head.

(C) The Stillers: a.k.a. the "good" team from PA. Yes, they need another one to throw on the pile.

(D) The Titans (or some other artificial team created since 1995): This might be worse than seeing the Cowboys win another one. Can you imagine the Jaguars, from Jacksonville, winning it all? Note: as a friend pointed out, the Ravens are not included in this category because Baltimore actually has strong football tradition and truly loyal fanbase.

Ugh, I'm worn out. I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

Diagnosis: Drowning Rat Syndrome

2006-10-31T15:47:00.000-05:00

I've been pretty lax in posting recently. There's a reason for it. You see, I've been dealing with a personal illness that has simply limited my ability to care. Doctors don't have a name for it, but I've decided to call it Drowning Rat Syndrome.

Here's how it works. Let's say you are emotionally and physically tied up in the ultimate success or failure of your favorite football team. Now let's say that your team appears to be solid, has a good D and an offense that leads or is near the top of the league in most important categories. Now let's say your team has exploded all over a hated division rival, and is up 17 points on that division rival with 10 minutes to go in the game. Then assume that your team just stops playing.

Being up 17 points with 10 minutes to go and then losing, see, that's what I liken to a rat -- drowning in a toilet -- who has almost made it to the top, and is juuuust on the cusp of being able to clamber out and save it's own life. But then, it slips back into the water, forced to try that awkward climb once more... Let's say the rat tries this several more times. All the while, that favorite team is playing supposedly inferior opponents like New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and the Jags. As a fan, you get up, you have hope in a victory (reasonable or not), before each one of these games. Even when the team gets off to a shaky start, you tell yourself that they're notoriously slow starters, they can pull it out in the second half.

Now, assume that that favorite team teases its fans and comes close to beating all those inferior teams. The defense does a pretty steady job of keeping the team above water, and the offense gets countless opportunities to put some points on the board --keeping you just on the edge of that proverbial toilet bowl leading to freedom, happiness, and life-- but then keeps slipping you back into that toilet as a fan to drown. Each time that rat has to gear itself back up for another climb. Each slip during each climb, that rat has to tell itself that it's just a minor setback, it's going to make it to the top.

But there comes a time when the rat just has to give up, and prepare itself for the afterlife. Worn out from swimming, and climbing, and slipping to the point of death by the effort of trying to climb out, trying to stay afloat, trying to keep from drowning... At a certain point, it just gives up, and lets the water overtake it.

That's where I am in the season right now.

The Leaders Speak Out

2006-10-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

Both Trotter and Dawkins spoke out this week on the lack of motivation during Sunday's game.

Last night on the local Comcast station, Trotter was interviewed, basically saying that during the game he tried to motivate the team and even Jim Johnson and other coaches asked him to get the team motivated, but no one responded.

In Dawkins' press conference he also noted the Birds's lack of motivation (from the Birds' Website):

"On what he thinks is missing from this team: 'What is missing is that sense of urgency in the beginning of the game. I don't know if we are waiting for something to happen, waiting for that big play, but the sense of urgency is not where we need it to be as a team. There are not too many times that you can start out a game so-so and then get your momentum going. We were never able to get it going, if that is what we were waiting for. That is something that as a team, it has nothing to do with the coaches, we have to find out whatever it is we need to do.'"

Who am I to disagree with Bdawk, but it's my opinion that a sense of urgency does stem from the coaching staff. Reid doesn't have one, so why would his players?

Watching the Patriots execute last night makes me wonder what motivates them week after week, especially considering that most of their players have already won 3 Super Bowls in the last 5 years. Belichick and Brady always have the same countenance on the sidelines - it's a look of militant seriousness. I guess the difference is that Andy Reid, McNabb and most of the Birds just don't mind losing all that much. There's no quick fix for that.

You're damn right I have to worry about it, Andy

2006-10-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

This has really been bothering me lately, and was brought to a head on Sunday during Reid's post-game press conference. When a reporter said "You say you'll do what you need to do. What do you need to do?" Reid responded:

"You don't have to worry about it I'll take care of it. I'ma take care of it."

Sorry, but that response really, really, really pissed me off, and everytime I think about it I get hot all over again.

Now it's not that I think it was necessarily an arrogant statement. Maybe it just sounded that way, since he was pretty angry at the time. (Which is understandable, since he just lost his third straight game to an inferior team because he was outcoached and just didn't do his job).

And it's not that the comment was a profound insult to the tens of thousands of season ticket holders (like me) who pay exorbitant sums for tickets and insanely priced food and beer. Or that it was an insult to the hundreds of thousands fans who buy Eagles merchandise (again like me). Or that it showed an indifference to the fact that all of these things are what pays for his recent four-year contract extension worth approximately $17 million dollars. . . . Now, I'm no mathematician, but that averages something like 4.25 million per season. Hmmm. So that would mean that he makes over $265,000 per game, and thus far in this season, he has made 2.12 million dollars. But I digress.

And it's not that the comment seemed rude or even patronizing.

But what does bother me about Reid's comment is that it underscores an alarming lack of accountability. He acts as if he has life tenure. Also being General Manager certainly doesn't do much to separate him from the front office. To the contrary, he is part of a Lurie-Banner-Reid Triumverate, which rules on its own terms, completely insulated from the masses. And his actions reinforce that.

Even today, when answering virtually every question in his day-after press conference, he made sure to mention that he accepts responsibility for everything. Clearly nothing more than empty words -- the words of someone who doesn't have any concern over his job security. Time and time again, he makes the same stupid mistakes, and time and time again, he says he accepts responsibility for them and will work on them. And time and time again, he makes the same stupid mistakes again. And again. And again . . . .

If there were any accountability whatsoever, he would be extremely worried about getting canned for the team's consistently poor performance. It's not like this is a novel concept. Jim Cramer even talked about Reid's lack of accountability.

Now I am very appreciative of what Andy Reid has done for this franchise. He has the most wins of any Eagles coach, and really transformed the franchise from a feeble joke to a world-class team.

But for better or for worse, his time has passed. It seems that as a coach, he has already been figured out and no longer has anything special to offer. As a GM, he made some truly excellent moves (like getting McNabb, obviously) but was always far too concerned about finding free-agents who were bargains, rather than spending the money that they had to really make a run for it all.

After years of making the same stupid mistakes even after he says he will fix them, and after three consecutive games of getting outcoached and fielding a team that committed countless mental errors, I believe that it is now time for Reid to go. At the very least, he needs to give up one of his two jobs, although I think he needs to go entirely. If he truly felt "responsible" for this team's incompetence and his failure to fix its mistakes, he would resign. If he truly were accountable to anyone in the front office, he would be asked to leave.

Right now, there's just something fundamentally wrong with this organization. But then again, I "don't need to worry about it."

I guess neither does Reid.

If the Team Doesn't Care, then Why Should the Fans?

2006-10-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

For the third week in a row, the Birds got manhandled by a horrible team...this time at home. You would think that coming off 2 games that they "shouldn't have lost", the entire Eagles organization would be pumped up to tear the Jags apart. Yes, that would be the case in other cities, but we're talking about the Philadelphia Eagles here, a team that has trouble staying motivated for NFC Championship Games.

It was evident from the kickoff that the Birds, especially the O and D lines, were more interested in getting to their Bye Week than playing today. They only have to play once a week - motivation shouldn't be a problem. In my opinion, this Bye Week is coming at the worst possible time.

Anyway, my conclusion is simple and a reiteration of what I've been saying for a while: ANDY REID'S TIME AS HEAD COACH IS OVER.

It's evident that Big Red's formula and coaching style don't produce championships. As I've been saying, he's a very good GM and gameplanner, but sucks as a leader, as a field general. He's never going to lead this team to a Super Bowl.

This loss was the most embarassing, but also the easiest to explain. The same problems plagued us this week as other weeks:

Motivation - The coaches did not prepare the team to play this week. The players lacked any kind of spark or drive, and the coaches stood there and watched it happen, not caring much either. I've never seen a team literally not care if they won or lost. Today I saw that for the first time.

The Running Game, on both sides of the ball - We can't stop the run on Defense and we can't run the ball on Offense. The Jags racked up 209 running yards; the Birds had 85 running yards, and many of those 85 yards were broken plays where McNabb scrambled. When you can't run the ball, you lose the Time of Possession battle too -like every other team has done against us this season, they destroyed us on Time of Possession. The Jags held the ball for 36 mins to our 23 mins. As everyone knows, that wears out the Defense. On the offensive side of things, Big Red has made it clear over the years that he doesn't value a potent running game. Well, on days like today where you can't pass the ball because of the elements, you lose every time. We never seem to learn from our mistakes. Just Sad.

A final note on the coaching - in the 4th Quarter, there was 7:36 left on the clock, the Birds drove a little and had a big 4th down on the Jags 45 YL....they punted. Why punt at this point? They still needed 2 scores to tie the game, so why not just go for it and then play defense from there if you don't make it? The game was over right after they punted it. On the flip side, the Jags managed to convert a couple key 4th downs during the game and in the process, made the Birds look stupid in their own house. Complete lack of aggressiveness.

Again, Andy Reid needs to go. He had his time, and he's failed to make this thing work. There is no point in having a man lead a team who doesn't care about winning and has absolutely no sense of urgency. Football is a game of urgency and emotion. You can't win if you don't have it. Move Andy to GM if stays, but in any case, we need a leader out there on the field, showing these players what it takes to win it all.

Receivers Gone Wild

2006-10-28T22:14:00.000-04:00

Although the Birds only have a quietly competent receiving corps this season, they are racking up nice numbers; thanks mostly to DMac in my opinion. Reggie already is about to bust through his numbers for his entire last season. Bottom line is that it's nice to be rid of all of the off-field drama.

Over the last 5-10 years, it seems that Receivers have taken the lead on being trash talking thugs and getting into trouble...anyone know why that is? Receivers really don't touch the ball that much, at least compared to Running Backs and QBs, and can really only impact games if their respective QBs are good.

It seems to be getting worse too, especially in light of all of the media attention surrounding the T.O. craziness. Just this week:
* Chad Johnson called out D'Angelo Hall, and then the two of them exchanged challenges through the media (CJ seems to call out somebody new every week)
* Plaxico Burress was ripping on T.O. for slipping on the turf and dropping balls in Monday Night's game.
* Bengals are activating Chris Henry this week.
* Even KeyShawn was on Sirius NFL Radio basically saying that T.O. has been copying all of his career moves.

These guys are out of control. And dropped balls seem to be on the rise this season (maybe that's just with the Birds). Anyway, these guys probably should just shut up and catch balls.

Into the Minds of the Powers that Be

2006-10-26T16:52:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I'm inspired by hearing the press conferences but more often it just confuses me. The Birds' Website has quotes from the coaches and players made during the various press conferences held that week. The mindset of a lot of these guys, well, I just don't get...Taking a step back, we're talking about the NFL here, a professional sports league where the players are being highly compensated to play this game with precision and discipline and in the end, attain the goal of winning the Super Bowl. In general, statements from players (not only on the Eagles) often indicate a failure of these athletes to transition mentally from college where they were playing for free or often just for fun to the pros where it became their profession. Their jobs are to be cogs in the machine, a machine that wins games for their club. It's probably just me being too critical, but...come on, do these guys want to win a Super Bowl or not?

Anyway, here is a look into the minds of the People in Charge from this week:

Andy Reid:
"On how you can't practice not kicking a flag and how you get that message across on the practice field: 'You have to keep your composure. [DE] Jerome [McDougle] probably said it the best, he blew it. He got caught up in the moment and that's what happens. You learn from it and move on.'

"On whether there are repercussions for such incidents: 'Yeah, I talked to him.'"

Oh boy, he TALKED to him. Do you think McDougle will ever forget that tounge lashing? I think not...man, I would've hated to be McDougle, being talked to and all. Wow, with the Birds, the consequences for contributing to blowing the game are pretty serious, huh? ...you get TALKED TO.

From Donovan:

"On whether after looking at the film he saw if WRs Reggie Brown and Hank Baskett were open on the play at the end of the first half where he threw to TE L.J. Smith and didn't get in the end zone: 'On that particular play, L.J. ran past the linebacker, so there was nothing but him and Ronde, who was supposed to be guarding Hank Baskett in the corner route at that particular time, but he made a great play and they were able to converge on L.J. Looking back on it now, I should have just thrown the ball out of bounds, but in that situation you have to have the confidence in your guys to be able to make that play to get in the end zone. It just didn't work, but maybe it will next time.'"

Please tell me I didn't read that correctly..."next time" it might work, does he mean another toss to LJ in front of the goal line might work? That's a play that you have to assume will never work that's why it's strategy from Pop Warner to the pros to never throw it. Having confidence in your guys has nothing to do with it. He should have just stopped at "I should have just thrown the ball out of bounds." I hope someone told him that.

"On the fact that the decision making on offense has been heavily criticized and how he feels about it: 'I personally don't care. I get criticized for everything, so it doesn't matter to me. I play the game to try and help my team win. There are going to be plays in the game that people are going to question. There are going to be plays that people are going to enjoy, but you take away three interceptions, it puts us in a position to come out with points and score points. You make mistakes, but you have to be able to bounce back from it. I regret throwing the interceptions, but there's nothing that I can do now but learn from it and move on.'"

Hearing DMac make statements like "I get criticized for everything" makes me think that playing in the COBL is weighing on him, which is understandable. It hasn't been easier for him so far. Maybe all of that laughing and joking on the sidelines is just a cover - the pressure in big games has been evident on his face. I mean, I didn't see anyone else throwing up during last week's game. Not even Gradkowski.

From Dawkins:

"On how they avoid the mentality of thinking that it just isn't our year': 'That goes straight from up top, start with the coaches to the leaders and then it filters on down. That's why we go out and continue to practice the way we are going to practice today. We're going to come into this thing and have a good time in practice, work hard, and prepare ourselves to win games.

'We've already talked about paying attention to detail, and that is something we always talk about. But, also, we just talk about controlling those things that you can control and don't worry about those other things. As far as any calls that don't go your way, you can't worry about that. The only thing that you can control is your play. Our play has been inconsistent and that is something we have to get better at.'"

As usual, Dawkins gets it right. The focus needs to be on the attention to detail, working hard and controlling their play. In any week, the opposing team may just outplay you or be a better team, but if you concentrate on getting the little things right, eventually things will go your way, or at least, you will play the best you can play. The Birds are getting a lot of the big things right at this point (#1 offense in the league, big plays, etc), but they keep messing up the little things and that's why they're losing. It's time for them to act like professionals, not ex-college athletes just winging it.

Open Letter to Donovan McNabb

2006-10-24T11:15:00.000-04:00

Dear ‘5’,

I am writing this letter to you not out of criticism, rather I am writing because I am concerned about you. I am very worried that something is physically and maybe even psychologically wrong with you.

You see, in my 30-some years of life, I have watched a lot of football games. Actually, I will venture to say that I have watched more football games already, than most people will watch in a lifetime. I have also had the opportunity to train countless numbers of football players over the years. I have trained players in the midget football system at 8 years old all the way up to old timers in the NFL. I have always taken pride in the fact that the players I worked with were in the best physical condition possible during the season. You see, my job was to make sure these guys were machines during the whole entire game. Even when our 17 year old quarter back would scramble and run for 60 plus yards, he was always able to recover quickly and run the next play with no problem. Furthermore, he was able to play defense the very next series when needed too. This is not an isolated example, but more the norm when players are conditioned “correctly”.

I know for a fact that you have a very intense conditioning program during the off-season, and I know that you probably show up to camp during the summer in better condition than most of the team. If only games were played during camp. It is my understanding from countless hours in exercise physiology class, and even more hours working directly with athletes, that de-conditioning occurs at a much faster rate than it takes to actually properly condition your body. For example, each day that you don’t run sprints with the team; your heart rate might actually increase up to a ½ a beat per day. This means that your heart will have to work harder than it did the day before to deliver needed oxygen to the muscles in the body. If enough days go by, your heart will not be able to do its job and you will hit the “wall.” When this happens, muscles don’t work as well, and performance goes way down. Add extreme heat to this, and things really go down hill fast. Being in proper game condition can and will prevent all of this from happening most of the time.

Why am I telling you this? I have witnessed more than once over the last few years that you seem to suffer during games when you have to overexert yourself more than a few plays at a time. This suffering affects the quality of your play greatly. Since I know that you are in top condition, and I also know that a 17 year old can do 3 times that amount of running and still perform at a high level without taking a break, and without vomiting, even in the biggest games, then there must be something wrong with you medically or even psychologically.

Please get yourself checked out to make sure you don’t have some strange disease. Maybe you are not able to process your carbs well, or energy yielding fats effectively. I assume you eat the right way too. Maybe you have some other condition that no one knows about. Either way, get yourself checked out. I once had a high school football player that had almost the same exact problem as you. I almost sent him for medical tests to find out what was wrong. Instead, I tried something else, something more obvious and to some, extreme…I made this player stay after practice and RUN sprints with the team and then some extra with me after the team was done. It was just a hunch, but something weird happened…after 2 weeks of “running sprints” and conditioning with the team, his problem went away.

So, you might want to try that option first and my guess is maybe things will clear up and your “problem” will go away. If not, get yourself to the doctor ASAP.

Stay Well,

Steering back on track . . . while asleep at the wheel

2006-10-23T17:22:00.000-04:00

According to the team's website, on Monday Reid broke with the long-standing tradition he has set in giving the players the day off after games. Today, the authoritarian coach actually required the players to show up and make a brief appearance, where he sternly lectured them. As Spadaro reported:
Andy Reid spoke briefly to them, reiterating how much he believes in them and how he is confident the team will get back to winnning the right way -- as a team.

Okay, I may not be a coach, but just maybe this fluffy, snuggly technique isn't really working? I accept that positive reinforcement can be good and negative reinforcement can be counterproductive; but this does not mean that getting mad and being critical of a player's performance is negative. This isn't a charity softball fundraiser where everybody's a winner. This is actually their profession -- for which they are very well compensated. By us.

It seems to be a growing problem that there are absolutely no consequences whatsoever for poor performance on the field -- or even assinine on-field actions that hurt the team like McDougle's absurd unsportsmanlike penalty. The biggest problem is that Reid sets this example himself with his constant mia culpa refrain of "that's my responsibility" and "I need to do a better job". Because Reid neither fears nor faces any consequences for each week's many poor coaching decisions, they are just words. Nothing more.

As for the players, when McDougle came off the field after kicking the penalty flag, Reid did not read him the riot act, express slight disapproval, or even make an effort to speak with him. That play -- as jaw-droppingly stupid as Cole's in the giants game -- hurt the entire team and was one of the contributing factors to our shameful loss. McDougle and all of the players should not only understand that it's not a great idea to go out of their way to take actions that will unequivocally result in a 15 yard penalty and a first down, but that they face some serious consequences from the coach. When they outlawed horsecollar tackling after Roy Williams' T.O. tackle, he said something to the effect that he would rather keep doing it than face the wrath of Parcells for missing a tackle.

This team as simply made too many undisciplined mistakes. Those mistakes are often best addressed by instilling -- and imposing -- discipline. I'm definitely not suggesting that Reid should follow Parcell's example of ruling by fear, but somethin sure is broke and needs fixed.

(Sorry -- this was just a rant).

"Westbrook Should Have Killed Some Time Off of the Clock..."

2006-10-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

PO-LEASE PEOPLE, YOU'RE CRAZY FOR EVEN BRINGING IT UP.

Ever since the game ended yesterday, I've heard dozens of comments from fans and commentators (i.e. on WIP, Sirius NFL Radio, NFL Network, etc.) about Westbrook not killing a few more seconds off of the clock at the end of his spectacular TD run in the 4th Quarter...do you remember the run, the one in which he took a poorly-planned clock-killing, mid-field pass from McNabb and then made 5 guys miss to score the go-ahead TD which almost allowed us to win a game that we didn't deserve to win in the first place? Yes, that's the one.

There is no expectation that a player who just executed like that should even remotely have the presence of mind to stand on the goal line and kill the clock some more. He already had to be a superhero as it was...should we expect him to be God?

Bottom line is that we found a thousand and one other ways to let that game get away, including our poor coverage on the ensuing kickoff and the weak defense which allowed Tampa to move the ball into any fathomable FG range.

CONDITIONED for Losing

2006-10-22T21:15:00.000-04:00

OK everybody, good teams find a way to win, and what do bad teams find a way to do? Simply put, our Eagles are just a bad TEAM right now - the roster doesn't say it, the stats don't really say it, but the subpar coaching and the creative ways in which the players are allowing the opposition to win is speaking volumes right now. The Birds are poorly prepared and organized as a team that has playoff aspirations. With the talent they have, the Birds should not be 4-3 given the opponents they've faced.

When the offense tallies over 500 total yards and the defense holds the opposition to less than 200 yards of total offense, the win is in the bag, right? No, not if you turn over the ball 4 times and fail to manage the clock properly.

Although I've been harping on this for a while, the lack of organization stems from Reid and his coaching staff and the horrible decisions they've been making. Again today, I blame the coaches for this loss - they just don't care about fixing the many little things that make up a big loss...

CONDITIONING: So, it was apparently really hot down in Tampa. So what? These players are supposed to be conditioned to play in all temperatures, for 60 minutes. McNabb supposedly spends part of the offseason training in Arizona...what exactly is he doing out there? I don't mean to rip too hard on D-Mac because I love him and all, but this has been a major problem for us at the end of tight games (ahem, the Super Bowl!). The coaches need to fix this problem immediately because some of these guys, particularly McNabb, are consistently worn out by the 4Q. Funny, I haven't seen Tom Brady throw up from exhaustion.

CLOCK MANAGEMENT YET AGAIN: What is there to say about a nice 8-play, 78-yard drive at the end of the first half which culminated on the Bucs 2-yard line but yielded zero points? Turns out we could have used that easy 3 points at the end of the game - instead we left the points on the field, again. If there is 9 seconds left on the opponents' 6-yard line, you have time for ONE quick pass play...a brief look into the endzone if you will. If you can't handle that, then just kick the FG and end the half. First, why wasn't McNabb in shotgun for this play so that he could survey the D (and avoid a sack more easily) and second, why isn't he coached that under no circumstances should he throw the ball short of the goal line? That's high school football 101. This is how our 2 minute drills have gone all year (and since Big Red took over in fact). All of our plays during the "2 minute drills" are passes or runs up into the middle of the field, killing time-outs or running the clock down. That final "drive" was a great example of this; the only reason it resulted in a TD is because Westy had to be Superman and avoid 5 tackles. Otherwise, the clock would have been killed again. Reid needs to spend some time on the 2 minute drill. Invite Montana and even Peyton over for dinner.

TURNOVERS: The 3 INTS appeared to be mostly on McNabb. Falling out of character this game, he made some very poor decisions for those throws. He was obviously trying to get something going and force the ball - bad results happen when you do that as McNabb should have learned from that hard lesson that Roy Williams taught him last season on Monday night. In any case, the WRs may have run poor routes and may not have been getting the separation they needed to get; but in those cases, I don't understand why McNabb doesn't just RUN?? Run like hell. Andy, give him a designed run in fact...how about that?! I've always said that they need at least one designed run for McNabb every game - it causes the LBs to freeze for a precious half second on many passing plays which can make all of the difference in the success over the course of a game. Wasn't it interesting that McNabb finally did run after the 3rd INT?...with outstanding results too. He racked up over 50 rushing yards in the second half, leading us on scoring drives.

The fumbles are inexcusable too, except I blame the coaches and not the players. As my boys and I discussed watching the game today, Tiki Barber doesn't fumble anymore ever since his new coaching staff took an interest in correcting that major problem of his. It's the little things that Andy Reid and his staff don't do. LJ CARRIES THE BALL LIKE A SIX-PACK.

SLOW STARTS: We just cannot get going until the second half. Are the guys not motivated Andy? What's the problem when you have to rely on halftime to rejuvenate? Consistently playing from behind gets old after a while. Today, we scored TDs on each of our final 3 possessions - that's all the scoring we had.

Other key problems, mostly coaching issues again:

*Stupid penalties - like McDougle's which cost us 30 yards and led to a Tampa field goal. Like Trent Cole's kick in the groin a few weeks ago, this type of behavior is inexcusable and can cost us games, maybe even a playoff spot. Coaching.

*Dropped passes - yet again, even some of our sure-handed guys like the Brook dropped have caught the disease. Does McNabb put vaseline on the ball? None of these guys can catch his passes. I don't understand this, but we're basically leading the league in dropped passes. Imagine D-Mac's numbers if even half of them would have been caught.

The Final Insult: A 62-yard field goal (the 3rd longest in NFL history) by a below-average kicker to win the game. Wha? I don't even know how to describe the reasons why this FG was a predetermined sure-thing, but my buddy Scoot called it before Matt Bryant even lined up for the kick. "I can't believe he made that kick!" Scoot said, as we all gave him a hard time for being negative, but he needed to get prepared for the disappointment...he knew as well as all of us, it's what we can count on from this broken-down, trophy-less franchise: Disappointment.

I just need to do a better job . . .

2006-10-17T10:05:00.000-04:00

According to the transcript from Reid's press conference yesterday, he said just under 700 words. Not surprising -- he certainly isn't known for being overly yaky with the press. However, it's interesting that he still used the word "better" a total of 11 times...

"We've got to do a better job there."

"We need to do a better job in the first quarter and the fourth quarter when you really look at it."

"We need to do better there."

"I've got to do a better job of getting (plays) in sooner and then you add in there a little bit of the noise."

"We can do a better job there - I guess is what I'll tell you."

"We just have to do a better job of handling that situation."

Just an observation. Feel free to draw your own conclusions...

Something Positive: BRIAN DAWKINS

2006-10-16T15:15:00.000-04:00

Not only is he my favorite player, but after all of these years, B-Dawk has earned his place as a Philadelphia sports icon. Every team needs at least one player like Dawkins: He genuinely loves the sport (rare these days), is a student of the game and hits bigger than he is. In short, the town loves him because he's the consummate Eagle of this generation of players.

There was little news on this last week after the win over Dallas, but B-Dawk became the Philly Eagle to play in the most wins in franchise history (87 wins), surpassing the great Chuck Bednarik, the consummate Eagle of his own generation.

Let's hope B-Dawk will play another 10 seasons for us.

Too Disgusted To Write A Real Post...

2006-10-16T12:08:00.000-04:00

Honestly, yesterday's game was much more painful for me than the Gnats' comeback a few weeks back. Why? Because almost EVERY single time we had an opportunity to make a play -- not even a big play, mind you, but ANY play -- on offense, defense, or special teams, we blew it. Almost every time we blew it, whether it was a drop, a bad call, a stupid penalty, you name it. Was it the let-down game many predicted after the big Dallas win? Was the crowd noise too much for us? Did everyone stay out past curfew on Saturday night? Is Reid incapable of beating more than 50% of teams we play after wins over the Cowboys? And the way we played almost makes this a legitimate question: Did we give the game to the Saints as part of the NFL's new affirmative action plan when it comes to letting the Saints look good?

Seriously. 12 men on the field, negating a sack that would have pushed them back to a long field
goal and gotten us the ball back. Wasting all of our 2nd-half timeouts. 12 men on the field! Way too many dropped passes (AGAIN!) 12 men on the field! Horrible play-calling. No blitzing. I mean, if you're going to do all of that, why not simply kick somebody in the balls again to lose the game? And Michael Lewis, did your coverage skills peek as a rookie? WTF?

It was sad to the point where even converting a 1st down led me to a minor celebration. And that's not what we've come to expect from this team. They should have blown New Orleans out of the water yesterday. They should never have been trailing. They should not have lost. they should have at least kept them from holding the ball for the entire last 8 and a half minutes of the game!

Like I said, I'm thoroughly disgusted.

But at least we're not as bad as the Redskins.

The Saints Whoop the Birds, as Big Red is Outcoached Again

2006-10-15T18:03:00.000-04:00

As it turns out, the Saints appear to be for real. Head coach Sean Payton is squeezing everything out of the team that he can. They turned out to be a good match for the Birds, but only because the coaching staff blew a lot of key opportunities. Overall, I thought our players did pretty well today, with the exception of a couple bone-headed plays (i.e. Moats running into Dexter Wynn and M.Lewis blowing his coverage).

Rather than a detailed breakdown, there are just a few questions that I need to ask the coaches about how they blew this one:

1) Marty Morningweg, Is our entire offense relying on Big Plays to sustain drives this season? If so, it's a long-term recipe for failure. Is this the best you and Reid can contrive with the roster we have?? Why didn't Westbrook spend more time outside today, in the h-back or slot positions? He's great out there. I've never seen a team attempt so many low percentage plays downfield on key downs. Yes, a good number of these big plays have paid off over the first 5 games, which has been exciting; but defenses will scheme around it as the Saints did today. We need to develop a synchronized short-yardage gameplan and convert 2nd and 3rd downs with higher percentage plays. We went deep on 12 PLAYS today - only one of them worked (Reggie's TD). That's eleven squandered second and third down attempts. There is no reason to go deep more than 2-3 times a game, unless it's just undeniabily available. Morningweg, you get an D- today (the only reason I didn't fail you is because of the nice Reggie Brown misdirection play for a TD). POOR PLAY SELECTION IS ALL ON YOU.

2) Andy Reid, are you ever going to learn how to control a play clock? Again, at the end of the game, we had no timeouts left, mainly because we allowed the play clock to run down to zero multiple times during the second half and had to burn TO's to save from getting penalties. Yes, it was loud in there, but didn't everyone know that the Saints play in a dome? At the end of the game, Sean Payton wisely just let time dwindle down to 3 seconds and then kicked the game-winning field goal. TIME MANAGEMENT IS THE HEAD COACH'S RESPONSIBILITY.

3) Jim Johnson, What happened to all of those nice blitz packages? Did we blitz like what, 4 times today, maybe? We had ZERO sacks against a decent but not great offensive line. Brees just sat back there, comfortably going through his progressions. The couple of times we did threaten Brees, he was rattled. Our D line was completely contained - we could've made that Brees's day miserable. And at what point do you think Joe Horn should get more attention from us - when he had 200 yards receiving? Then, we had that horrible 12-men on the field penatly on a key third down stop at the end of the game; Trent Cole had the sack and we probably would have gotten the ball back. AS GREAT AS LAST WEEK'S DEFENSIVE GAMEPLAN WAS, TODAY'S WAS JUST AS BAD.

Finally, one player who didn't have a good game was Michael Lewis which is a shame. I really like that guy, but he hasn't been playing well lately - I wonder why that is? They benched him during the game, and Andy Reid seemed unhappy with him during his press conference; so looks like Considine will be starting next week.

Is McNabb the Birds' Leader or just a Talented QB?

2006-10-14T18:07:00.000-04:00

No doubt that Donovan is having a career season so far; his MVP-like play has been well-covered by the media. His play this season has made me think a lot about him - how he's matured over the years, how he endured the stress of playing in this city, and whether he is our team's leader or just a very good player. Journalists and announcers routinely, especially this season, refer to McNabb as the Birds' "undeniable leader". Is it undeniable that he's our leader?

Before answering that question, I'll put aside his play on the field and the duties that come with the QB position: McNabb is for sure one of the most electric and talented players on the team and in the NFL, and may end up being considered a great QB one day (let's all hope). And QBs are forced to be leaders of the offense because they touch the ball on every offensive play. So, beyond his role on the field and the offensive leadership that has been thrust upon him, does McNabb voluntarily take on the role of team leader?

Well, if he does, he's certainly not vocal about it - like Andy Reid, he's very measured in his interviews and on the sidelines. I like that trait personally because he conducts himself with class and doesn't appear to overeact to any situation. It's easy to have the expectation that your team leader should be boisterous and more showy, which is what you get from players like Ray Lewis. For sure, it's certainly easier for players and fans to be attracted to that type of leadership - there is little doubt as to who is in charge. Trotter and Dawkins seem to share a role like that on defense (and probably for the entire team).

McNabb's more measured approach would seem to translate to poise on the field in high pressure situations - that hasn't necessarily been the case however. His performance in his biggest games has been covered thoroughly so I won't get into that in detail here, but merely reference it as evidence that he may be a reluctant leader. I think the pressure does get to him, but how could it not? For the most part, he has deflected it or bottled it up for the last 7 seasons, but it comes to the surface from time to time. Take the Super Bowl for instance. Let's face it, in the Super Bowl, McNabb looked flat-out scared. It may have been fatigue and the aches from the pounding he took (which is what I like to believe), but his face showed signs of fear...and while his performance was great in some respects (he had 350 yards passing and 3 TDs in that game), it was horrible in other respects (3 INTs and basically a shutdown at the end of the game). He wasn't able to rally the troups when it counted the most - which to me is a key sign of a leader. As an aside, the general failure to show a sense of urgency when the game is on the line exists among both Reid and McNabb and is one of the reasons why our 2-minute drills are horrible.

As everyone knows, McNabb is playing best when he's loose and smiling, joking with his teammates on the sidelines. To me, this indicates he views himself as one of the boys rather than their leader. I think the Birds' leadership resides for the most part in its defensive players, who play like crazed dogs; but to be honest, it's hard to tell sometimes.

Of course, none of this is intended to be criticism of McNabb, but just a thought about what his role is on this team. The city is really fortunate to have a franchise QB of his caliber, especially when you see teams like the Skins, Cowboys and Ravens suffer for years with journeymen signal callers. In any case, I don't know yet whether he'll be the one to lead this team to a Super Bowl trophy, but I really hope so.

Flashback...

2006-10-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

Who remembers when the New Orleans Saints were the 'Aints? After going 7-9 in 1978 and 8-8 in 1979 (which was actually their first non-losing season in the history of the franchise, which was formed in 1966), they finished 1-15 in 1980.

Newtown to New Orleans and Back Again

2006-10-12T11:02:00.000-04:00

This is from a Marc Narducci article in the Inky today -- I just thought it was worth sharing. It's about the Saint's head coach (and former Eagles assistant coach) Sean Payton. It explains how he grew up in the area (the hardscrabble hood of Newtown Square) until 7th grade, and how his brother lives in the area and remains a Birds fan:

Payton's brother Tom, who lives in Cape May County, N.J., is proof of how passionate Eagles fans are. Even when Sean Payton was an assistant coach with the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, Tom remained loyal to the Eagles.

"It's a little bit easier that the Eagles are out of the division, but there would be years when there would be no conversation for six months," Payton said. "He is like the rest of the town. He grew up watching their teams play, and that is what makes the fans there special and makes it a tough place to, obviously, play."

I think that's awesome. But seriously, is that a big deal? I mean, if I had a brother who worked for Lyndon LaRouche, that doesn't mean I'd vote for that nutjob or donate to the LaRouche PAC. (I see enough inchoherent, babbling, mean-spirited and paranoid rantings at work; I have no desire to underwrite any more of them). Hell, I'd want this fictional brother of mine to be sucessful at what he did, but I damn sure wouldn't want his party to win, and would have no problem actively campaigning against it.

So my point is that I don't find anything the least bit wrong with Tom Payton's refusual to support his brother's teams. He's just a real fan. Or more specifically, an Eagles fan.

The RePlay on the NFL Network

2006-10-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

I re-watched Sunday's game on RePlay last night. After seeing it play for play and removing myself from the drama of being in the stadium, I don't see how anyone could think Dallas is the better team (for the record, I didn't think this before I watched Replay, but this solidified my recollection from the game).

It definitely lived up to its billing as a close game, and each team played sloppily at times, but overall we outplayed them on both offense and defense. They had a few sustained drives, mostly in the first half when momentum shifted to them for a quarter or so; but then again, they had 16 possessions - and when you allow a team to have that many, your D can only do so much. The Birds D disrupted the Cowboys passing game and knocked around Bledsoe the entire game - no wonder he was so rattled. Although Bledsoe was not good that day, I think the Cowboys fans and analysts need to stop blaming Bledsoe so much and starting blaming the offensive line and the coaches for not countering our superior blitz scheme for most of the game. At one point in the 4th quarter when Bledsoe rolled out to avoid the blitz and completed a nice pass, even Aikman said "it's about time they start using plays like that." Offensively, the Birds moved the ball when they had to and put the points on the board - mostly through big plays of course, but the big plays were there and Dallas's D didn't stop them.

Anyway, I'm anxiously awaiting the Christmas Day game - one thing is comforting about that game however, since everyone is into excuses, we'll be able to use the excuse that it's our 3rd staight Division ROAD game in December so we won't be at our best. I'm sure the analysts will miss that facet however.

The Birds didn't Win - the Cowboys just Lost

2006-10-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

So, I expected to come home on Sunday night to a plethora of coverage of this game, but have since seen only some brief highlights here and there - and not because I haven't been searching and searching. What commentary there has been on the game has focused solely on the state of affairs in Dallas and how the Cowboys just had an off-day and layed down, handing the game to the Birds: Bledsoe made bad throws and is old, so it's his fault; youth in the secondary broke down coverage, Parcells use of T.O. was poor...on and on.

Some of that is true, no doubt. But what, the Birds didn't have any mistakes that day (and still won)? And whatever happened to a straight-up WIN?...maybe the Birds just outplayed the Cowboys and deserved it? Or maybe, just maybe Salisbury, Hoge, Theismann, and the rest of you meatheads, the Cowboys just aren't that great of a team at this point? And maybe the Skins and Giants aren't either. No, Say it ain't so! The Birds had more total offense and disrupted the Cowboys offense with sacks, forced passes, fumbles and strong secondary play. Isn't that an indication that the Birds just may be a better team? a remote possibility perhaps? The hatred the NFL gentry has for the Birds is palpable and it disgusts me. I can't believe that they allow these idiots to analyze a complicated game like football - remember when the Birds made their Super Bowl run in 2004? Yeh, that was when Merril Hoge tirelessly "predicted" all year long that the Birds wouldn't even make the playoffs! And then he predicted us losing throughout the playoffs and then finally, a 35-0 loss in the Super Bowl. Has no one held that idiot accountable? How about his continued ridiculous statements? NFL Primetime is now hosted by Salisbury and Hoge...guess I can't watch that show anymore. Well, unfortunately, the only way this bias is going to stop is when the Birds finally get a trophy and stick it in these clowns' faces.

Back to the Cowboys - Even Len Pasquerelli wrote on ESPN.com: "In the long run, though, many came away from the contest believing the Cowboys had outplayed the Eagles in several facets, and Dallas might ultimately become the better team. Right or wrong, such a suspicion was based on two factors: First, despite surrendering seven sacks and five turnovers, and with quarterback Drew Bledsoe playing miserably, Dallas still had a chance in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime. Second (and far more meaningful), the Cowboys have assembled a defense that could emerge as a terrific unit."

So yes, I agree with some of this commentary about Dallas, but the same could be said for the Birds, but strangely I haven't heard anything about it; plus wasn't this game supposed to be close? Sure it was, but the Birds were the better team.

semi-rational exuberance

2006-10-09T14:21:00.000-04:00

Yes, it was an extremely important win.

Yes, the D-line (and blitzing LBs who often freed up some of the DTs and DEs) played out of their minds.

Yes, Donovan played incredibly and really seems to be the best and most consistent in the NFL right now.

And yes, it was immensely satisfying to see T.O. have another borderline meltdown on the sidelines, pull a Pinkston and miss a ball because he heard Michael Lewis' footsteps fast approaching, and angrily unsnap his chin strap after each underthrown -- or undercaught -- Bledsoe pass.

But despite the warmth and fuzziness, and despite all of the Monday morning headlines characterizing the win as decisive, I can't help but recall the way I felt at halftime . . . .

I was thinking how we were losing 17-21, with the cowgirls' last TD coming with just 3:23 left in the half -- the result of a hard-nosed 75 yard drive down the field. We looked tired and vulnerable, and they looked relatively in control.

I also kept thinking back to our first TD drive, which was a marathon 12 yards, and the result of a rare flubbed punt snap. (By that I mean that it is rare in the NFL -- but it was certainly not rare when I was long snapping in high school). Similarly, our next scoring drive started within spitting distance from the goal line at the 'girls 14, courtesy of Cole's fumble recovery. We drove hard and long -- a total of 5 yards in 3 plays -- before we settled for a FG.

And I was thinking about how our other TD in the half was mostly the result of the one long pass to LJ (the one he actually caught).

What stuck out in my mind was that except for the Ware fumble return for their 2nd TD, the cowgirls' points came from two long, sustained drives (the first TD was from a drive of 57 yards on 10 plays, and the third TD was from a drive of 75 yards in 12 plays).

So all of that was swirling around in the soup between my ears going into the third quarter. We obviously turned it up and ultimately came out with a huge win, but it damn sure wasn't as easy as it is now reported and portrayed.

It wasn't a dominating 14 point win, but was an extremely hard-fought, dangeroursly close battle that really could've gone either way. For christ sakes, our time of possession was 23:01 and theirs was 36:01; our third down conversions were 2-12 and theirs was 7-18, and we only had 16 first downs to their 23. Sure, there are some fun stats in our favor, but the game was far from one-sided.

My point? We need to be realistic about the win. (As Leeks said, "we have a lot of plugs to hole.") So as great of a victory as it was in many respects, I'm still far from satisfied.

The feelings of exuberance from Lito's nail-in-the-coffin TD still do not ease the feelings of the trepidation, fear and portent that I felt at halftime. The feeling that even if we played well we would still find some way to fold. The feeling that I have during every game, up until the final second ticks off the clock.

Funny, you'd think I'd be used to those feelings by now. Maybe it's the winning I will never fully get used to -- but hey, I'm still interested in trying.

MY T.O. CENTS

2006-10-09T12:06:00.000-04:00

First off, let me apologize. As Popstar called me out for yesterday, I was actually on the road for part of the game (a 7:45pm flight out of Buffalo forced me to miss much of the 2nd half). But the football gods were smiling on me, as they saw fit to deliver me an 87-yard touchdown strike from McNabb to Baskett just before I left for the airport. For God saw what he had created in a quarterback, and he was pleased. - Negadelphia 3:16. And, I have already been punished, as the football gods saw fit to make sure that I could just barely make out WIP through the white noise on the a.m. dial on the way to the airport in Buffalo. Just enough to hear a "Brown" or a "Bledsoe" or a "ties the game at 24," but nothing else. I only got confirmation of the win right before the plane started taxiing down the runway - imagine my flight if Dallas had tied that game up right before my flight takes off! And, to top it off, I forgot to play Philly's D yesterday in fantasy football, so I lost about 15 points (playing the Pitt D did last night against the Chargers). Doh! Anyway, lesson learned. Family does NOT come first. I'm sorry. Will never do it again. Now, on to business...

Paulumon already hit many of the high points I was gonna write about in my Prop 10 this week:

(1) D-Walk - not only for nailing Bledsoe 6 times (3 sacks, 1 FF, 3 hurries), but for the amazing restraint he showed in not doing his patented "crawl" after each sack. He's really growin' up!

(2) Quinten Mikell - this guy has been a demon in ST coverage much of this year. He did a great job nailing Terrence Newman on a couple of punt returns yesterday.

(3) Trot - the Lumberjack's been playing (and yapping) like a madman all year, and he brings a lot of fire to this D. Honorable mention - Shawn Barber, who was all over yesterday in coverage and run support, and recovered the fumble on Dallas' botched punt to set up a score.

(4) Receivers - Aikman made the point yesterday that we've had a different #1 receiver every week this year (Stallworth, Brown, Lewis, Baskett, LJ). Basically, we can have a guy out for injury, or they can take a guy away or gameplan for him, but then someone else steps up. Just imagine how hard they'd be to defend if they actually didn't lead the NFL for the 2nd year in a row in dropped balls?...

(5) Ssecondary - Lito comes back from a 3-game ankle-vacation to pick off Bledsoe twice and run one back 102 yards to clinch the victory, and, defend 6 passes to boot. Lito's back, folks. Hansen even held his own against TO several times, and there were many times Bledsoe had all kinds of time to throw but no one was open. Bang up job from a banged up bunch. Oh, yeah, and Dawkins grabbed the 29th pickle of his career, moving him up to #5 all-time for the Birds. These guys had to listen to the TO/Glenn hype ALL WEEK, and all they did was pick off Bledsoe 3 times and knock down several more passes; TO and Glenn were covered most of the game, and they came up and popped Witten when he caught the ball.

(6) Trent Cole - led the team with 9 takles, including several for either a loss or no gain, and notched another sack, which gives him a league-leading 6 on the year. This guy is a beast, and clearly playing much better (and bigger) than he did in his 5-sack rookie season. I love that he's so good against the run, in addition to being a pass-rush demon. He's a keeper.

(7) Darren Howard - 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 2 hurries (1 that led to a pickle, and another that Lito dropped). Howard was a 1-man wrecking crew, especially in that 1st half. Great pickup. I was thinking back yesterday to his signing this offseason, and how quiet the press (and a lot of the fans) were. I wasn't so sure myself how good he'd be - he came off a New Orleans D that just always seems to plug guys in who then produce, and he was also coming off an injury that limited him last year. But he's been everything we've asked of him this year, and could easily be our defensive MVP if he keeps it up.

(8) Hank Baskett - Damn, rook! 87-yd TD, first 100-yd receiving game, and going into the MNF game, his 3 catches for 112 yards led ALL NFL receivers this week.

(9) NcNabb - You all know what he did, and Paulumon already wrote him up pretty good, but I just wanted to mention 1 thing. Actually, on second thought, I won't, don't want to jinx it. I'll give you a hint though: it has 2 letters, it's something to do with an honor the league picks every year, and, oddly enough, the first mention I heard if it yesterday (because I missed Aikman's commentary until I saw it late on TIVO) was from a Cowboys fan...

(10) B-West - quiet game... Ya gotta love it when a guy chips in 85 total yards running and catching, adds a 1st-quarter touchdown, and it feels like an off-day for him. He gets special props for showing up after not practicing all week, and leading the entire league with 6 TDs. (BTW, I had already forgiven his fumble when he ran that TD).

Shameful 5:

(1) T.O. - let's see, his last week consisted of OD'ing then lying about it, lying about not getting a well-wishing text message from McNabb, then flopping in the biggest (and most hyped) game of his season. 3 for 45 is subpar, dude. The worst thing he did this week, though, was call Bledsoe out in the post-game Q&A with the press.

"I felt like I was open," Owens said. "You guys are smart enough. You guys watched the film. You guys are some experts. You guys can break the film down. I felt like I was open. I felt like there was some opportunities out there for me to make some plays. I just didn’t make them."

"I don't know," Owens said afterward. "You watched the game, didn't you? Who pulled the trigger? I’m just out there doing my job." (Henceforth, all TO quotes I use will be in pink? why? Because he has the mentality of a 13-year old girl, that's why.)

As 2 other QBs that he's thrown under the bus can attest, we all saw this coming. Guess what, TO, those balls you dropped when you heard footsteps? Those weren't Bledsoe's fault. Seems like he "pulled the trigger" just fine then...

(2) Bledsoe - that being said, this relic finished the game with a dismal, 7 sacks, 50% completion, 3 INTs (shoulda been 4), and 2 fumbles. Granted, he had Gang Green in his face the whole game, but there are still a lot of passes he wishes he had back today. He better step it up, or the chants of "Romo!, Romo!" are just going to get louder.

(3) Parcells - I almost threw up my spicy chicken finger sub every time they downed his leaky lactating man-tits hanging out of his underarmor shirt. Come on, dude, show some class, and do what every other fat guy in the country does, put a sweatshirt on and cover those bad boys up!
Not only that, but every shot of Parcells was him chewing out one of his players. as someone said last week, look dude, you obviously don't like the players, you don't like the fans, you don't like the press, and you don't like your owner, so why are you still hanging around?

(4) Reno Mahe - just because.

(5) Hands - as in, those belonging to our receivers. We're putting up sick #s this year. But imagine how much sicker they'd be if these guys caught the ball with more consistency than my grandmother's cakemix. I mean, COME, ON!

A Character Win

2006-10-09T11:01:00.000-04:00

Needless to say, a huge win yesterday - 38 points is a lot to score against a Defense like the Cowboys have. And I don't think I've ever been to a more exciting sporting event, and I've never felt such positive energy from a Philly crowd. As a sidebar, I saw the fewest opponent jerseys ever at a game - either the Boys' fans were flying under the radar or the Birds' fans bought up all of the tix for T.O.'s homecoming (also, I think opposing fans have been well-warned about wearing opposing jerseys; not that it's the right way to be, but there will always be drunk belligerent Philly locals ready to pound you, whether we win or lose)...in any case, I was thankful to have been there - I think I'll even keep the ticket stub to remember this one.

Len Pasquerelli summarized the game nicely in the linked article - check it out (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2617884). I love Lennie because he give the Birds props on a regular basis. There were a lot of positives from this one:

* McNabb continued to show that he's having an MVP season. For the first season ever, I do not even have one piece of constructive criticism right now. He is doing everything right - his 3rd 300 yard game this season, 11 TD passes, only 1 INT, a couple rushing TDs, making smart throws and avoiding the rush....he's come into his own. When Stallworth returns, IT'S ON!

* Our Secondary stepped up on all fronts. Other than that poor decision by M.Lewis on 4th down in the last minute of the game, the DBs covered well and bullied the talented Cowboys WRs. Glenn and T.O. were pretty ineffective. And Lito was the player of the game - 2 INTs, a 100 yard return for a TD (to seal the game), and multiple blocked passes, all with a recovering high ankle sprain - can you imagine him missing this game? Joselio even stepped up and covered T.O. very well when Sheldon went out with an injury.

* The blitz package was money - once Bledsoe gets touched, he tends to crumble and that was the case yesterday...oddly, that's the opposite of McNabb who seems to throw better when he's being pressured. Darwin and Trent Cole were HUGE. 7 team sacks. Our D-line is sick this year, making swiss cheese out of almost every O-Line.

* Big Red adjusted at half time! The Boys were killing us with the run (J Jones had 100 yards rushing, most in the first half) and the second half we shut that down for the most part.

* Offensively, our O-line was superb in protecting McNabb for the pass, although the run game was a little weak - more on that later. The coaches did a good job picking out a weak point in the Cowboys' D - the rookie #25 Pat Watkins, who got toasted on Hank Baskett's 87-yard TD (Hank's 1st of the season in fact) and Watkins was weak with his pass coverage overall. We don't have the most talented WR corps in the league, but these guys have been playing hard and McNabb is using every last bit of talent they have. Glew stepped up and made some nice plays again.

As usual, there were some things that we didn't do well and need to improve if we're going to have a shot against playoff caliber teams:

1) The 2-Minute Offense & Defense: Our 2-minute drill...um, doesn't exist right now. I have yet to see a well thought-out game plan for moving the chains with a couple minutes on the clock. We always seem to take our time, even when we go no-huddle - it took 20 seconds for McNabb to get off no-huddle plays. Then, we run up the middle and kill the clock. I also was a little disappointed at the end of the game when we had a couple of 4th downs where we could have wrapped things up...instead we went to a dime package (i.e. the "prevent defense" which prevents you from winning) and they put zero pressure on Bledsoe and allowed him to make some throws. I think we should've just stuck with our game plan, blitzing an extra LB and having a centerfielder back there to ensure nothing deep. Maybe I'm over-simplifying but come on..stuff it on 4th down!

2) Our Hands: Man, there were a LOT of dropped passes yesterday. LJ had that nice 60 yard play, but wow, he had 2 or 3 key drops, including a TD (plus that horrible attempt at a tackle on McNabb's fumble). I'm sorry, I don't care how hard McNabb is throwing - if it hits both of your hands or hits your chest, you need to catch it, every time. That's what you do for a living, and nothing else.

3) Our Running Game: If we're going to compete against the best, we need to have a running game that can kill some clock and give our D a rest. The time of possession for almost every game is in favor of the opposition. Dallas was sustaining 12 play drives while we'd be on and off the field in 4 plays. A quick-strike offense is exciting and sexy, but you can't play a team like the Bears for instance and think that's going to fly. The Boys had 16 POSSESSIONS yesterday - an average team has about 10-12 per game. Our D is simply going to be spent by the end of the game at this pace. I assume the coaches understand this and it will be addressed. The Boys have a nice run D, so that could have been part of the problem.

Terrell Owens postlogue: Did you think I forgot about him? Yeh, I almost did...That's how irrelevant he was yesterday. But isn't it crazy how this talented WR is just on his way to becoming a sad tale? Reminds me of Michael Jackson in the late '80s. It was great seeing him shut down yesterday and watching him whine to his QB and anyone who would listen. I imagine Parcells will let that continue for about another day or two before squashing him. At the same time, I kind of feel bad for him - he could've had a great end to his career here in Philly and probably could've run for mayor after he retired. What a waste.

"Expert" picks versus the cowgirls

2006-10-06T20:50:00.000-04:00

Quick recap of what some of the paid professionals think of this Sunday's contest. Personally, there's so much checkout-isle-magazine hype around this game, I doubt the lines will really reflect the game but will sway back and forth with the crowd. It opened around 2 1/2, and is currently hovering between 2 and 1. The over is 44 right now.

The lame sites that only pick straight up are generally evenly split:

The ESPN sages are evenly divided. Mark Schlereth joins Jaws, Golic and Eric Allen who all give props to their homeys and pick the good guys. Those who pick the cowgirls include Mortensen, Salisbury and even more shockingly, superstar analysist Joey "Sunshine" Thesiman and the beloved and unbiassed Meril Hoge. You can always count on those two heavyweights to give their unbiassed, thougtfull and well-articulated opinions and analysis.

Peter Queen at SI believes it will be the Cowgirls 23-20. His complex analysis is, in total: "From what I hear, four ticket-holders dressed as nurses behind the Dallas bench will attempt to throw aspirin at Terrell Owens at some point Sunday. Oh, yes. There is a football game planned as well." Thanks, Pete. Very insightful, and as helpful as always.

FoxSports' Rundown takes perhaps the safest route by stating: "We don't have a pick for this week, just some advice: don't go to Lincoln Financial Field wearing a blue jersey. But you probably knew that." However, the Fox Panel Roundtable banter seems to weigh more heavily towards the cowgirls because of their single-minded view that the Eagles are banged up more than the 'girls. Jimmie Johnson broke down the situation regarding Lito as: "I mean, how healthy is his ankle really?" (Yes, he certainly must have some pretty solid inside information to offer such certainty for his conclusion). And Howie Long thinks for the Eagles to win, McNabb has to win the game by himself. You have to wonder if any of them knew that their discussion was being recorded.

If this even counts, the guys at Inside the NFL were evenly divided. Collingsworth and Marino go for the Birds, while Costas and Chrissy Carter (perhaps showing some solidarity with his brother in disgraced-and-discarded-eagles-receiverdom) go with the cowgirls.

The picks against the spread are pretty similarly split:

Sportsline's six visionaries also balanced the scales: Harmon, Judge and Greg Bromberg all take the Eagles, while Prisco, Ron Davis and Dave Richard don't. (For what it's worth, Harmon and Judge have the best records this season, with 33-24-3 and 28-29-3 respectively). Harmon predicts a 26-21 Eagles win, and makes clear that he stands by the pick even if Westbrook is a scratch. Prisco predicts the cowgirls by 27-23, claiming that T.O. will be the go-to playmaker "more so [sic] than anybody on the Eagles offense." Seems like he must've overlooked that little fact about Parcells greatly favoring Glenn over T.O., and that little thing called Westbrook.

The consensus pick at Pro Football Weekly is for Philly, on a 2 1/2 point spread, and this is even one of their three "best bets" of the week. (Of course, so far the consensus best bet picks are a whopping 2-2 -- but that's still better than their consensus record to date of 28-31-1 ATS).

Finally, handicapper Brandon Lang told WIP on Friday morning that he's still not sure about the score, but likes the over. Mathmatical Mark Lawrence told Eskin that he actually likes the under, and most importantly, thinks the Birds will win fairly big (and obviously big enough to cover, with such a tiny spread).

So the prevailing view of those who are paid to analyze football games for a living is that it will be a high-scoring, smash-mouth brawl. Wow, are these guys omniscent or what?

For what it's worth, I get the impression that most of those who like them 'girls think they'll be able to eek out a small win. Of those who think the Birds will prevail, there are some -- a minority no doubt -- who think they'll actually win pretty handily. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking . . . which I know has no place here.

Bottom line: Go Eagles.

an informal poll...

2006-10-06T20:06:00.000-04:00

So what if we were presented with these two -- and only these two -- options:

1) We win the game, but T.O. has a record-breaking performance, burns Lito and Sheldon for multiple TDs, and continually springs right up like nothing happened after full-speed tackles by Dawk, Trotter and others ; or

2) We lose the game, but T.O. is not only shut down completely, but has a career-ending injury off a bone-crushing hit, a play after he tried to get cocky with the crowd?

You'd think the choice would be so easy to make wouldn't you?

Secondary Update

2006-10-05T10:24:00.000-04:00

Obviously, covering Terry Glenn, Witten and T.O. will be Priority One this weekend. So, on a positive note, looks like our 4 horsemen are back: Lito returned to practice and played through all of the drills. My concern is that he's not in shape to cover those guys for a whole game however, but I suppose the coaches have to make that decision...Is an 80% Lito better than a 100% Joselio Hanson? Probably. Our nickel package will be a little weak in any case, as it looks like Rod Hood is doubtful for the game. Dexter and Joselio can't really fill Hood's shoes, but they have been playing a little better lately. The nickel's going to be important in this one, either to help open up some secondary blitzing or just double-teaming T.O.

Speaking of Dexter, his returns have been pretty good lately, much better than Mahe's. I'm hoping that he's going to stay our main return guy.

4:24 Left In The Second Period

2006-10-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

The time in Monday's win over the Pack that Theismann started gushing about the Super Bowl ring he won with the Redskins. I think it's a new record. How about a round of applaase for ol' Joe for waiting so long into a game to start talking about his old career? And, to think, he might've even lasted longer if Tony Kornhole hadn't egged him on!

Speaking of which, you know what really grinds my gears?!?

What was that tripe Kornhole was spewing about "revisionist history" when Tirico was talking about how McNabb's and the team's production went down due to his injuries last year? Kornhole comes back with something to the effect of, yeah, that's the revisionist history everybody's saying these days, that it wasn't the TO debacle that caused the team's demise last year, it was McNabb's injuries. Uh, ya think?

Let's see, McNabb has had every kind of adversity thrown at him during his NFL career (boo'd on draft day, Rush Limbaugh comments, etc.) and overcame or played out of all of them. Right, Tony. Some bitchy, whining, everybody's-against-me, everything-I-evah-did-wrong-is-because-that-kid-spit-in mah-mouth-on-da-schoolbus-dat-one-time primadonna, emotionally-handicapped, OD'ing-cos-his-girlfriend-dumped-him-uh-I-mean-reaction-to-mah-supplements punk-ass wide receiver, is really the reason for the team's demise --- and not the fact that it's star quarterback and most vital team member suffered a bruised sternum in Week 1, and tried to play through an excruciatingly painful sports hernia that eventually ended his season in week 9 but even before that limited his primary strength (mobility) as well as his range, accuracy, timing, etc, etc. --- was the main reason for the team's demise? You are on crack, Tony. Seriously. How's that for "revisionism"?

And I think all of us are just a little worn out --- and it's only week 4, people! --- by your little snark schtick. They tried it with Dennis Miller, and he bombed. but at least he was creative, Tony. The only thing creative on you is how you manage to get that whiq combed over and molded into the shape of the Shoney's Big bBy coif. Seriously, dude, you haev a whole week to write your "jokes," and I use that term loosely for the sake of argument...

Here's to the day when Theismann finally comes out of the alcohol and too-many-blows-to-the-head-induced, reminsicent fog he's always in, realizes that you're egging him on a bit too much, and throws you out of the booth and onto the stands below, where you will be immediately chewed into cud by rabid Eagles fans, then tossed onto the field, stopping play only long enough for Andy Reid to pick a play on his chart before incurring another delay of game penalty.

Some Eagles & Cowboys Trivia

2006-10-04T09:53:00.000-04:00

So, it's Wednesday before "the Game of the Year", as many have dubbed it. Momentum is building for the circus on Sunday. Coming off of last year's 21-20 Monday night embarrassment, the Birds should be even more motivated than ever for this classic division match-up.

Here are some tidbits about the respective franchises...um, for fun:

* The Eagles all-time record against the Cowboys is 40-53.

COWBOYS:
* The Cowboys franchise was established in 1960 which was (coincidentally?) the last season that the Eagles won a league championship. The Cowboys were 0-11-1 that year (ah, how it would have been nice to see those games) - the Birds beat them 27-25 that year, the difference being 2 blocked extra points.
* In their 46 years, the Cowboys have had 29 winning seasons (and 2 .500 seasons), made the playoffs 27 times, and have been in 8 Super Bowls, winning 5. Between 1966 and 1985, the Cowboys had 20 consecutive winning seasons.
* 9 Hall of Famers:
Troy Aikman (QB 1989-2000)
Tony Dorsett (RB 1977-87)
Tom Landry (Head Coach 1960-88)
Bob Lilly (DT 1961-74)
Mel Renfro (S/CB 1964-77)
Tex Schramm (Pres/GM 1960-89)
Roger Staubach (QB 1964-79)
Randy White (DT 1975-88)
Rayfield Wright (OT 1967-1979)

EAGLES:
*The Eagles franchise, as we should all know, was established in 1933 - known as the Frankford Yellow Jackets originally (pretty intimidating!), it was re-named in that year in honor of the symbol of FDR's New Deal.
* The Birds have 9 Division championships, 4 of which have come under Andy Reid. Wow, that's pretty weak for 73 years!
* 14 Hall of Famers:
Chuck Bednarik (1967) - 1949-1962
Bert Bell (1963) - 1933-1940
Bob Brown (2004) - 1964-1968
Mike Ditka (1988) - 1967-1968
Sonny Jurgensen (1983) - 1957-1963
Ollie Matson (1972) 1964-1966
Tommy McDonald (1998) - 1957-1963
Earle "Greasy" Neale (1969) - 1941-1950
Pete Pihos (1970) - 1947-1955
Jim Ringo (1981) - 1964-1967
Norm Van Brocklin (1971) - 1958-1960
Steve Van Buren (1965) - 1944-1951
Reggie White (2006) - 1985-1992
Alex Wojciechowicz (1968) - 1946-1950

MORE ON THE COWBOYS-EAGLES MATCH UP LATER...

Eagles Fight Song Revisions

2006-10-03T14:33:00.000-04:00

At the game last night, the cheerleaders as usual led the fans in singing the Birds' fight song after each TD:

"Fly Eagles Fly, On The Road To Victory.
Fight Eagles Fight, Score A Touchdown 1-2-3.
Hit 'Em Low.
Hit 'Em High.
And We'll Watch Our Eagles Fly.
Fly Eagles Fly, On The Road To Victory."

Popstar and I feel that a few minor updates need to be made to this parochial tune - to make it more grammatically correct and believable.

First, Popstar was really concerned with the use of a "mixed metaphor" - 'birds' (the Eagles in this case) flying ON a road. So, let's see, if we stick with the road theme, then let's just make the first and last lines begin with "Drive Eagles Drive"...wait, maybe that should be "Ride Eagles Ride" because the team as a whole can't all drive, but they could all ride.

OK, now the Eagles are riding on the road TO Victory. Well, hmm, that really doesn't work either now, does it? "Victory" isn't an actual destination, so let's just say the Eagles are riding on a road "named Victory" - that's a little more realistic I think. So, the first and last lines will be "Ride Eagles Ride, on a Road Named 'Victory'".

Next, we need to the fix the improper reference to a Touchdown being 1-2-3. Actually, it's 1-2-3-4-5-6, so we'll change that too.

Finally, I guess I don't even need to address what's wrong "'Em" so we will correct that. Bringing it all together, you get the catchy tune:

"Ride Eagles Ride, On a Road named 'Victory'.
Fight Eagles Fight, Score A Touchdown 1-2-3-4-5-6.
Hit them Low.
Hit them High.
And We'll Watch Our Eagles Ride.
Ride Eagles Ride, On a Road named 'Victory'."

I know, I know....You're welcome.

Monday Night's Game: Good Thing the Packers Are Terrible

2006-10-03T01:29:00.000-04:00

It's 1:30 a.m. and I just got back from the game... and I want to go to sleep but there are a few things I need to get off my chest:

1st - a win is always nice, so I'm thankful for that. After leaving 17 points on the field in the first half, we were lucky we were playing such a bad team - the Birds would never survive a game with a division rival by playing this sloppy.

2nd - if there was any doubt as to how important Westbrook is to our offense, there isn't any longer. Wow, we just looked like a deflated balloon without The Brook. McNabb's legs saved us tonight, plain and simple. His mobility provided the spark for us in the second half to freeze the Packers D so that we could make some plays. By the way, I can't say enough about McNabb right now either, so I won't bore you with the details - let me sum it up though: League MVP season so far.

3rd - What in THE HELL was that sorry excuse for a fake field goal attempt at the end of the first half? The entire scenario was nonsensical -I can't even list everything wrong with that but...
* why fake a field goal when you're only down by 2 points? A FG would have put us in the lead into halftime.
* and what message does it send to a talented kicker like Akers to not let him attempt a 54 yarder? why not either let him kick it or if you'd rather not let him try, just let McNabb take one more shot at the endzone?
* and if you are going to fake it, why run the clock to 1 second before doing so? That left no time for a follow up play if you DO get the first down. We had 3 timeouts with 45 seconds left on their 30 yard line - Result: no points.
* and then, let's say you go for the fake - why give the ball to your slowest offensive player, Schobel? Were they expecting him to go the distance to paydirt?
* again, back to the basic question - why even fake a field goal with a guy like Akers who could actually make it?!
I need to reference my post from last week - Big Red is a very talented game planner and personnel administrator but he's a shaky decision maker during games
(To wit - the horrible decision to challenge that obvious reception that BDawk knocked loose), and Andy is the worst clock-manager I've seen in pro football (no exaggeration).

4th - We'll need to talk more about this in the coming week with the Cowboys match up, but injuries are killing us. With the Cowboys coming to town, both our secondary and our WR corps have to check themselves into a hyperbaric chamber for the entire week. We need every swinging J out there for this one.

5th - Props to Foots for making a couple nice plays tonight. Visit his website: http://www.glew83.com/.

Speculation Time: The Falcons Threw the Saints Game

2006-10-02T15:55:00.000-04:00

This thought has little to do with the Eagles, but it fits with the skeptical 'joie de vivre' we live for here in Negadelphia....I have been thinking about this since last week and waiting for some national commentary on it, but haven't seen anyone tackle it - did the Falcons take a dive last Monday night? All of my sources haven't reported yet, but sure, they did.

I mean, the way in which the Saints handily whipped the Falcons on such a meaningful night for the Saints was uncanny: the choreographed blocked punt, the complete inability of Vick or Dunn to get positive yards, and more than anything else, the look of acquiescence in eyes of Jim Mora and Ron Mexico....I imagine that Shoeless Joe had a similar look in his eyes back in 1919.

Not only did Mora and Company play like they were serving up a victory, but Mora basically admitted as much: "As hard as it is to lose this game tonight, I'd be lying if I didn't say there was a little, little, little, little piece of me that didn't just appreciate what this game meant to this city," said Falcons head coach Jim Mora Jr., whose father skippered the Saints from 1986 to 1996." What coach says that? NO PART of you should appreciate losing. Mora went on: "Unfortunately, we made it way too easy for the Saints," Mora said. [quotes from a CBC Sports article on 9/26/06]. That's right, they MADE [engineered] it too easy for the Saints.

The League should look into this, or maybe I will continue in their place. I'm just scraping the surface here - the rabbit hole goes deep.

DB Situation: Walking but Limping; Some Spontaneous Parcells Bashing

2006-09-30T22:57:00.000-04:00

DBs: The Birds' website is reporting that BDawk and Lito should be back to play on Monday, which is great news. I tend to think Lito is rushing it with that sprained ankle and all. I'd rather have him sit out another week than risk missing the Dallas game. And Dawk had a concussion - he's back?! Anyway, our secondary is BEAT UP right now...and our pass D is definitely terrible right now. The run D is making up for it which is good. Michael Lewis and Sheldon, we need you boys right now.

As usual, Reid was completely unhelpful at the press conference on Saturday - why does he even hold these? His responses are always devoid of anything useful....
"We need to get better at that."
"I need to keep on eye on that situation."
His response to concerns about the team's personnel to fill in for our injury-riddled secondary, including the hip injury that Considine is suffering: "We'd be OK," said Reid. "We have guys that can come in - just like we did last week when we played San Francisco."

Oh we do? Which "guys" are those exactly? Andy never gives any specifics or color on any issues - he just needs to stop granting interviews. Yeh, we have 4 guys available to play DB - hope they don't get tired during the game.

EARLY COWBOYS BASHING: Well, since we have big D coming to town in a week might as well bash them a little too:

Speaking of unhelpful coaches, Parcells is another coach who needs to hang up the press conference thing - except for a different reason than Andy....Not sure if anyone has caught one of his little tirades from his bully pulpit, but he apparently lives for the occasion to attack a reporter who wants more information about his decision-making process. People want to know what is going through coaches minds in making certain decisions involving the football team - Parcells takes any probing question as a personal affront to his manhood and takes the opportunityto beat down the reporter asking the question - what a schmuck. I can't figure out why Parcells is still coaching actually...he seems to derive zero joy from it. He seems to loathe the players, barely tolerates management, and crumbles into fits during games and practices, and just looks miserable being out there. Does he need the money to feed a gambling problem? Anywho...

And of course T.O.'s latest foray into national news was interesting...attempted suicide this time... or an accidental overdose of pain drugs. You decide. Pretty funny story to me - not because of what happened to "Terrell", but rather everyone's reactions to it in the media and in the public. People seemed to be almost wishing it to be true so they'd have something juicy to talk about...ESPN and the NFL Network devoted entire nights to the subject. CRAZY. I know we're supposed to despise T.O. in Philly, but I feel bad for him for a lot of reasons - Not only did he have a tough childhood (yeh, I read his book!), but I think it's probably difficult to reconcile problems you have before you're famous with the attention lavished upon you by millions of people because of your special talents. Not everyone is ready for that. As T.O. even said in his interview of Sept 12, he's a human any way you look at it so all of this turmoil can wear on you over time...even if he created a lot of the turmoil himself, it has to wear you out eventually. You can actually see it in his eyes - he just looks sad.

In any case, I still want him to play on Oct 8th - BDawk has something special waiting for him, I know it.

Week 3: Just Finish the Job, Big Red

2006-09-25T16:18:00.000-04:00

First off - How nice was it to come out swinging after getting punched in the gut last weekend? The Offense is rolling strong now and the Defense is solid, except for some slack in the secondary, which is understandable considering the injuries. McNabb was super sharp; The Brook finally put up the numbers he's able to; and Reggie hit 100 yards. I don't really have too many concerns about our individual players right now, which is even surprising to me; having said that, here's what's bothering me this week:

*Receivers: You folks need to catch balls that you get both hands on, almost always. Then, hold on to the damn thing. Glew has some skilz, but he's trapped inside a boy's body and needs to strengthen up so he doesn't keep coughing it up. Reggie blew McNabb's 300 yard game and TD stats by dropping 2 easy catches in the 4th quarter.

*Defensive backs: The DBs overall had a good effort in Lito's absence, but Hood seemed injured a lot of the game and was unable to keep up with Bryant. Hopefully, Lito will be back soon and Hood will have time to rest, so that problem seems solvable.

**Some Sloppy Coaching (??): I think this is a fair comment, but Big Red usually produces masterful Game Plans, but has a tough time adjusting during games and is frequently unable to finish a team off. Not quite sure why this is, but when the Birds go into hiberation, it has to be coaching. It's one of the following:
1) the players aren't motivated to keep the momentum up,
2) they're tired from poor conditioning or substitutions, or
3) coaches aren't adjusting and changing our player positioning and strategies.

All of these are pretty much coaching issues.

Big Red has never won a game in OT (right?), and we all know about our "stellar" 2-minute drills, also evidenced by NFC Championship games, the Super Bowl. I think Reid must be a genius with Game Plans and studying film, but he doesn't seem to react quickly during the progress of games. A team often runs roughshod over us for a quarter or two or sometimes a whole game (Pittsburgh comes to mind), without much change occurring. And Reid's cool demeanor is a plus most of the time (who wants a Parcells-esque coach flipping out all game?), but at times a coach needs to flip out...sometimes a player needs a boot up his a$$. Anyway, I like Andy, but just think this is something that needs to be addressed.

So, although we beat up on the Niners and are obviously a much better team, the scoreboard reflected a closer game than it really was...and it could have been a much closer game - The Patterson 98-yard rumble was key (it was a 14 point swing really). When teams are down for the count, Reid has to find a way to finish them off.

I feel like I got kicked in the stomach

2006-09-18T13:59:00.000-04:00

With a steel-toed boot.

Size 40.

But hey, let's look on the bright sid--

Just kidding. We don't do that. (Even if there were one).

What the hell were the Eagles thinking? Trotter admitted that even going into halftime, he didn't think there was any chance that the giants could win the game. Apparently, they all thought that way, because they sure played like it in the fourth quearter. As much as they echo the words of their PR coaches "we take it one game at a time..." they were undoubtedly looking ahead. Probably not to next Sunday, but to that night's social engagements.

It was thoroughly embarassing. And to have played so well for the majority of the game makes it even worse. I was actually wondering if that fact we played well for three quarters made it better because we could say that we did some positive things, but no. It makes it much, much worse. We could have - should have -- won that game. To let a lead like that slip is more consistent with character problems than skill shortcomings.

Sure, we can easily point to Cole's boneheaded penalty, which Hugh Douglass descibed as "he kicked him in the hoo-hoo" -- which Cole did right in front of the ref. Or we can point to the questionable decision giving Shiancoe the reception that Dawkins caught for him (or the decision not to review it, while earlier deciding to review a giants reception even after they ran another down to spike it). Or Big Red's mental block with anything to do with time management. Or Big Red's decision to go for it on 4th and 1 -- and to run off tackle when we knew they were stuffing the line and that we had trouble running between the tackles all game. Or many of Reid's calls, actually. I even thought the all-out blitz on the last play was unwise, leaving just man coverage on Plaxico, since he could easily get under and out-jump any of our CBs, which is what he did. But still, I think it really was a total team effort to pack it in and just stop playing. And to just give them the momentum and never even try to regroup to take it back.

Hell, according to Rhea Hughes on WIP, after the game even Spadaro was furious at the Eagles.

And now Kearse suppsedly has a "severe knee injury"? Just typical. And even more typical that it happened in an overtime that we never should've been in in the first place, on a hot day when everyone's bodies were totally depleted by that point. So much for depth.

At least we're back in familiar territory...

NFL Total Access (Hollywood)

2006-09-13T17:35:00.000-04:00

How many of you'se would rather hear the announcers during a MNF football broadcast actually talk about football, and stop with the Hollywood suck-fest?

I can see doing this around week 15, maybe during a Raiders-Titans-type game, but people, it's WEEK 1 OF THE 2006 SEASON! Get these guys a telestrator, a turducken, something! Because if this is the best they can offer us in week 1, just THINK how tired this act is gonna be midway through the season.

Grave acts of terrorism were perpetrated on the NFL viewing public when they trotted out the likes of:

(a) Tom Cruise (and his love-slave Katie, who always appears to me to be silently screaming through her eyes.) Seriously, I used to like this guy, he actually made some cool movies back in the day. And I really don't care that he's the most condescending cult member on the face of the planet, Theta be damned! But can someone puh-lease slap that smile off his face? Why, why, why does he at all times have to have that smarmy look like a post-Rapture Republican voter from Mississippi that just got touched on the arm by D Cheney? Leave him behind! And frankly - ladies, maybe you can help me out here - but don't the hair plugs and teeth caps look a little beat these days? I just don't know. Bleech those suckers or something. Maybe HD is just *too* detailed. Sure doesn't do ol' Suzie Kolber any justice...

(b) Jamie Foxx - I like you, Steamin' Willie B, but not right now. Remember, "on any given Sunday, you're either gonna win, or you're gonna lose." But on Monday, you're monopolizing my TV time that I would rather spend scounting out the Deadskins. Go make some more great movies, bro. Go on, git!

And last, but certainly not least:

(c) The friggin Governator? Arnie's act is just plain tired. And this is coming from someone who still has the Terminator and Conan theme songs on his iPod workout mix, not to mention the special edition DVDs - CROM! Yeah, you're gonna get 5 football teams in your state. Right. Go learn some English, pal, and maybe juice up again - cos right now the Polish Rifle would wipe the floor with you!

Seriously, the only good that came out of that mess was seeing Dan Snyder almost lop off TomKat's hair plugs with his overly-enthusiastic "no catch" signal. Gotta love Tivo!

On a side note: Did anyone else notice that Jermaine Wiggins sounds (and kinda looks) just like Turtle from Entourage? "Thanks, Vince! Come on, Drama! Come on, Drama!!!"

***UPDATE***

Seems like I'm not the only one who's had enough of this mess on MNF.

Contrary To Pupular Belief, Pre-Game Prayers For Victory Only 50% Effective

2006-09-13T12:54:00.000-04:00

Despite pre-game prayers for victory by all 32 NFL teams this weekend, only 16 teams (50%) won their respective games.

Once again, the 50% victory rate held true. Not counting ties, the 50% victory rate has remained steady since the inception of the sport.

It remains unclear why the 50% victory rate is not altered by pre-game prayers. A team of crack Harvard statisticians could not proffer a reliable theory as to why this number is unaffected by prayer.

When asked for comment, Jesus replied "I took the over on the road teams!"

Lito Out 4-6 Weeks; Area Youth Suffers Sprained Ankle (Again)

2006-09-12T21:38:00.000-04:00

You know, we never did find out who stole Lito Sheppard's jersey all of last year. And this year we didn't have a chance to see if that impostor returned #26 to its rightful owner because the dude wearing it was carted off the field before the season barely began. In any case, our Pro Bowl CB is out with a significant ankle sprain...so, it begins again. You know how long those ankles take to heal (all season). [I saw Lito at Camp last year...he looks like he's 16 by the way. Kind of reminds me of that Frosted Mini-wheats commercial back in the day where the kid is wearing adult clothing. But Lito can still bring the wood when he's not injured.]

Anyway, Dexter Wynn is back to fill the missing CB spot. I'm not sure whether that is bad for us or a "dare to be great" situation for Dexter. He may only be returning kicks at this point, so I think that's OK for us. Rod Hood is a solid 5th guy, but Lito is definitely going to be missed this weekend when the Blue Men come to the COBL. Hood and Sheldon hopefully will be "heightening" this week because the Blue Men have tall WRs - Plaxico and Shockey could have a field day. All in all, I feel good about Sheldon and Hood rising to the occasion. They're ready for a great game - any thoughts on the match-ups?

PS - Bruce Perry got cut to make room for Dexter.

Ankles: What is it with these things anyway? Is it the turf, lousy trainers who don't tape properly or just weak anatomy? It would seem to me with as advanced as this sport is, ankle sprains wouldn't be as common as they are...knees I understand - they're bigger, in the line of impact, and can't have a lot of tape around them... but ankles, come on..tape those things tight!

Hey cowpunks, Gnats, and Deadskins!

2006-09-12T09:48:00.000-04:00

Nice games, losers!

Your sub-par ballclubs provided me much entertainment this weekend!

For at least 1 Week, all is right with the world again:

Check ya next week...

Oh, and Gnats? We'll see you Sunday at the Linc.

Week One: Solid Win over Texans

2006-09-10T18:29:00.000-04:00

Despite a 1st Quarter where the Birds looked uncomfortable at best to be out on the field, Reid and the coaching staff got the team back on track halfway through the 2nd Quarter and never looked back. Here are some of the things that stood out to me:

*Running Game - From what I saw today, I have to do a mea culpa on any criticism I've had about this aspect of the offense (at least from what I saw in this game). Not only did The Brook and Buck do some crafty running and the O-line do a fantastic job opening the holes, but more importantly, Big Red did a great job DESIGNING the run plays. Several misdirection plays showed some creativity and played to McNabb's athleticism - haven't seen this run scheme in a long time, and it was effective and fun to watch. What a relief to see something new...missing Brad Childress? nahhh. Are you Nega-heads sold yet or should we still be worried (other than your normal worrying, Popstar)? The solid run game also set up the play action passes, which leads me to my next note...

*Donte Stallworth and the WRs - After one game, I'm convinced he's the real deal. He showed amazing hands and put up big numbers without really knowing the offense yet. The fake by McNabb on Stallworth's TD was soooo sweet - wow, I'm impressed with the execution and the creativity of this type of play. I was disappointed not to see more production from Reggie and nothing from Baskett, although one of the things the Texans did well was cover our WRs, which leads me to my next note...

*The O-line - Another impressive aspect today was our O-Line. The holes were big and the pass protection was great. McNabb put up great numbers and had ALL day to pass. I was wondering why he couldn't seem to find open WRs...any thoughts on that? Was it just the coverage or are we reckoning back to the days of yore when Pinky and Thrash were blanketed? The WRs are going to have to do a better job getting some separation because they were frequently covered like rugs and McNabb had to force the ball at times, one of which led to an interception and another almost led to one.

*Defensive Backs - They improved in the second half, but looked God-awful in the first half. The D-line was stopping the run, and started getting to Carr later in the game. Carr looked like an All-star at times during the game and it seemed to be from some blown coverages by the secondary. Anyway, I hope we're not flip-flopping problems from last year to this year - good line, bad DBs. I'm sure JJ will work to correct the problems soon enough...but what happened to Lito today - Recurring injury with the ankle?

All in all, great game plan by Reid, and McNabb looked sharp too - he did everything he was supposed to do today. We usually get a slow start each year, so this is a promising win and not much, if anything here to complain about. What say ye?

The Injury Game...Just what is going on with my favorite Injured Eagle?

2006-09-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

It’s a matter of when not if…..but when Buckhalter (or insert your favorite injury riddled Eagle) is lying in a hump in the middle of the field, and the athletic trainers, docs, and a few coaches go running out to see what is going on, questions will pop up in everyone’s heads. “OH shit, is it the same knee?”, “Is he done for the season?”, “I knew he wouldn’t last a season, he is worthless”. Ok, that last one wasn’t a question, but I had to throw that one in there because that is probably what most of us will say. But for the few out there that will actually question the status of his injury and have questions about all of the other injuries that may happen during the year, I posted this article on my blog. So check it out to get a better "view" of the injury game.

https://kescott45.wordpress.com

"Expert" picks for the weekend

2006-09-09T20:41:00.000-04:00

As of this moment, the spread is anywhere from 3 1/2 to 6 points, believe it or not.

So Peter King has the Iggles dishing out the largest thrashing of the week, beating the Texans 31 to 10. . . . Of course, King also predicted that the Steelers-Dolfins game would be a "[g]reat, geat game." (Yes, he used two "great"s for emphasis). He actually concluded that "[i]f you don't like this game . . . you don't like football." Seriously.

On CBS Sportsline, Prisco thinks the Texans will pull off an upset and beat us 21-20 (but interestingly, on the chart of all six of Sportsline's experts' picks, Prisco supposedly picks the Texans to beat a four-point spread. Conspiracy theories anyone?) Harmon just thinks we'll push and win by 24-20. As for the others picking with the four-point spread, Judge and Bromberg have the Eagles covering, but Davis and Richard think the Texans will beat it.

The consensus pick of the ten editors at Pro Football Weekly is that the Eagles will cover a 3 1/2 point spread, and this is considered one of the three "best bets" of the week. (Although I have found that some of the editors' records for their "best bet" selections are actually worse than their other picks, and even under .500. Still, for what it's worth, I think the consensus selections are often better than most).

And ALL of the ESPN "experts" picked the Eagles to win. What's most suprising about this is that Hodge is one of them. Sure, they aren't picking against a spread, but that never stopped Merrill's Hodge-kins Disease (thanks for the term, J-Dubbs) from contaminating his already superficial -- and often bizarre -- reasoning.

FINAL ROSTER - Thoughts?

2006-09-04T13:50:00.000-04:00

I'm glad we got trade value out of Fraley and Parry.

I'm a little concerned about the green-ness of the backup o-line. Love the depth on the d-line!

Lbs.... as usual, we're set at Mike, but weak on the outside. Expect lots of screen passes and sweeps, and tackles by the safeties and corners. We're used to that...

I think Brown & Stallworth, LJ & Westy, and GLew (slot) will actually cause some serious concern for d-coordinators. If 5 beets the blitz expect big #s. If he doesn't, expect more bruised sternums...

Glad Tank, Sampy, and Gasperon made the PS.

That's all I got.

Running Backs - ok, YOU tell Me

2006-09-01T16:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, if everyone is so comfortable with our running game, let's postulate on the Running Back/Fullback situation some more: What's the final roster look like? Remember to show your work or it doesn't count.