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Thursday, December 30, 2004
McNabb's Blue Christmas
Check out this link to see McNabb crooning about the loss of TO in the holiday spirit.
Tis the season!
http://www.bangcartoon.com/bluexmas.htm
TO - fun guy
Catch TO's appearance on MNF from Philly? (Was that really his home, with the wood paneled walls and roaring fire place?)
Just reminded me again that he seems like a really cool guy and someone fun to hang out with. Not at all the arrogant blowhard you might expect to see given his on the field celebrations, etc.
Why we will win the NFC Championship
Did you see this quote by McNabb in yesterday's paper?
Apparently, McNabb is fed up with hearing about TO's injury ruining the Eagles chances for a championship, and has to remind everyone that he is the franchise player...that he is the undisputed leader of the offense...that he is the man who singlehandledly took over the Cowboys game late in the 4th quarter to get them the winning TD...that he is the man who ran for 100 yards against the Packers and completed a 4th and 26 pass with the game on the line...that he is the man who threw for 4 TDs and 300 yards on a broken leg...that as long as #5 is healthy and on the field, anything is possible.
"It's unfortunate that people are pretty much turning their backs on us because we lost T.O.," McNabb said Wednesday. "I'm still the captain of this ship and this ship is going to move. I'll take this team as far as we need to go with the guys that we have."
Wow!
McNabb is one pissed off QB right now. A kind of "hey, let's not everyone forget that I"m gonna be the MVP runner up to Manning, and TO will be runner up to me." He might as well have just said, I"ve won with Wuss and Bust before and I'll do it again."
McNabb is going to put this team and this city on his back like Lenny Dykstra did in 1993.
You see.
Kearse defensive MVP?
Thought it was interesting that Kearse didn't play Monday, with Madden saying Jim Johnson called him the defensive player the team could least afford to lose. Kearse is a beast.
But my brother and I got into a debate over who the next mvp on the defense is? He said Brian Dawkins, while I offered Jeremiah Trotter. Jeff argued that it had to be Dawkins cause there was really no replacement for him. He said that the 2nd string is such a downgrade from Dawkins, and while Trotter would also be missed, there is less a downgrade in talent with Simoneau filling in for Trotter. Very valid points.
My thinking was that Trotter has so improved the run defense that to return to the old lineup would be particularly disappointing.
My brother won me over and, besides, I love Dawkins. Got his number 20 jersey. But we both agreed we would prefer not to lose either one in the long run.
Didn't get the memo on that game
It would have been a nice courtesy had Andy Reid informed the season ticket holders that he had no intention of trying to win the Rams game before we all put good money on the Eagles getting 4! Hell even some of us who thought he might liberally substitute figured the starters would play the first half. Even that was a no go and the halftime spread was a loser too cause Reid only played McNabb one series and then ran the ball the rest of the half to shorten the game. (At least it did appear that Reid was tyring to score in the 2nd half with Detmer and Blake, but the second teamers were incompetent).
My favorite play was the bumbled snap that left Artis Hicks standing motionless at the line as the d-end blew right past him to drill Blake. Apparently, no one clued in John Madden either, who was inanely going on about how in the "National Football League" you are always trying to win every game. Did he not see which players were on the field? Darilek? Labinjo? C'mon.
I don't blame Andy Reid. Injuries have pretty much cost the Eagles their shot at winning each of the past three NFC Championship games. Remember when Troy Vincent couldn't go vs. the Rams and their "greatest show on turf?" Or Buckhalter who was running well in the first half going out with an ankle sprain? And let's not forget the long-term devastation of Damon Moore blowing out his knee and being lost forever.
Then there was McNabb just back from his broken leg vs. the Bucs. And last year losing Westbrook and the team's defensive MVP in Emmons was bad enough, but when McNabb separated his ribs in the first half the carnage was complete.
The silver lining in TO's injury (and yes I'm desperately grasping at straws) is that if it had to happen at least the Eagles could afford to lose him. They still have McNabb and Westbrook and the rest of the conference is pitifully weak. We can still win. Losing either one of the other two would be the end.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Sheridan's shiv
Inqy columnist Phil Sheridan is on top of his game. Loved his "TO for TO" appreciation piece today. But it was his scathing and, unfortunately, dead on criticism of Pinkston that was perfectly captured the other day.
"Another time, McNabb had Greg Lewis streaking toward the end zone and waited too long to throw. Williams, in spite of the extra weight of Pinkston's dignity in his pocket, was able to catch up and knock away the seemingly sure touchdown pass.
Ouch, that might have hurt Pinkston as much as a Roy Williams hit. That is, if Pinky had any self-respect left.
Pro Bowl Vindication
The Pro Bowl announcement is a terrific vindication for Lito Sheppard and for Andy Reid, Tom Heckert and the rest of the Eagles' personnel department. Remember the carping from the so-called "experts" (ie, Mel "Helmet Head" Kiper and the rest of the punditocracy) who questioned the Eagles selection of 3 defensive backs in the first two rounds of the 2002 draft (Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis, and Sheldon Brown) when they already had Pro Bowlers Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent on the roster?
While most everyone else was focused on the near-term, Reid and the front office had their eye on the big picture and knew they needed to start grooming replacements while Taylor and Vincent were still in their prime and well before their contracts expired (Taylor hit an incentive clause that terminated his contract a year early).
And remember how going into this season one of the Eagles' biggest question marks was whether Sheppard and Brown could fill the huge shoes of Taylor and Vincent? Lewis had already become a starter replacing the aging Blaine Bishop and filled a leadership void last year when Taylor, Vincent and Dawkins all went down with injuries at some point.
Well, you don't hear many questions about those shoes being filled now. Sheppard in particular has dealt with a rep that until this year he hadn't justified his first round selection status. But shutting down Randy Moss will do wonders for your rep and confidence.
Congratulations to all. The Pro Bowl picks are sweet vindication indeed.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Miami - Pats and Vegas
Anyone associated with the NFL is supposed to keep their distance from any reference to gambling. That's why you get Al Michaels making oblique references to "some people still interested" in a meaningless touchdown in another Monday Night Football blowout. It's impacting the over/under or the spread.
So it is even more surprising when a player, particularly a player of the stature and caliber of Miami D-end Jason Taylor, talks about gambling. "Nobody gave us a chance," Taylor said. "I hope they lost a lot of money with their 10-point spread."
Nice. Glad to know Taylor knew exactly how many points the Pats were favored by and really had his head in the game. The only surprising thing is that Taylor didn't add, "I'm glad we screwed up a nation's 3 team tease."
Another medical malpractice by the training staff?
Eagles' trainer Rick Burkholder was very forthcoming in yesterday's medical debriefings on the extent of TO's injuries. Still, it is fair to ask how they could have missed the broken leg that was diagnosed Monday afternoon. After the debacle that was McNabb's untreated broken leg dduring the Arizona game two years, you would think the Eagles' medical staff would be careful and comprehensive in diagnosing another star player's injuries. So how could they take an x-ray of TO's ankle on Sunday but not of the knee? Did they not see the play? Why not take pictures of both just to be on the safe side?
TO a No Go
Let’s be smart and realistic. TO ain’t playing again this season, regardless of whether the Eagles make the Super Bowl. My gosh, did you read the prognoses of all the doctors in the Philly papers? This type of injury takes months to heal right and coming back to soon would jeopardize TO’s career. It ain’t happening. Encouragingly, TO said he would be smart about coming back. Let’s hope he doesn’t get caught up in the hype and try to come back to early. This year we got a glimpse of what McNabb to TO connection can do. And I want to see several more years of it.
The Eagles can still win without him. And
Monday, December 20, 2004
Down goes TO
I suspect a lot Eagles’ fans were like me and got physically ill when TO went down yesterday and hobbled off the field and into the locker room. It wasn’t necessarily the sight of the injury itself, although that was gruesome enough, but it was the sickening, nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach that the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes were limping off the field in the form of #81. Honestly, I got physically nauseous or, as the Sport’s Guy likes to say, I (literally) threw up in my mouth.
Still, while most everyone is focused on TO and the divisional playoffs, let me throw out this thought. We can win the NFC championship without TO. The conference this year is that week. But we have no shot of beating the Patriots or Steelers without TO. So maybe the worst case scenario isn’t that TO won’t be healed in four weeks for the playoffs, but he won’t be back in 7 weeks time for the Super Bowl. At least TO will have an extra couple of weeks recuperation (two weeks between conference championships and Super Bowl) to get back on the field for the game that means the most.
Here’s hoping. And praying.
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