Skins' Cap Problems

Here’s Peter King’s report on the Redskins’ looming problems with the ’08 salary cap. Keep in mind, this was written before Sean Taylor’s death. The Skins will take a $2.5 million hit next year on Taylor’s pro-rated signing bonus. Incredibly, I read an article in the Washington Post which suggested not that the league could step in and void that salary cap hit given the extraordinary circumstances, but that the Redskins could try to eliminate the damage by trying to recoup the $2.5 million from Taylor’s estate. In other words, take the money from Taylor’s 18 month-old daughter.

 

Of course, not even Dan Snyder would do such a thing. Still, I am surprised that the league wouldn’t step in – and perhaps the Skins could petition the Commish - but I suppose there was a precedent set with the untimely deaths of other players in the past that must be adhered to.

 

Writes King, “There is only one team with less than $5 million in 2008 cap room left as we stand right now, and that team, to no one's surprise, is Washington. It would be understandable if the 'Skins were a few bucks north or south of the $116-million cap figure for 2008, but the Redskins are miles away from that. They are $19.5 million OVER the 2008 cap as we sit here this morning. That means they're $25 million worse-off than any team in the NFL entering the offseason.

 

Some of this can be cosmetically addressed, like converting a sizable roster bonus due to tight end Chris Cooley in 2008, which would be payable all in 2008, to a signing bonus, which would pro-rate it over the life of his contract. That's fine, except all that does is continually push more and more financial obligation into the future. There's significant dead weight on this cap. If they choose to cut unimportant wideout Brandon Lloyd, that would cost them $7.1 million in cap charges on the '08 ledger.”

Don't Hassle the Hasselbeck

View from the opposition.

BCS chaos commentary

Pretty funny BCS commentary.

Second day QBs

Channeling my inner-Peter King, here’s looking forward to his new argument about how quarterbacks are over-valued and shouldn’t be taken with high draft picks, certainly not #1s.

 

Exhibit A are the two QBs squaring off tonight, the two best QBs in the NFC. One is Brett Favre, a second round pick and the other is Tony Romo, an undrafted free agent.

 

In fact, of the top 11 quarterbacks according to passing yards (two are tied at #10), only three are first round draft choices: Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell, and Peyton Manning. Which is only slightly more than the two undrafted free agents also on the list: Romo and Kitna.

 

And if you go by passer rating, there are three undrafted free agents among the top 8 QBs – Romo, Garcia, and Warner. IN fact, of the top 11 QBs ranked by passer rating, only 2 are first round draft picks: Palmer and Jay Cutler.

 

Brady, Garrard, Hasselbeck and Anderson were all taken on the second day of the draft. Romo, Garcia, Kitan and Warner weren’t drafted at all.

 

So. According to Peter King’s logic used with RBs, QB is an overrated position and teams shouldn’t waste a high pick on a player coming out of college cause “any guy off the street” can throw for 3,000 yards. Even become super bowl MVP.

Belichick University: Easier than High School?

Is the New England Patriots’ offense really “simpler than most high-school offenses?” But “executed by the most brilliant of athletes?”

NCAA Power Cal Poly

Eagles must be so impressed with Gocong, they signed another Cal Poly player.

Bad Thumb, No Heart

The anti-McNabb clamor has only gotten louder since AJ Feeley’s impressive showing against the Patriots last week (notwithstanding 3 interceptions). But the McNabb criticism has taken a strange turn if the emails and phone calls I’ve been getting from friends in the hate-5 crowd are any indication.

 

As we await Reid’s decision on who will start on Sunday (my guess – Feeley), the anti-McNabb crowd is working themselves into a bloodlust hoping not that the New England savior will play but that McNabb will get the call – if only so that they can boo him and chant Feeley’s name. It’s simply amazing to me that we’ve reached a point where supposed Eagles fans are actively hoping that their quarterback plays poorly.

 

Anyway, since McNabb didn’t practice yesterday and consistent with their wish that McNabb will play (so that they can boo him and he can be replaced by Feeley in front of the home fans) the newest McNabb criticism is that he doesn’t have any heart.

 

As it was explained to me by a McNabb-hater, McNabb’s ankle and thumb aren’t hurt that serious and he could play if he wanted but he is keeping himself out. McNabb, my friend says, “has no heart. No guts.” Of course, making this charge against a player who threw 4 TDs on a broken ankle, who played half a season with a torn abdomen muscle, and half of an NFC championship game with separated ribs is ludicrous, but it is merely the latest example of the irrationality McNabb generates in his detractors.

 

And we’ve seen how poorly McNabb has played before with an injury to his throwing thumb. Just look at the beginning of the 2003 season when the Eagles coincidentally lost to the Patriots and started the season 2-3.

 

At that time, there was a big mystery about the injury and there was a lot of clamoring to sit McNabb and let his thumb heal. We’ve since come full circle, where the #5-bashers want McNabb to play with the bad thumb, play poorly, and replace him with AJ Feeley. Once again, McNabb is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.

$8 M!

35 year-old, career .279, 19 homer/season hitter Melvin Mora earns $8 million a year for the Orioles?!?!?

J. Robert Cade

The inventor of Gatorade died this week. This WaPo obit has a great summary that fills in more details of the Keith Jackson commercial about the inspiration for, and the results of, the now ubiquitous sports drink. A Georgia Tech coach credited Gatorade with Florida’s win against them in the ’67 Orange Bowl. And is it possible Gatorade helped win Steve Spurrier the Heisman?

Schilling and the Hall?

Bill Conlin looks at his baseball Hall of Fame ballot and focuses on Brady Anderson – he of the anomalous 50 HR club back in 1996- in retrospect the clear start of the modern steroid era, runs through the possibilities for Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven, and Goose Gossage this year, and concludes with a look at Curt Schilling’s future HOF numbers and prospects. Conlin’s verdict? Not bad for a late bloomer.

Giants Face Huge Eli Cap Hit

I’ll get to the Eagles cap situation later this week, but first a look at their NFC East rivals. First the Giants and their Eli Manning dilemma with a huge 2008 salary cap number looming.

 

Eli Manning's contract had “two voidable years (2008 and 2009) and a buy-back provision. As a league source tells us, and as Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported at the time, the Giants exercised the buy-back in March 2007.

So, as a result of the buy-back and other tweaks to the rookie deal, the Giants currently are on the hook for $8.45 million in 2008 base salary and $8.5 million in 2009 base salary. Manning's cap number for 2008, we're told, is a whopping $11.4 million. (The cap number would be higher, but there was a "Deion Sanders rule" issue that required the team to take a $700,000 charge earlier in the deal.)

We're also told that Manning's bonus proration will count $3.6 million against the cap in 2008 and $3.6 million against the cap in 2009. Thus, if the Giants were to cut him or trade him before June 1 of 2008, they would carry $7.2 million in dead money in 2008, but save $8.45 million in cash and reduce his cap number by $4 million. A cut or a trade after June 1 (or a pre-June 1 cut that is designated under the CBA as a post-June 1 transaction), would save $8.45 million in cash and $7.6 million in cap space in 2008, but would cost $3.6 million against the cap in 2009.

Bottom line? Even though the Giants have already made the decision to buy back the next two years of the deal, they still face a tough question come 2008: Is Eli worth a cap number of $11.2 million and $8.45 million in salary for one year of football?,” reports Pro Football Talk.

3 1st rounders? for McNabb

Pro Football Talk reports that the Eagles were “contacted” about dealing Donovan McNabb before the trade deadline, but that the asking price was 3! First-round draft picks. PFT does not say which team(s) inquired.

Just Say No to Nos. 1 Backs

Peter King continues his strange crusade against taking running backs with high draft choices, and, the player's union must love this, paying big money for the positional players.

His latest screed is to warn that Arkansas' Darren McFadden may have been instrumental in upsetting LSU and "looked like a future star in the NFL," but teams should not use a high first-round draft pick on him.

King tries to backup his argument by citing that "Of the top 50 running backs in the NFL entering this weekend (ranked by rushing yards), 30 were not first-round picks." In other words, 20 of the top 50 were first round picks. Since there are 32 teams, most have a feature back that was selected in the first round. Rarely do teams have TWO backs that were both #1 selections. The second back is either complementary or a third down specialist. Why expend a #1 pick on such a player. More importantly, teams can't devote that much cap space to two feature backs. Still, these back up backs, if you will, still get carries and rushing yards so of course when you take the top 50 RBs in rushing yards you are going to include a disproportionate number of non-feature backs. King overlooks the point of whether teams would rather rely on backs #30-50 more than they rely on backs ranked #1-29. What do you think?

King then goes on to look at the running back situation among the top 5 teams in the league to further bolster his point. "In my team rankings this week, I've got New England, Indianapolis, Dallas, Green Bay and Pittsburgh as my top five. The Patriots (11-0) have a running game by committee. Tony Dungy of the 9-2 Colts has given CFL refugee Kenton Keith 9.0 carries a game." How convenient that King doesn't mention that BOTH New England and Indy - the two best teams in the entire league - have running backs taken in the first round (Maroney and Addai). Yes, teams will give the Kenton Keith's some carries, but does anyone besides King seriously think a team would rely on Keith for 25 touches/game? And if the Pats have a running back by committee then, by King's reasoning, Belichick is a dope for expending a #1 pick on Maroney.

Similarly, King tries to downplay the rounds in which Dallas' duo of J. Jones and M. Barber were drafted by using their overall selection. Jones was the "43rd player picked." In other words, an early second rounder (top 1/3 of the 2nd round). Barber was "109th." In other words, early fourth rounder. It would be interesting to see how many RBs were taken ahead of Barber.

I simply don't understand why King continues to try to make this argument while nearly every week praising such high first round RB selections as Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch.


SI.com - Writers - Monday Morning QB (cont.) - Darren McFadden

RIP Sean Taylor

The shooting death of Sean Taylor, what the Redskins GM said was a deliberate attack, is just shocking news. What a tragedy for the Taylor family, the Redskins, and football fans across the country. Weirdly, he might still be alive had he not injured his knee in the Eagles-Redskins game two weeks ago. He left that game late in the third quarter and had been inactive the past two weeks while recuperating. Because he was not on the active gameday roster this past weekend, he did not travel with the team to Tampa for Sunday's game and thus was home in Miami Sunday night and not returning to Washington, DC when the attack occurred.

Taylor was emerging as a perennial pro bowl player commensurate with his selection as the #5 overall pick in the 2004 draft. He had the size of a LB, the speed of a corner, and hit like Ronnie Lott and was becoming a major disruptive force on the Redskins defense. Though he had several high profile run ins both on and off the field – fined for spitting on Michael Pittman and for delivering late hits as well as a DUI that was dismissed and a plea bargain to a gun charge related to a disputed ATV – he was by all accounts from teammates maturing as a person with improved practice habits and making a concerted effort to stay out of trouble.

He and LaRon Landry were all set to team up as one of the most fearsome safety tandems in the league for the better part of the next decade. Now, Taylor is off to that great gridiron in the sky, no doubt laying out angels as they fly across the middle.

Ratings Win for Eagles

“At least 18.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the Patriots-Eagles "Sunday Night Football" matchup, according to preliminary estimates released Monday by Nielsen Media Research. The game peaked at 10 p.m. ET at 19.9 million viewers, but NBC said its 15.6 metered-market household rating/24 share was the best "Sunday Night Football" rating in two years and the best primetime broadcast since Nov. 28, 2005,” says the Hollywood Reporter.

10 Things Ross Thinks

My prescient friend Ross who predicted a possible Eagles victory last week, offers his post-game Eagles-Pats thoughts:

 

 

Well, it was a great game.  In the spirit of Peter King, here are 10 things I think I think w/o saying "I think" every time:

 

(1)  22.5 was (ultimately 25) was high.  It would be interesting to see what the line would be were they to play again next week.  Would it be much lower, or would it still be double digits?  And what if Donovan played, would it be higher or lower than if Feeley played?

 

(2)  Why is it that the Eagles receivers are the problem when Donovan plays, but they seem to be able to get the separation they supposedly do not get when Garcia or Feeley play?  Is Donovan really the best QB for this team?

 

(3)  Eagles essentially adopted the same game plan the Browns used defensively against the Pats.  Double Moss and force someone else to beat you.  Moss's numbers were quite similar (3 for 46 and no TDs against Cleveland), but in each case, the dedication of a safety -- who played a staggering 25 yards off the ball (never mentioned by Al or John) and immediately broke toward Moss, left the middle open for someone else to gash them.  Against Cleveland it was Ben Watson who had 107 yards and 2 TDs, last night it was Welker, running many of the same patterns, but with speed and quickness.  In a sense, this is the scariest thing about the Pats, the two teams played them well (Browns were only down 10 and driving in the final minutes until a fumble was returned for a TD), but still left themselves vulnerable and paid the price.  And, the Pats seemingly learned from the Cleveland game that the way to defeat that strategy is to use Welker.  It is as if rather than providing other teams a blueprint, what the Browns, Eagles and Colts will do is show the Pats where they can improve.

 

(4) How good is an offense when being held to 24 points garners much praise for a defense?

 

(5)  When a team has corners as good as the Eagles, you sure can do a lot of good things.

 

(6) To the extent there is a blueprint to beating the Pats, the Browns, Colts and Eagles all seemed to have success with QBs who could stand in there and throw 15 yard patters.  Particularly in the middle of the field.

 

(7)  Man, Feeley was impressive.  Unfortunate mistake at the end, but he was excellent otherwise.

 

(8) Eagles offensive line was awesome.  Excellent job with blitz pick-ups.

 

(9) Madden drives me nuts with all the times he says, "this is what Andy Reid meant when he said . . . "  Ah, John, only you and Al were there to hear what Andy said.

 

(10)  The Eagles are going to the playoffs.

Conference Title Game Seen as an Obstacle - New York Times

The SEC and Big 12 chose to cash in on "championship" games. This year that big payout is costing their teams the opportunity to play in the BCS national championship game. Funny, that the two conferences are crying foul now. They are still cashing the checks, and they conveniently overlook that last year's SEC championship game allowed Florida to jump over Michigan in the final rankings. Conference Title Game Seen as an Obstacle - New York Times

A Look Back

The Boston Globe looks back at the Eagles since super bowl xxix.

Random Thoughts from the Patriots Game

The Eagles second drive of the game was their best of the season up to that point. That they were able to regroup after the first INT was a impressive.

In defeat, the Eagles looked more like the super bowl contender they were supposed to be than any of their victories this year (save the Lions game).

How funny was it to Eagles fans to hear Michaels/Madden say that Belichick has always been impressed by Greg Lewis and didn’t understand why he wasn’t doing more for the Eagles this year. Even funnier was Lewis catching two TD passes and equaling his season long 4 catches with 4 vs. the Patriots. That’s 3 TDs in two games against the Patriots for G. Lew. No wonder Belichick thinks he’s the second coming of Torry Holt.

Seeing Curt Schilling at the game in a Tedy Bruschi jersey hurt. Big time.

There were a lot of similarities/parallels to super bowl xxxix. There were also flashbacks to the 2001 NFC championship versus the Rams. Like now, the Eagles were supposed to be blown out by a high-flying offense. Like then, the Eagles held their own on the road, had a lead in the second half but came up just short at the end.

I posted before the game that I hoped Andy Reid learned his lesson from last year’s drubbing by the Colts about not panicking in the face of a prolific offense in a desperate gamble for points. So what does he do? Goes for it on 4^th and 1 from the Patriots 15. Runs a lateral-screen/bomb to Jason Avant. A flea flicker. And a surprise onside kick early in the second quarter. Unlike the Colts game, those gambles didn’t blow up in Reid’s face. They got the first, Avant didn’t throw an INT and instead ran it for a yard when the defensive backs didn’t bite, Feeley completed a 16 yard pass to Hank Baskett on the flea flicker, and of course recovered the onside kick – no small feat against a well-coached and disciplined team like the Patriots.

How the hell does Nick Cole, a back up center for gosh sakes, lined up over the center on the punt return team – go offsides with :38 seconds to go in the 3^rd quarter after the Eagles managed to hold the Patriots on 3^rd down?!?!!?

There was real surprise in Al Michaels voice when he said “it’s a ball game” with the score at 17-14.

Doesn’t Gocong have to go for the backside strip on his sack of Brady?

Speaking of sacks, Juqua Thomas hammered Brady on his sack. In his post-game press conference Brady evaded answering the question about how woozy he was after that hit.

By the way, the officiating was atrocious. Pats fans think the league has it in for them. That’s just an extension of the Belichick paranoia. Having watched last night’s game, there are those of us who think the Pats are getting plenty of calls – well beyond the usual homefield advantage officiating – to help keep them undefeated.

Have you ever seen so many false starts/offsides calls results in a multi-official huddle before assessing the penalty? Brady didn’t just use a “hard count” to draw the Eagles offsides. Look at the replay. He’s backpedaling when he does it? There was no call when Reggie Brown was facemasked while being tackled with 12 minutes to go in the first quarter. And it is inexplicable that there was no booth review of the Jabar Gaffney TD catch just before halftime. It was close enough to warrant a second look. Just as inexplicable was Andy Reid’s failure to call a timeout before the extra point was kicked to give the booth plenty of time to consider reviewing it. Why hold onto the first half timeouts anyway? And while nearly everyone, including that nincompoop Al Michaels, was fixated on whether Gaffney’s second foot touched before his knee hit the end line – the real story is that Gaffney juggled the ball when he landed on the ground immediately after that. Again, unlike highly paid NFL officials, those of us with basic Tivo were able to see that Gaffney bobbled the ball when he hit the ground. Somehow the entire play wasn’t review worthy. If that isn’t, what is?

Belichick didn’t give Reid the perfunctory handshake that he gives to so many other coaches. Though it was hard to tell how much Big Red’s grip on Belichick’s arm had to do with Belichick listening to whatever Reid said to him. But the biggest sign of respect was Belichick seeking out defensive coordinator Jim Johnson for a post-game handshake.

Cris Collinsworth hit it dead on after the game regarding Feeley’s second INT. It was a terrible throw, but worse it was a terrible play call. You’re within field goal range. Continue running your offense and gaining yards and running clock. If the Eagles had scored there – on that play – the Patriots would have had 4 minutes of their own for a game winning scoring drive. At that point, run the clock down and at worst you get the FG to send the game into OT. Best case, you take another 3 minutes to gain the last 29 yards for a TD and leave the Patriots about a minute and needing a TD to win. Look at a replay, LJ Smith is wide open across the middle at the 25 yard line for a first down and maybe more. Ugh.

The End

The debate today is whether AJ Feeley should remain the starter for next week’s game vs. the Seahawks or whether Donovan McNabb should reclaim his starting job if he is healthy enough to play. The debate will be a boon to WIP and there will be lots of breathless coverage on whether McNabb practices this week, etc. blah, blah, blah.

 

It’s a short-sighted conversation. The larger issue is that last night’s game probably hastened McNabb’s departure from Philadelphia. The offense looked smooth and efficient last night. At times even, dare I say, explosive. And AJ Feeley shredded the best team in the league for 345 yards, 3 TDs and a 64% completion rate. AJ Feeley is a journeyman quarterback. But as his record and performance with the Dolphins will attest, he is a career backup qb.

 

The larger, unanswered question is why the offense looks so much better without McNabb than with him. (one theory has it that different routes are called for the receivers when McNabb is in and when Feeley/Garcia is in. With McNabb at QB, the receivers run 7 yard routes with 22 yard alternates. With Feeley and before him Garcia, the receivers run 7 yard routes and 15 yard alternates, a difference that leads to more and better passing opportunities.)

 

Part of it is that it appears the team plays harder when McNabb is not in the lineup, as if they know #5 isn’t around to bail them out so they had better make something happen themselves. How else to explain the best pass protection of the season last night? How else to explain an entire receiving corps that suddenly developed a case of sticky hands? Seriously, there were at least half a dozen passes caught by Eagles WRs last night that are simply dropped when they’re thrown by McNabb – and that includes both of Greg Lewis’ touchdown receptions. And that doesn’t even count the Kevin Curtis circus catch that was ruled out of bounds but upon further review on my Tivo showed that he got his second foot inbounds. And we haven’t even mentioned how guys like Reggie Brown and Curtis who can’t get off a jam at the line were getting consistently wide open in the Patriots secondary.

 

And oddly, the inspired play extended to the defense as well. The pocket pressure the Eagles put on Brady was the most they’ve applied all year. Gocong made some big plays. JR Reed was laying a big lick everytime he got a chance. Even special teams got in on the action by recovering a surprise onside kick.

 

Notwithstanding the two backbreaking INTs – the TD return and the game ender (INTs that McNabb would be skewered for but everyone is overlooking in promoting Feeley to the permanent first team), the Eagles played their best game of the season. That they did it without McNabb will be the big offseason discussion.

Good day

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3 picks

AJ Feeley would have been the starter next week but for those two INTs on the Eagles last two possessions. Possessions that could have won, if not tied, the game. Would McNabb have thrown those two picks? Probably not the first one, maybe the second. (Reid says the 1st was a "miscommunication" but didn't elaborate on who was at fault - Feeley or Curtis. Hint: Reid/Mohrninweg were at fault for the play call..per Cris Collinsworth who articulated the reasons why).

Home game vs. Seattle is a disaster in the making if McNabb/Offense/Team doesn't play well. Best case scenario and easiest to manipulate...let McNabb rehab thumb and ankle one more week before "playoff push' and play Feeley next week.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Losing by three to the Patriots in a game that was within the Eagles grasp...quarterback throws 3 INTs, including one to seal the win for the opposition, Greg Lewis plays the game of his life. Tonight's 31-28 loss was like a flashback to superbowl 39. The only thing missing was an LJ Smith fumble.

The defense gave up 24 points. Just like SB39. The Eagles offense was one touchdown better than 3 years ago. And this was a road game, not neutral site.

Or maybe the better comparison is the McNabb-Reid first NFC Championship game. The Eagles kept the game competitive against a high powered offense, the "greatest show on turf," but ultimately lost late.

Oddly, this loss may have been the best "complete" game the Eagles played all year (some may count the Lions shellacking, but consider the quality of the opposition). Hopefully, this can propel the bubble Eagles on a playoff run. Bunch of teams at 5-6. This one hurts since it was one the Eagles could have (should have?) stolen.

Reid said McNabb is starter next week, then walked out of press conference after being asked again.

Lost more tomorrow.

22.5

My friend PK offers his thoughts on the 22.5 point spread for the Eagles-Pats game:


NE 38, NYJ 14
NE 38, SD 14
NE 38, Buff 7
NE 34, Cleve 17
NE 34, Cinn 13
NE 48, Dallas 27
NE 49, Miami 28
NE 52, Wash 7
NE 24, Indy 20
NE 56, Buff 10

Those are the scores, plain and simple. If you look at the 1st 5 games of the year, then Pats -22 is an absurd, absurd, absurd point spread, given that they didn't beat the Browns or Bengals by that much.

However, from that game on, Belichick has decided that it is critically important for him to turn Brady into the equivalent of Ivan Drago. The idea isn't to win games, but to utterly humiliate you as a team and coach. That's the objective, humiliation. Even so, in those 5 games, they've covered 22 pts just twice.

I think it's probably a good spread. Right where it should be. I wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole, because the Pats have taken 2 different approaches heading into their 2 really big games this year: in Cincy, they downshifted and cruised to victory getting ready for Dallas; at home against the Skins, they decided to completely blow their wads and humiliate Gibbs.

Now, they play at Baltimore a week later, not a huge responsibility but a threatening game. Maybe they go big against the Eags, then dial it back and just try to win in Baltimore without getting hurt?

Damned Whatever He Does - Diverging Interests

Discussing the prospect of McNabb playing in tonight's game during our annual Black Friday football game, a good friend of mine suggested that McNabb just sit out. He said it was clear that McNabb wasn't going to be 100% and there is a good chance that the Eagles are going to get hammered anyway - and if they did, McNabb would just have to deal with that much more criticism about how he can't even keep the Eagles competitive. (Note: not even he believes this, but we are all by now familiar with the irrational anti-McNabb screeds.)

I tend to agree. And now McNabb is definitely out for the game and AJ Feeley will start. What happens, if by some miracle, the Eagles win? And as i've noted previously, i think there chances of winning rest mainly on running Westbrook 30 times tonight. And the chances of Reid calling that many running plays will only happen if McNabb is not the quarterback.

I doubt there will be a call for Feeley to replace McNabb as the starter in the wake of what would be an epic upset. Not even the most rabid McNabb-haters can argue that Feeley is a better QB than McNabb. Certainly there will be charges that McNabb has been holding the offense back (and no acknowledgment of a more balanced run/pass ratio). There may even be the ridiculous proposition put forth that rookie Kevin Kolb couldn't do any worse than McNabb in light of Feeley's performance. And amidst all these what if scenarios would be the vastly improved playoff chances of a suddenly 6-5 giant-slaying Eagles team.

Most likely the Eagles will get their heads handed to them tonight and lose by four touchdowns. that is perhaps the "best" outcome for McNabb - being in no way involved with the looming debacle on the field and free of criticism and finger-pointing, though somehow some will find a way to blame McNabb. Still, the lead up to tonight's game is just the latest and clearest sign of how divergent, indeed contradictory, the interests of the franchise quarterback, head coach, and the team have become.

The Last 5 Minutes

On the eve of the first game between the Pats and Eagles since Super Bowl 39, Bob Brookover reviews that game and lasting pain for Eagles fans because the game was so eminently winnable.

But what is most interesting are the comments of former Eagles Ike Reese and Artis Hicks about the game, especially the last five minutes. Conventional wisdom holds that the Eagles second to last drive took too long - that the offense didn't play with a sense of urgency - and that it was McNabb's fault cause he was throwing up in the huddle.

Hicks dispels that lasting, damning myth, explaining that on one play McNabb couldn't catch his breath cause he had been hit by Tedy Bruschi. As it was the intervening time was only 30 seconds. It's also worth remembering that the Eagles did actually score a touchdown on the play to cut the lead to a FG. And honestly, I don't recall Hicks' citation of a B. Westbrook drop that would have been a touchdown before the two minute warning.

In fact, Reese, the special teams captain laments the questionable calls to try on onside kick with 3 timeouts, a mistake that was compounded by an all-out punt block that left no one deep to field the kick. the result was an extra 15 yards during the roll and precious time off the clock. Those two decisions left the Eagles with the ball at their own 4 yard line with 46 seconds to go.

But in part because of TO's cryptic remarks a month after the game - though clearly aimed at McNabb, that McNabb was at fault for the pace of the second to last drive, the entire last 5 minutes of the game debacle have been blamed on #5. Alas, as Hicks and Reese's recollections bear out, blame begins at the top - with the game management decisions made by Andy Reid and not whether McNabb was vomiting in the huddle.

Close to the Vest

McNabb missed practice today. I can’t help but think that McNabb and Reid are playing coy with #5’s status for Sunday night to give Belichek at least some variable to think about. One would think defensive preparations would be different for McNabb compared to Feeley since they do have different quarterbacking styles.

Per Sack Freak Out

Peter King thinks Brian Westbrook might be able to carry the Eagles into the playoffs on his back (and legs), and does the math on Jevon Kearse’s salary per sack: $1.21 million. It is a damning counterargument to Eagle fans that have demanded more high profile free agent signings. Note: I’m not one of them, notwithstanding his per sack cost, I think Kearse had an intangible impact on many games that did not appear in the stats. Also, Kearse’s Eagles career will be cut short by a devastating 3 ligament tear knee injury that, don’t forget, he suffered against the Giants in overtime last year. A game that never should have gone into overtime but for Andy Reid’s offensive play blunders.

22.5

The Eagles are 22.5 point underdogs for Sunday. My gosh 22.5 points? For a professional football game? That’s amazing. Especially since the Eagles aren’t one of the worst teams in the league. They’re not the dolphins for gosh sakes.

 

My friend writes that he thinks the Eagles could give the Patriots trouble.

 

I actually believe the Eagles can give the Pats a game because I believe the way to do it is to run at them and control the game with short passes and the occasional deep ball.  Brian Westbrook is the ideal player, much like Joseph Addai, to accomplish such a game plan.  Unfortunately, Reid is sitting in his office think he needs to score 38 to beat the Pats and that the only way to do that is to throw the ball 70 times.

 

Call me the happy optimist, but I too could weirdly see the Eagles being competitive, or I could easily envision them being blown out by 5 touchdowns. Though I would jump at giving 12.5 points to the Pats on a 3 teamer. I would be not nearly as comfortable taking the Eagles and 32.5.

 

I do think the Eagles could make a game of it. Aside from Westbrook, they have a good, veteran secondary in Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown, and Brian Dawkins, though Mikell sprained his knee (who himself was a replacement for Considine) so they will play JR Reed. They also have one of the better defensive coordinators in the league. Alas, the pass rush is lacking, which could be a huge problem against a veteran, precision passer like Brady.

 

As to my friend’s point about throwing 70 times. Andy Reid is thinking that he will throw 70 times cause he just loves to do it, not because he thinks he needs to score a lot of points. Oddly, given that Reid calls vastly more running plays for the backup quarterback (see Feeley 2002, Garcia 2006, and Feeley last week), would the Eagles have a better shot at beating the Pats with Feeley and a balanced offensive philosophy? Does that trump a banged up McNabb with a tweaked ankle and a jammed throwing thumb – not to mention the rehabbing ACL – especially if McNabb would be called on to throw 55 times whereas Feeley would only be asked to throw 30 times and get to hand off 30 times?

 

And finally, I do hope Reid learned his lesson from last year’s game vs. an AFC juggernaut on national TV. In that game vs. the Colts Reid called stuff like he was desperate to score points to keep pace with the Colts. Fake punt, double reverse pass, going for it on 4^th and 4 near mid field. It all blew up in his face and kept putting unneeded pressure on a weak  defense that didn’t need the extra pressure.

 

Hopefully he will play it more straight and not panic so early in this game.

Jimmy Rollins' MVP

It is kind of amazing when you think about it. Years from now, people looking at the stats will be incredulous that Rollins beat Holliday, unless they can appreciate baseball at altitude and also see that Holliday hit 25 of his 36 homers at Coors Field and .376 at home and “only” .301 on the road. Coors field is more of a hitter’s park than Citizens Bank.

 

I know Holliday is the Rockies’ big bopper and best player but I don’t think it compares to the importance of Jimmy Rollins to the success of the Phillies. The leadership, attitude, and play – at shortstop no less. They have Howard and Utley, but Jimmy Rollins makes them go.

Touche Comcast

Comcast is firing back at the NFL. Point to Comcast for noting that the NFL Network is available to its subscribers, on a tiered package, though not on the basic plan which the NFL is adamant on. And the cable company goes on to note the irony of the NFL’s position, “While the NFL claims that it wants its games to be seen by the widest possible audiences, it's actually their rules that limit which games fans can watch," said Comcast VP David Cohen. "It's the NFL that designates which cities can have over-the-air broadcasts of specific games. It is also the NFL that decided to take these eight games off of free broadcast television and to try to enrich themselves at the expense of their fans by creating a multibillion-dollar asset called the NFL Network."

 

Indeed, Comcast seems to be in the stronger position. No local viewer will miss their team’s games regardless of whether it is on the NFL Network in other parts of the country (unless, of course, the game’s not a sellout.) And is there really a tremendous demand for the Colts-Falcons game. I, and Comcast, think not.

Not For Long

Amazing turnover among both the Eagles and Patriots’ rosters from their Super Bowl teams. 8 remaining starters (offense and defense) for the Eagles (McNabb, Westbrook, Runyan, Thomas, LJ Smith, Sheppard, Brown, and Dawkins) and 9 for the Patriots. Not one skill position player besides Brady is left. In total, 17 Patriots are still on the roster from that super bowl squad and 14 for the Eagles. What’s truly astounding is the game was only 33 months, or less than 3 years, ago.

 

The roster turnover really does highlight the need to continually stock good players. The Patriots have obviously done that. The Eagles, not so much.

Codey Stops Jets Fans Cold

Good for NJ Senate President Richard Codey, whose letter to the NJ State Police and the Stadium authority has prompted security personnel - who were looking askance at the problem - to now prevent boorish Jets' fans behavior by Gate D of the stadium.

This all comes in the wake of a NY Times story yesterday. As I said, the NFL tolerates an amazing level of improper fan behavior at NFL games. But what the league simply cannot stand - at which certainly sparked this crackdown - is bad PR.

Senator Decries Behavior at Jets Games

Away Game Report

Ben, my Giants friend, completed the football exacta this weekend, hitting his alma mater’s showdown with Ohio State in Ann Arbor on Saturday, and then going to Detroit for the Giants-Lions game on Sunday.

 

Here’s his take of Ford Field and the Detroit Lions faithful.

 

The NFL Away Game Report – Giants at Lions, 10/18/2007

 

PARKING:

I drove to the Detroit in the morning.  Am I a loser for going to a football game alone?  No more than I am loser for going to a movie alone.  Or the Van Halen concert alone.  Or a Rush concert alone (btw – they played Fly by Night over the PA, nice!).

 

As I was graduating from Ann Arbor, Detroit was legalizing gambling.  I had not been back in almost 10 years to Detroit.  Getting off the freeway, I parked at the new Greektown Casino parking deck.  I figured a casino parking lot would be free (and I was correct).  The lots closest to the stadium cost between $25 and $45.  But is free parking in a casino lot actually free?  Or is there a hidden cost?

 

We know that NFL games attract a certain caliber of person.  Imagine if to get your team's football game, you (or your also gambling-addicted brother) had to walk through two casino floors.  It was a wild scene of gamblers wearing Honolulu blue and silver.  In the 15 minutes I was there -- two and a half hours to game time -- the blackjack minimum went from $5 to $15 dollars to suck the fans dry.  The twenty bucks you save on parking is indubitably going onto a table or into a machine.

 

Because it is right downtown, there is no room for lots of parking spaces.  Some vacant lots at ground level,  but mostly parking decks.  Many, including myself, believe that the best place in the whole world is tailgating at the parking lot outside Giants Stadium (although not for the next few years).  But Detroit does not seem great for hanging around outside.

 

NEIGHBORHOOD:

The look of Detroit has been described as something akin to Dresden, Germany -- circa 1945.  It is not pretty – decrepit, empty buildings and other forms of blight.  But it has its moments.  Outside the Greektown Casino is obviously Greektown.  Pretty cool little neighborhood.  I bought a paper to read about the UM/OSU disaster and ate a leg of lamb for 13 bucks.  Good deal.  Then only a 10 min walk to the stadium.

 

FACILITIES:

Ford Field is obviously indoors – I am not a fan of the concept.  I liked the stadium.  It was bright, shiny, and new.  There are windows to let in sunlight, which is a big deal.  I remember the Silverdome, which was a disaster.  Ford Field is less than 2/3rds the size of the Silverdome.  The best part for Detroit is that there were no empty seats.  Meaning that Lions fans who can't make the game can actually see the game.  Because in my four years in Michigan, I could count on one hand the number of Lions home games on TV.  Most were blacked out due to games not being sold out.  As NFC East fans of teams with stadiums sold out every week, we have never been in this predicament.  But let me tell you, it is one depressing mess on Sunday without the home team on. 

 

(I remember that my Lions fan friend moved to Portland, Oregon after college and got more Lions games than he would have seen in Detroit.  Why exactly?  Because Portland always got the Lions game because the Lions were Joey [Harrington]’s Team.  Classic.)

 

Food options seemed plentiful.  Johnsonville Brats everywhere, Greektown gyros looked good, and obviously plenty of beer.

 

FANS:

The press made this game out to be their biggest since the playoff game in DC in 1999.  But even with that motivation, the fans were not nearly loud enough.  I really think that the lack of weather, the lack of cold to encourage body movement, hinders any home field advantage.  Add in the fact that the fans don't truly believe that their team might be good – which they are not – and you have trouble.

 

I feel like most college-educated fans in Michigan focus more on football Saturdays, making the Lions a distant second.  Maybe I am used to the blue-blooded bourgeois Giants fans, but I thought that the average Lions fan I interacted with was inordinately dumb.  Or maybe it was just the guy behind me, who actually was not only dumb, but apparently Canadian (living in Windsor).

 

Aside from the fight a few rows back, harassment of opposing team fans in Detroit was minimal.  Fans were not particularly knowledgeable, but were also not too crass or outlandish (a la

Philadelphia or Jets).  Steady flow of fans leaving with 10 minutes to go and the Lions down 16-3.  Too much time left to be leaving the game when 17-16 is such a plausible scenario.  And sure enough, a two minute drive and a TD by the Lions brought them right back in it.  Then Kitna throws a pick with just over two minutes to go.  Fans exit.  WHY?  You have three timeouts and a two-minute warning.  Sure enough, the Lions get the back with a minute and a half.  But the fans who left must have known the Lions better than I did.  Because sure enough, another pick by the Giants sealed the deal.

 

OVERALL:

It is hard to overstate how bad the Lions are historically.   It was a hysterical kick in the pants to Lions fans when in 1996 the Jacksonville Jaguars won two playoff games in their second season of existence.  After all, this is a team with one playoff win in the past fifty years!!! 

 

Despite that history, the Lions have sold out every game since they moved into the new building.  The beautiful facility was a huge upgrade from the Silverdome, and a heck of a lot more convenient.  No traffic in or out for me.

 

It had been ten years since the Giants played at the Lions.  I hope it is not another ten years before I get to go back and watch the Giants in the D.  Maybe next time someone will be willing to go with me.

Just Good Enough

Dear Ben and the Daves,

 

I don't see the Giants collapsing this year, not with the schedule they have left. I think 10-6 is the worst outcome for them, which should be enough to get you to the playoffs. The question is whether, long term, you'd be better off with a new coach. I just don't think Coughlin is a guy that can take you to the next level. And the more years you keep winning the wild card slot in the playoffs, then losing in the first 2 rounds, the more often you end up keeping Coughlin.

 

Phillies fans went through this with Charlie Manuel down the stretch. We desperately wanted a new manager but even more desperately wanted to just make the damn playoffs. And lo' and behold, he made the right moves to make the playoffs. Now we're stuck with him.

 

As for Eli and the wedding conversation, I was there and can't remember who was making which points, but yes, I agree with that assessment of Manning. He's deep enough into his career that he's not going to turn into a superstar. He's just not. In his fourth season, Brady was winning his second Super Bowl throwing for more than 3,600 yards, 23 TDs and just 12 INTs.

 

In his brother's fourth season, Peyton had his 3rd straight 4,000-yard season.

 

Unfair comparison? Then let's compare to McNabb, who in his fourth season -- 2002 -- played just 10 games but threw for 2,300 yards, 17 TDs and just 6 INTs.

 

Eli is not going to develop into one of the top 3 QBs, but I don't think he's a loser QB who should be tossed aside, either. He is what he is, an average to good QB who on days when he's asked to do too much for the entire course of a game, collapses. He can instead become every bit as good as Kerry Collins in his best season,  he can be a good game manager on a team built around a power running game with a strong defense.

 

That's my take.

 

-          - PK

At Jets Game, a Halftime Ritual of Harassment - New York Times

At Jets Game, a Halftime Ritual of Harassment - New York Times For such a popular sport, the NFL and its teams certainly tolerate A LOT of inappropriate behavior among its fans attending football games. I see it all the time at Eagles games. The language, gestures, drunkeness. Here's just the latest example of non-family friendly and downright boorish behavior at Jets games.

The Blank Stare

Dear Ben, Dave, and PK,

I'm not sure which is more improbable: Eli "shaking off the blank stare" or Coughlin truly becoming a friendlier coach.

That blank stare of his is a permanent facial feature. I don't doubt his effort and commitment. You don't get to be a collegiate all-american, a #1 draft pick, and a starting QB in the NFL without effort and talent - even if your name is "Manning." But I understand why Eli's look is so disconcerting to Giants fans. His expression and entire demeanor don't inspire confidence. Certainly not to the fans, and maybe not even to his teammates, their tepid denials to the contrary. And, honestly, appearances do count for something. It is one of the reasons - among many - that I am so uncomfortable with the Eagles quarterback-in-waiting Kevin Kolb. He looks like a weasel. Very shady. I don't want my starting quarterback to look like he's a street punk, regardless of his arm strength or accuracy. This picture really doesn't do my point justice. But notice him the next time they cut to him during a game and you'll know what I mean.

(Years from now, sports writers will have a field day speculating about why the Mannings were so intent on maneuvering Eli to NY and the fallout from it - both to the NYG and San Diego teams involved but also to young Eli's career. Was the trade demanded to avoid the authoritarian oversight by Marty Schottenheimer? If so, it was a colossal blunder to opt for the even worse martinet Coughlin. Did the Mannings think Tiki a better back than Tomlinson? Surely, it can't have been for the "exposure" and marketing opportunities of the New York area as Peyton's ubiquitous pitch-master presence belies Indy's small market status.)

But I am surprised to read that you think the Giants may need to assess what's out there regarding quarterback talent if the team crashes and burns late in the season again. (As an aside, that road playoff win should in theory be more realistic given that the Giants will likely have a better record than either of the two division winners they might play.).

Last Saturday night our mutual friend and your Giant fan colleague, "the Shuff," (note the two "f's") seemed resigned that what you see with Manning at this point is what you are going to get. He might have even said, "Eli is what he is," – channeling our earlier Bill Parcells’ reference - but I was on my fourth double scotch by then so can't accurately recall. Shuff elaborated – lamented was more like it, that Manning - in his fourth year at this point - is a good quarterback but isn't going to be a superstar. Competent may not be what you had in mind for the overall #1 pick, but it may be adequate enough depending on the surrounding players and coaches. (though I'm not sure Eli, the team or the fans will be able to handle the crushing disappointment of those revised expectations down the road).

Compounding Eli's misery, or is it Giants’ fans’ misery?, is the ascendance of two other young NFC East QBs. Of the three young guns in the East, and I purposely qualify "young" to avoid putting McNabb in the equation, Romo I think is clearly #1, Manning may still be hanging on to #2, but Jason Campbell is coming on strong and may soon surpass him if he hasn't already.

Has playing for Coughlin stunted Eli’s development? I don’t know. But I suspect that it couldn’t hurt Eli to have a change in coaches. But barring another improbable late season collapse it appears very likely the Giants will make the playoffs. Whether they get bounced in the first or second round, it would be hard to fire Coughlin then, wouldn’t it? Is Eli consigned to playing just well enough to continue to preserve the job of the coach who has prevented him from truly flourishing, and keeping him and the team from taking the next championship step? Oh the irony. I doubt it’s lost on Archie Manning.

- Griff

Congratulations J-Roll

The 2007 National League MVP.

Newer, Friendlier TC

Dear Daves and PK,

 

Ah, Winston Justice.  We love that guy.  Meanwhile, Osi has barely been heard from since.  And with Kiwi out for the season, the front seven is not as formidable as they can be going forward.

 

But it is the defense coming together in week 3 under the leadership of Michael Strahan, and that miracle goal line stand in Raljon against the Redskins, that has made the Giants the team they are.

 

The Giants are 7 - 3.  That is tremendous.  But haven't we already seen what happens next?

 

Giants fans are obviously very pleased with this record.  In our wildest dreams before the season, never did us fans expect the G-Men to be in such a position.  Add considering the fact that the only teams the Giants have lost to, the Cowboys and Packers, have two losses combined and are the top two teams in the NFC, we have every reason to expect a playoff slot.  After last week's road win in Detroit, the Giants are technically the third best team in the NFC.

 

Then why does this doubt remain?  Because of the annual end of season Coughlin crumble.  Coughlin's second-half record with the Giants is 8-17 over four years.  The team has been unable to close out a season.  They can't take the pressure.  There is the constant fear that one bad week could set in motion the inevitable downward spiral. 

 

This Sunday will be critical for Coughlin to show the world something. Last week, the Giants let the Lions hang around all game, and gave them not one, but two chances to win in the last three minutes.  Luckily, the Lions proved that they were not as good as advertised and the Giants defense pulled off two great interceptions.  But this week, I hope the Giants put a beating on a weaker opponent at home.  41-0 sounds about right.

 

The team needs to put some more points on the board.  Too many red zone turnovers, and field goals where touchdowns should be.  Offensively the Giants have had weapons.  But now there are obstacles everywhere you look.  Brandon Jacobs' hammy injury will sideline him for a while.  Ward will likely remain out.  So they are starting Reuben Droughns at tailback.  The receiving corps could be solid, but Amani is a year older, Plaxico has not practiced all year, Steve Smith is nonexistent, and for some reason they choose not to involve Sinorice Moss.  Montclair High standout wideout/special teams master David Tyree has remained on the sidelines.  Shockey has gotten some big yards, but mostly 7-9 yard outs, not enough muscling for first downs like we know he can. 

 

Eli Manning will have to deliver, and deliver big.  He needs to shake that blank stare off his face and toss the ball down the field.  If he can close out this season and win a playoff game on the road, then I believe he can be the QB of the future.  But if they crash and burn again, then it is not necessarily the time to pull the plug, but certainly we need to assess what is out there.

 

But the key is Coughlin.  Six games to go (wait, one is against New England), so there are really five games to go.  They need to win three, but they have the ability to take all five.  Beat Minnesota.  Win in Chicago or Buffalo.  And split with the Eagles and Redskins will get you there easily.

 

I hope that this newer, more laidback Coughlin does the trick.  With the whole country watching, and the New York media on his back, maybe he realized that the pressurized locker room he ran wasn't helping that fact that the team burst at the seams every year.  Maybe the newer, friendlier TC will be the change necessary to take this team to the next level.

 

-- Ben

More Management Woes

Dear Ben and the Daves,

Just as a follow-on to the Eagles management woes, from the player personnel perspective, watching tonight's MNF game stands out as an example. There's LenDale White on the field providing legitimate time for the Titans, a tough inside runner. He's not having a particularly great year, only averaging 3.5 per carry heading into tonight. But let's not forget that he plays in a brutal division defensively speaking.

Anyway, what does this have to do with the Eagles management? Ever since we let Duce Staley go after the '03 season, we have never had an inside runner who can get the tough yard, or tough half yard. Westbrook simply isn't that up-the-middle runner. So, White came out from USC with his stock inexplicably falling as Draft Day approached, going from a mid-teens pick all the way down to the 45th pick in the draft.

Who had the 45th pick of the draft? The Philadelphia Eagles. Except traded that pick with the Titans, moved up in the draft to pick one of White's college teammates, Winston Justice, an offensive tackle, with the 34th pick in the draft.

Now, here's White providing for his team tonight. I think he'd look good in Eagles green just running it 10 times a game, a la the old

Barber-Jacobs flash-and-power ground game that our NYG fan-friend liked so much prior to Tiki's departure for the airwaves.

Nope, instead, we took Winston Justice. Who's biggest moment of his career so far is one that NYG fans should be familiar with: opening the blind-side door for Umenyiora to sack McNabb over and over again.

Our management simply hasn't addressed the key issues to build a real Super Bowl team.

- - PK

We Are What We Are

Dear Ben and the Daves,

The key thing to remember about the is-what-it-is theory (IWII??) is that there are different levels for understanding why a 5-5 team is just that, a 5-5 team. In the Eagles and Redskins case, I think they are both teams that should be better than 5-5, but for bad coaching and/or management.

Let me take the Skins first, since there's been a lot of Eagles talk already. For the love of god, they lost to the Packers because of fumbled reverse or end around that got run back for a TD. But for that play, they win. They lost to the Giants after blowing a big lead and then still not getting the ball in the end zone 1st and goal from the 1 or 2 yard line. Their inability to punch it in against the Eagles on 6 tries at the goal line allowed the Eagles to be in position to win on Westbrook's screen pass TD.

I really think the Skins have been a pretty good football team, in terms of the talent they put on the field. I think they are a 7-3 team based on the talent and the performance on the field. What's troubling for the Skins is -- sacrilege coming, as a warning -- the performance of the head coach and his staff. It just feels like Gibbs and his staff keep choking, repeatedly, in these clutch end-of-half, end-of-game moments. The inability to get play calls in, the rush to the line of scrimmage, the false starts, the bad play calling, it's gone on all season long with them in key moments. And I think it's cost them 2 wins.

I don't know how you change that situation. Maybe Gibbs doesn't return, then you get one of his lieutenants gets the job, but with Boy Danny you never know -- he may offer Nick Saban $15-mil a year or something crazy.

As for the Eagles, they're a 5-5 team that, given the overall lack of talent they have on the field for them now, yeah, that looks like a 5-5 team. They have one standout player among the front 7, Trent Cole, and the rest are nice, average or bad. B-Dawk is older and was injured for a bunch of games early. That leaves Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown as your corners, and injuries have been a problem there. Offensively, they have 1 standout -- Westbrook -- and a recovering QB. The problem, however, for the Eagles has been very much a management/personnel/overall philosophy of the team issue.

They have no standout players because management just stinks at offseason moves, won't make big deals. Didn't resign Stallworth, cut Trotter, provided no real replacements for either. They knew what their weaknesses were in the offseason -- and simply didn't address them.

Worse yet, not only did they not address those weaknesses in the offseason, they have gone into virtually every game this season simply ignoring those weaknesses, crafting game plans around the idea that they do have the same players that they had 3 or 4 years ago. Madman Andy keeps dialing up an offensive game plan around the idea of passing 70-75% of the time most weeks, even though he's got a QB playing on 1 leg and wide receivers who couldn't start on any other team in the NFC East. Ponder that for 10 seconds -- Skins, Dallas, NYG: Is Reggie Brown starting on any of those teams? I don't think so. Hence, we Eagles are what we are: 5-5.

Yours, PK

It is what it is - A Conversation

Bill Parcells became known for saying – among other things – that “your record is what it is.” The idea being that there are some games you win that you should have lost, and some you lost that you should have won and that it all balances out over the course of the season so your record really is an accurate reflection of the team’s standing and quality.

 

It’s a counterargument to those who are about to do what I am in revisiting game outcomes this season and wonder “what if.” Obviously, the two games that every Eagles fan cringes over are the opening day loss to the Packers and the late collapse versus the Bears. Andy Reid flat out blew the Packers game by not having a tested NFL punt returner on the roster to start the season. The result was a muffed punt TD and a fumbled punt for the game winning FG. If Jeremy Bloom fields those punts cleanly, the Eagles likely win that game. The Bears loss in which they drove 97 yards after the two minute warning for the game winning TD is also one that gnaws at Eagles fans.

 

Were those two losses wins then the Eagles entire season, McNabb’s image and indeed the 2008 outlook look dramatically different at 7-3 rather than 5-5. On the other hand, to be fair and look at wins that could have been losses there is last week’s Eagles-Redskins game which stands out as one that the Eagles stole. And just for good measure, the Jets had a chance late to score a game tying TD. So perhaps the Eagles would be 6-4 right now (take back the Pack and Bears and give up the Skins). Or maybe 5-5 “is what it is.”

 

The skins have their own regrets. They squeaked by the Dolphins and Cardinals and have tough late losses to the Packers, Eagles, and Cowboys. Is 5-5 a fair measure of this team?

 

The Giants results are a little more clear cut with only the Redskins game that could have truly gone against them and made them 6-4, which sounds about right since they appear to have really benefitted from easy wins (relative to their division rivals schedules) against San Fran and Atlanta.

 

In fact, maybe someone can explain to me the cratering of the Niners. They appeared poised for a breakout year with Alex Smith and Frank Gore. Smith in particular seems to have regressed this year. What the heck happened there.

 

The big problem with early losses or those that should have been wins is the narrowing margin of error for later in the season. The Eagles are now facing that. With a loss to the Patriots looming on Sunday, that puts them at 6 losses. A Cowboys loss in Dallas on December 23 makes them at best 9-7. And that presumes winning out against Seattle and the Giants at home, and the Saints on the road. A loss to any or all of those teams would not be shocking.

 

The Giants as the Post notes today are 7-3 and “78.4 percent of teams that won seven of their first ten games ended up in the post-season.”  Still, they’ve got some tough upcoming opponents including the very up and down Vikings, at Chicago, the Eagles, Redskins and Patriots. They’ve also got last year’s late season collapse still in their minds. They probably beat both North teams, split with the remaining NFC East and lose to the Patriots (if the Patriots are going for an undefeated season. But the entire country will be rooting for the Giants). They also have Buffalo, who I think stinks even before watching last night’s drubbing but is 5-5 which puts them a game better than Minn and Chicago. In any case, a worst case 3-3 gets them to 10-6 and that will safely get them into the playoffs this year in a very down NFC.

 

The skins have almost the same remaining schedule as the Giants, swapping out the Cowboys for the Eagles and also playing Buffalo, Chicago, and Minnesota. The key for their strong finish will be this week’s game at Tampa. Win it and they should go at least 9-7. Will that be enough? Unclear. Then again this team has been so inconsistent all year 6-10 or 10-6 are entirely possible.

 

Can the Giants catch the Cowboys? As of right now, the Packers and Lions are the only teams left on the Cowboys schedule with winning records. They do have two division games left against the currently 5-5 Eagles and Skins. The Cowboys should beat the Jets for their 10^th win. Carolina is tough but that should be a win and even splitting with the Eagles/Skins gets them to 12 wins right there.

 

By the way, how weird is it that in their last 6 games, the Bills will play 3 of those games vs. the NFC East, which is one game than the NFC East teams will play each other in that same span.

A week long NFC East Conversation

We’re going to try something new this week. A conversation among fans of three of the four NFC East teams (Dallas can suck it). After 10 games, the Giants would be a wild card playoff entry if the season were to end today, and the Eagles and Skins are one game out – behind the Detroit Lions of all teams, and a team that both the Eagles and Skins have a tiebreaker against. At this stage of the season, I thought it would be interesting to hear some different perspectives on each of the Eagles’ rivals (again, Dallas can suck it) – overview of their season’s so far, the prospects for the playoffs, general feelings toward the teams, longer-term outlook, etc..

 

I’m not sure they want anonymity or not, so I will err on the side of caution at this moment and not divulge their names, but will say that our Giants contributor is a life-long Giants fan from North Jersey who is now a chief of staff to a Democratic member of Congress in Washington, DC. He also hit the college football-NFL schedule exacta this weekend, traveling to Ann Arbor (he’s a Michigan alum) for the Buckeyes-Wolverines game on Saturday and then heading to Detroit on Sunday for the Giants-Lions game. Now that is a football road trip.

 

For the Redskins, we have a Maryland native sports afficianado whose interests may lean more toward professional baseball – both the Nationals and Orioles – but is well versed in everything Redskins. He works for a top DC law firm and used to be a season ticket holder at FedEx Field till he got tired of weekly schlepping to Landover, Maryland to bear witness to the mediocrity that is the hallmark of the Dan Snyder era.

 

In planning this week long conversation, I had in mind that both the Skins and Eagles would be 5-5 (and because of the Lions playoff scenarios was rooting for the Giants yesterday). And while things ultimately turned out like I thought – and hoped – it didn’t happen in the best possible manner, indeed may have transpired in the worst possible manner from an Eagles perspective.

 

The Redskins lost yesterday to drop them to .500. But in many ways it was a win or at least an encouraging loss. Jason Campbell, notwithstanding the last interception, played a very good game. He and the team were very competitive, on the road, against the best team in the NFC. (Yes, the Packers are also 9-1 but let’s face it. It’s the Cowboys who are the more complete and dominant team). Campbell showed a lot of poise, presence, leadership, and big time throws. It was another major step in his maturation. A rematch at home at FedEx on the last day of the season, with Sean Taylor back to help on the TO coverage, would give the Skins a very good chance of avenging this loss.

 

On the other hand, the Eagles got a win that brought them up to .500 – which should have been a sign of improvement and boost to morale  - but instead has cast a pall on the team because of their lackluster play against the worst team in the league and another injury to Donovan McNabb.

 

The Eagles were lucky to get the win at all. Indeed, the early bad omens – the McNabb-Brown TD called back by penalty, the multiple turnovers deep in Miami territory, the Ginn TD punt return - made everyone nervous that this was a game the Eagles were on the verge of blowing.  The day was a nightmarish flashback to the week 10 loss against Tennessee last year, right down to the date, the damp overcast weather, an rookie opposing QB, the squandered scoring opportunities, a Pacman Jones punt return for a touchdown and, worst of all, an injury to McNabb’s right lower extremity.

 

Fortunately, this time around the x-rays were negative, though McNabb did not return. And now, while we await our beating on national TV by the Patriots, Eagles fans have to endure a week of breathless coverage rehashing familiar issues about McNabb’s durability, the eventual transition at quarterback to Kevin Kolb,  and Andy Reid’s playcalling.

 

It is this last issue that I hope gets the most attention, though I don’t for a second think it will influence Reid in the least. But the stats are clear.

 

62% of yesterday’s plays when McNabb was QB were passes. For Feeley, it was 44%. Why McNabb is passing 62% of the time against the 3^rd worst run defense in the entire league on a cold, wet, windy day is the big question of the moment in Philly. But if there is a silver lining in the absurd run/pass ratio for McNabb it is to highlight why Jeff Garcia and AJ Feeley have had such success in McNabb’s stead. Garcia and Feeley benefitted from a balanced offensive approach that relied more on the run than the plays called for McNabb.

 

The wonder is WHY does Reid not call more running plays for McNabb, especially for a quarterback still in his first year of rehabbing a torn ACL.

 

Other topics we may try to comment on from yesterday’s games: the blown FG call in Baltimore, the stunning Steelers loss that assures Pats homefield advantage, the New England score run up, CBS’ terrible decision to move that game to prime time, and which NFL team has most exceed expectations, and which has been the biggest disappointment.

 

Over to you guys.

Call it what it is

I think the Patriots' running up the score is a classless thing and downright bizarre when you consider the weird revenge motive stemming from Belicheck getting caught cheating that prompts it. But, hey, its the NFL and they're all getting paid so the players and coaches shouldn't complain.

What is disappointing is that NFL announcers can't even bring themselves to call it what it is when the Patriots purposely run it up. I'm not talking about when and by how much they should be winning by before Brady should be pulled from the game. But with the Patriots going for it on 4th and 1 from the Bills ten yard line up 42-10 at the tail end of the 3rd quarter, Al Michaels has to inanely observe that maybe kicking the field goal here might be considered running it up more than actually going for it. Give me a break. The Patriots made the 1st and scored several plays later to make it 49-10 to start the 4th quarter.

I'm not expecting Michaels or Madden to offer an opinion on running up the score. NFL announcers simply don't criticize coaches. Certainly not on the air, and most assuredly not one of Bill Belicheck's stature.

But announcers can simply state that what is going on on the field is in fact running up the score and let the viewer decide how appropriate it is. Anything else, like lamely proffering Michales' rationale that going in for a touchdown rather than kicking a field goal up by 32 points is the more sportsmanlike approach just insults our intelligence.

Era defining Issue

Phil Sheridan cranks out an EXCEPTIONAL must read article today about Reid's offensive "philosophy" during the McNabb era. Noting that 62% of the plays run before McNabb got hurt yesterday were passes - against the 30th ranked run defense on a cold, wet day - while the percentage of passes plummeted to 44% after Feeley came in. The nut graph:

We can linger on why Reid would pretend the play calling didn't change because McNabb was out. But the more interesting and ultimately era-defining issue is why Reid and his staff stubbornly refuse to give McNabb the benefit of a more balanced offensive approach. Year after year, regardless of McNabb's health or the quality of his receivers or the state of the offensive line, Reid makes No. 5 throw the ball a ridiculous number of times.

So it is with Feeley, thus it was with Garcia. The reason the offense and Garcia looked so good last year in McNabb's absence wasn't that Garcia was a better QB, but that the offense was so much more balanced. Reid simply called more running plays for Garcia. It's a fact.

Sheridan gets to the heart of the issue. Why doesn't Reid give McNabb that kind of balance? Sheridan suggests, "It's hard to tell whether Reid's blind spot here is a kind of compliment - he just believes McNabb can and will do the impossible - or a sign he's hellbent on getting McNabb maimed. There is ample evidence for both theories."

Sheridan gets it right. This will be the "era-defining issue" of the Reid-McNabb years.

Double Reverse

Peter King looks at the top 5 rushers in week 10 -- 4 of whom were undrafted free agents - and boldly declares that "the moral of the story is that running back is the last position I'd ever spend big free-agent money on if I ran an NFL franchise...You can find guys on the NFL street to gain 1,200 yards for you. Happens every year. The lesson should ring out in every front office in the league over the next few years: Don't pay big money for a back who's been a star in the league. Instead, develop your own later-round finds. They come in all shapes and sizes."

It's an odd declaration. First, for such a sweeping generalization on the results of one week's rushing stats. Two, it is strange for a football beat writer to so be such an advocate for paying big money for a particular football position. Third, it is even more bizarre that in the middle of King's thesis he appears to contradict himself without a hint of irony. While singing the praises of Parker, Chatman, Grant and Young he suggest that the quartet "are hungry. Downright starving, probably, after being stuck behind good backs like Jerome Bettis, Ronnie Brown and Tiki Barber. With the injuries that ravage teams every year, it's smart to have a good second and third back, but it's just as smart not to pay a first-teamer the big dough."

King I suppose can split hairs by noting his distinction between free agent signings and drafting your own running backs, but the whole thing is a mish mash. King says teams should not pay big money for backs like Bettis and Bareber. He says Willie Parker is just as good, and more cost-effective. But then he says Parker couldn't get on the field because he was "stuck behind good backs" like Jerome Bettis. So which is it?

More broadly, a quick look at the season long rushing leaders shows that the top RBs were nearly all first round draft picks, and that they are not named Chatman, Grant or Young notwithstanding week 10 stats. In fact, of the current top 9 only two were not very high draft picks - Willie Parker was undrafted and Brian Westbrook was a 3rd rounder. The rest aside from Portis in the 2nd round, were high end #1 picks: Peterson, Addai, Lynch, McGahee, James, etc.

And we'll see how many guys at the end of the year, off the street or taken in the first round, gain 1,200 yards.

Let Them Eat Cake - Pic of the Week

Some people that work here had a going away party the other day for a woman that is leaving. One of the supervisors called a WalMart and ordered the cake. He told them to write: “Best wishes Suzanne” and underneath that write “We will miss you”.

Here’s the cake that was delivered. (click on the photo for an expanded view).

Cutting the End

The knives are out for Eagles defensive ends Jevon Kearse and Darren Howard. The Eagles PR machine kicked into high gear this week to help lay the groundwork for public acceptance of showing Kearse and Howard the door after the season. And as usual, the Philly papers are only too happy to oblige management’s campaign.

 

There are not one, not two, but three articles in the Daily News/Inquirer this week that go into great detail about Kearse and Howard’s poor play this year, their high salaries – especially compared to the other ends getting more playing time, and the salary cap implications of their departures. And that doesn’t even count this week’s glowing profile of Trent Cole, the Eagles other defensive end.

 

Yes, the Darren Howard signing in retrospect was a big mistake. But at $2-2.5 million per year, it’s not especially costly. And often overlooked is the flexibility Howard gives the defensive line as he usually shifts down to d-tackle on passing downs.

 

The Freak was a huge signing back in 2004. The premier defensive free agent at that time. While not posting the stats that were expected of him and his signing bonus, he has been a valuable contributor nonetheless. Indeed, in the Eagles super bowl run his true value was revealed by the coaches when he was one of four players completely held out of the late season games to avoid any possible injuries going into the playoffs.

 

And let’s not forget. He is coming off of a devastating knee injury that some people thought might end his career. Like McNabb, he should probably get somewhat of a pass this year and see where how his knee rehabs during a second off season. Alas, its improbable the Eagles will pay him the $6 million due him next season to find out.

Vilma!

I would not be surprised in the least if the Eagles make a run at injured Jets LB Jonathan Vilma this offseason. Reports are that Mangini will shop him after the season since he’s a 4-3 linebacker now in a 3-4 alignment. Vilma, currently rehabbing a season-ending knee injury, is exactly the kind of damaged goods, low-cost fix the Eagles are always looking at for linebacker. Vilma may not have lots of suitors concerned about his comeback, but the Eagles took similar chances on Takeo Spikes (his Achilles, not his knee) and Shawn “the Playmaker” Barber several years ago.

That's the Ticket

This Domo article today is the first time I’ve seen the Comcast/Time Warner battle with the NFL over their network mention the elephant in the room: the Sunday Ticket package:

 

“There's a bigger motivation at work here than that. It's the "Sunday Ticket" package. Comcast and Time Warner want it. The NFL doesn't want to give it to them.

The league sold it exclusively to DirecTV. Cohen admitted yesterday that if the league would let Comcast in on the Sunday Ticket package, it would be willing to reconsider taking the NFL Network off its sports tier.

But Jones said that's not going to happen.

"That's not in our best interest," he said. "In our basic managing of our games, we like exclusive carriers for exclusive packages. Monday Night Football. Sunday Night Football. The AFC package with CBS. The NFC package with Fox.

‘We want to have a niche of how it's distributed. We want 'Sunday Ticket' going with satellite and we want the NFL Network on basic or digital cable. That's the best way for us to get exposure.’”

 

Jones’ argument makes no sense, especially that second to last sentence. The NFL Network is already on DirectTV so Jones is being disingenuous when he says they want the NFL Network on “cable.”

 

Whatever Jones is for I’m against. And I don’t think the prospect of “missing” the Packers-Cowboys game is going to enrage enough Comcast/Time Warner customers to force a change. This is a bonus game anyway. He also better be careful in lobbying legislators to try to force cable to carry NFLN. These same legislators might start asking questions why the Ticket is only available via satellite.

 

Indeed, the potentially biggest loser in this deal is DirectTV. If Comcast and/or Time Warner are able to offer the Sunday Ticket then there is little reason to switch to satellite. I have Direct TV, and while I like the service, installation is a DISASTER. They subcontract the work out to guys loitering in the 7-11 parking lot. If Comcast got the Ticket and I was able to watch the Eagles using Comcast – and we already use Comcast for broadband Internet, I’d be very likely to switch completely and cancel my satellite subscription.