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.