Preview to an Upset?

A simulated electric football game of the Giants-Patriots matchup had the Giants pulling the stunning upset, winning 3-2. A harbinger? Who knows. Who knew electric football still existed in the video game era.

 

Players who Make Plays...And News

The Eagles top playmaker wants more playmakers.

 

While the same pleas of Donovan McNabb were dismissed as the griping of a malcontent, and the requests from Brian Dawkins and Jon Runyan discounted as aging veterans desperate for one last super bowl run, anyone would be hard pressed to downplay Brian Westbrook’s appeal.

 

"I just want some playmakers. That's offense, defense and special teams as well. It's not any one position in particular; it's everywhere,” said Westbrook.

McNabb to Manning - Be Prepared for the Unexpected

Donovan McNabb offers his suggestions for Eli Manning on playing the Patriots in the super bowl.

 

McNabb said “the Eagles’ philosophy against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX was to attack cornerback Randall Gay, along with converted wideout Troy Brown when he entered the game. Philadelphia also wanted to see if it could isolate running back Brian Westbrook on Pats linebacker Tedy Bruschi, while paying extra attention to defensive lineman Richard Seymour,” reports in the Boston Herald.

 

“They played it all - a 4-3, a Cover 2, man-to-man with Rodney Harrison in the box. It’s just something you have to adjust to early on, and if Eli is able to do that he will have the opportunity to be successful,” McNabb said. “But you can’t turn the ball over.”

 

Yes, you can’t turn the ball over….like McNabb did with 3 interceptions in their 24-21 loss.

 

Boston Becomes Its Enemy

“Being the underdog was something Boston always liked. It was easier, and it was good for banding together. But now we don’t have a great enemy to point to — New York, we’ve become them,” Chris Greeley.

 

Whose an Eagles Fan to Root for in the Big Game?

A friend of mine neatly and succinctly captures the dilemma facing Eagles fans in choosing who to root for in the upcoming Giants-Patriots game.

 

Mark writes:

 

Couple of things about this game.  I don't know whether to attribute my Super Bowl depression to clinical chemical imbalance, or just 4th generation Philly sports fan anger.  Actually, that might be a chicken and egg argument.

 

Reasons I can't pick a side:

 

-I hate the Giants.

 

-I hate Boston fans and their attitude that they somehow deserve all this after so many years, blah, blah, blah.  Shut the f up.

-I think the '72 Dolphins are a bunch of grumpy, old, a-holes, and I'll be more than happy to never see or hear from them again.  Pack your Geritol and stamp your tickets to oblivion boys.

-The Giants aren't that good.  If the Eagles management wasn't so arrogant, we could be in Glendale right now .

-I hate Randy Moss and think guys who dog it on bad teams should be banished and not be allowed to fall into a golden pile of crap like he has.

-The Patriots are cheaters.

-I like Tom Brady, but I'm getting sick of hearing about him.  The only thing worse would've been a two week beatification/deification/slurpathon of Brett Favre.

-Eli Freakin' Manning?!?!  Are you serious?  Eli Freakin' Manning?

TO Owes Eagles $800k

The Eagles will get an $800,000 boost to their 2008 salary cap thanks to an arbitrator’s ruling that former #81 owes the Eagles that amount, which is the final portion of the $1.7 million the Eagles sought to recover out of TO’s  $2.3 million signing bonus after they suspended midway through the 2005 season.

 

This is probably the last tenuous connection that brings to a final conclusion all things related to TO’s Eagles career.

Nazi Cowboy Fans

Sure it hurts to see Eli Freakin Manning in the Super Bowl, but thank gosh it isn’t the Cowboys – as this hysterical video reminds us.

 

Falling Far

Ray Rhodes was a successful defensive coordinator has been a head coach for two NFL teams, including taking the Eagles to the playoffs. And yet, he just hitched on with the Houston Texans as the assistant defensive backs coach.

 

Race Race

With only one more football game to go, Eagleseye’s attention will turn increasingly to the 2008 elections. On that note, Barack Obama won the South Carolina primary. The media is falling all over itself to declare that Obama’s win was a cross-racial victory.

 

And yet, don’t buy the Obama or media spin. African-americans make up 55% of the electorate – they voted overwhelmingly for him – and he wound up with… 55% of the vote. Coincidence? Doubtful.

 

Obama may or may not be a transformative figure, but it looks like the SC results were the same old Democratic identify politics. And I say that with sadness for Obama and the party. Pretending otherwise won’t make it so. Jesse Jackson won S. Carolina back in 1984 for gosh sakes. It’s the absolute least Obama could do.

NFC East

With the Cowboys having had the best record in the conference this year and the Giants of course in the super bowl, the 2008 prospects for the Eagles have dimmed considerably.

 

But then again, thank gosh for the Redskins, where after a four year reprieve under the Joe Gibbs redux, Danny Snyder appears ready to revert to form and return the Skins to the very model of an unstable organization.

 

First came the weird promotion or bestowment of the title "executive" vice president to Vinny Cerrato, Danny's best bud, whose biggest football claim to fame continues to be as Lou Holtz's successful recruiting director at Notre Dame 15 years ago.

 

But things got truly strange when head coach in waiting Gregg Williams was sent packing, along with offensive guru Al Saunders. In their place, come Greg Blache and Jim Zorn, who has already announced that the Skins will run a west coast offense

 

So the Skins have hired an offensive and defensive coordinator but still no head coach. If it is Fassel, why wait to make the announcement until after the super bowl? If they really want spagnuola, they better hope he is ok with Zorn and Blache as his top two assistants. Is it possible that spagnuolo spurns them given all that next week and danny has to go with plan b? All very strange.

Pedro Feliz?

The Phillies “filled” their hole at 3B by signing some guy I’ve never heard of to a 2-year contract, leading to the philosophical question – if you fill a hole with nothing, is it really filled?

 

Is this the only guy available that would make David Bell seem like an upgrade?

 

Hit it Here

Target's marketing campaign aimed at men and lesbians. The infamous crotch ad.

Meeting the Enemy

Who do Philly fans hate most? New York fans? Boston fans? Frank Fitzpatrick posits it is a more deeply psychological self-loathing…ourselves.

A Tale of Two Cities

On the eve of the Patriots’ fourth super bowl in five years, Phil Sheridan tackles the diverging fortunes of two loser cities that had embraced each other in their misery. Now, the Pats and Sox are champs and the Eagles and Phillies remain chumps. The larger trend here, though, is the newfound insufferableness of some Boston fans – best personified by the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons, whose columns went from funny loser laments to arrogant Yankee fan doppleganger.

Brady's Boot

What to make of the media frenzy surrounding the boot on Tom Brady’s foot that mysteriously appeared between Sunday and yesterday outside girlfriend Giselle’s apartment. Such is the state of sports “journalism” that the mainstream media failed to observe, note or report any potential injury to the league MVP in the wake of the AFC championship. And it also highlights Belicheck’s tradition of secrecy concerning injury reporting. All very weird, and yet, par for the course concerning the sports reporters and the NE Patriots.

Offense vs. Defense?

Sheldon Brown is taking exception to McNabb's recent appeal for more playmakers on the roster.

"In an interview with the Philadelphia NBC affiliate, Brown ripped McNabb for 'throwing his teammates under the bus.'

When asked about the lack of takeaways by the defense, Brown said, 'What's the point in getting more turnovers if (McNabb and the offense) can't do anything with them?'"

Giants Win

Oddly enough, the Giants NFC Championship is a vindication of sorts for happy Eagles optimists like myself and my brother who during the season, even at the 5-7 point, were arguing that the Eagles could still make the playoffs and that, given the weak state of the NFC, could do some damage in the playoffs. It was an NFC East wildcard team that did just that, just not the Eagles. Still, their win does confirm my season long belief that had the Eagles been able to make the playoffs, they could have beaten the Cowboys and Packers on the road. I mean, if Eli Manning can do it, why couldn't the Eagles have done likewise.

Championship Weekend - Random Thoughts

The world has turned upside down when Eli Manning goes into frigid Lambeau Field and plays the game of his life to propel the Giants to the Super Bowl. Have we just watched Manning come of age in these past four weeks? Can he continue it versus the Patriots? Will it carry over to next year? For Eagles fans, let's hope not.

Playing with exposed skin in 0 degree weather with -24 wind chill isn't "tough." It's moronic and is just asking for frostbite.

How disheartening it must be to the Chargers to get to play Brady on one of his really off days and still lose by two scores.

In fact, yesterday highlighted the "key" to beating the Patriots once again. You've got to score TDs and not FGs against the Pats when you get in the red zone. Worse for the Chargers, they got first and goal twice and came out of it with 6 points.

The play of the Chargers-Giants game has to be Junior Seau's stop of Turner (or was it Sproles) on 3rd and 1 from the Pats 6 yard line. The 3 yard loss forced the Chargers to abandon any thought of going for it on 4th down and they had to settle for the FG (the 3rd time in the game they had gotten inside the ten and the 3rd time they only got 3 points). That's basically two down territory, so not a big fan of the play call. Don't you have to run it up the middle on 3rd down there? It was hard to tell if the call was to go off tackle and the RB tried to bounce it outside or if it was a pure stretch/sweep play from the get go. Either way, the runner has to bull into the line and not get tackled from behind.

The other weak Chargers play was Norv "Play it Safe" Turner punting with 9:00 to go in the fourth, down by two scores. I know it was 4th and long, but you're across mid field. I don't care how good your punter is in pinning the opposition inside the 10. To have any hope of winning you need your defense to get a 3 and out. Same thing if you go for it on 4th down. So really, by not going for it, you are only gaining 35 yards of field position. In the AFC championship, that's not enough.

Who else was secretly rooting for multiple OTs in the Packers game? Do the teams go into the locker room after 2 OT quarters? I didn't think so, but i did see that each team gets 3 timeouts per "half" in OT, so maybe they do. If they don't, do you think the NFL would have stepped in after the 3rd OT and suspended the game for the health safety of the players and fans?

Did the Giants-Packers game take forever, or did it only seem that way? I looked up with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd and couldn't believe they hadn't made it to the 4th quarter yet.

My brother called it in the 3rd quarter. He called to say that he thought the Giants would win only cause a Patriots-Giants super bowl would be rematch just like both games yesterday and 2 games the previous week.

For Eagles fans, Favre's backbreaking INT in overtime recalled the INT he through to Brian Dawkins, also in OT, versus the Eagles in the divisional playoffs several years ago (the famous 4th and 26 game). Even down to the location of the INT, along the visitors sideline? Back then, Favre just heaved it up in old Brett Favre fashion and Dawkins caught it like a punt. Yesterday it was just a poorly thrown ball to a receiver in the area.

Is it possible that Peyton's younger brother could do what Peyton has so often failed to do in his career? Namely beat the Patriots? Vegas doesn't think so - they're 14 point underdogs.

Who to root for? The Patriots or the Giants? Could I live in a world where Eli Manning is a super bowl championship quarterback?

The Sports Blogs Scene

“Credible news organizations are getting their information, leads, and story ideas from blogs run by part-time sports fans with day jobs as administrative assistants and office supply salesmen,” writes Chris Illuminati. However, “The sports blog scene is already over saturated; each blog trying to out-scoop the latest factual information, funny captions, or live blogs during sporting events. Some poke, prod and report on the entire world of sports. Some cater just to a certain demographic and fan base. The Philadelphia sports scene has a few of the more popular sites on the net; popular with fans for their humor and knack for beating local media to a story.”

Harbaugh Next Ravens Coach?

If Jason Garrett stays as Dallas’ offensive coordinator, Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh is the favored choice as the Ravens new head coach.

A Cigar is a Cigar

Is Donovan McNabb’s plea for more playmakers really a demand for a trade? This columnist thinks so. I, on the other hand, tend to think it’s a plea for more offensive playmakers.

 

Option 2?

Broncos WR Javon Walker is reportedly unhappy and wants out of Denver. Though under contract, he has a $5.4 million option bonus coming due and could force the issue by not renegotiating and becoming a cap "casualty."

The Eagles made a mistake by not going after him when he wanted out of Green Bay (preferring instead to sign - and then cut - Jabar Gaffney). Will the Eagles reconsider now that his surgically repaired knee has proven sound? He's a less flashy and less expensive "playmaker" option than Chad Johnson.

Say What?

"I've always had a good relationship with quarterbacks," he [Terrell Owens] said.

If he's not buying them and their girlfriends airline tickets to Cabo San Lucas, he's throwing them under the bus calling them gay or the one who didn't get tired in the super bowl.

Unnatural

The 21st Century version of Memo Paris.

Dos and Diez = Ocho Cinco?

Kevin Curtis barely topped the 1,000 yard receiving mark this year, making him only the second Eagles receiver to go over 1,000 yards during Donovan McNabb’s tenure (and even at that, Curtis got some yards from AJ Feeley’s two and a half games so the actual yardage for McNabb-Curtis is probably under 1,000). That’s two receivers in 10 years.

 

As this website notes, Tom Brady “has played with four 1,000-yard receivers in his career, including two (Randy Moss and Wes Welker) this season… Just to further cement the lack of help McNabb has had in his career, here’s a list of elite quarterbacks and how many 1,000-yard pass catchers they’ve enjoyed since the year 2000:

Peyton Manning, IND: 12 receivers in eight seasons.
Marc Bulger, STL: 9 receivers in six seasons.
Brett Favre, GB: 7 receivers in eight seasons.
Carson Palmer, CIN: 6 receivers in four seasons.
Matt Hasselbeck, SEA: 5 receivers in seven seasons.
Tony Romo, DAL: 4 receivers in two seasons.”

 

The conclusion? Get Chad Johnson. Or at the very least, heed McNabb’s plea for playmaking help.

Information I Found Interesting

The Colts’ Reggie Wayne is only eight months older than teammate Dallas Clark. And yet, they were drafted two years apart.

 

Wayne was born on 11/17/78 and drafted in 2001 while Clark was born on 6/12/79 and drafted in 2003. Both played four years in college, so the discrepancy isn’t that Wayne came out early. In theory, given their birth dates, they both should have entered kindergarten in the same year. Even if Clark were held back a year at some point, that still doesn’t explain the other year’s difference.

 

Weird.

Harbaugh to Ravens?

From special teams to defensive secondary to head coach?

2002 Draft

If the Eagles win the super bowl in the next three years, the 2002 draft could gain the legendary status of the Steelers 1974 draft (Swann, Lambert, Stallworth, Webster) and the Cowboys picks stemming from the Herschel Walker trade (Emmitt Smith, Erik Williams, Russell Maryland, and Darren Woodson).

 

Lito Sheppard (#1), Michael Lewis (#2, 58), and Brian Westbrook (#3) all went to the Pro Bowl, with Sheppard and Westbrook earning all-pro honors at some point. Add in established starter Sheldon Brown (#2, 59) and the Eagles were four for four in their first four picks of this draft. In one fell swoop, the Eagles got the players to replace their pro bowl but aging corners, Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. Because of these picks, there was a seamless transition in the defensive secondary. And Westbrook has given the Eagles’ offense 2/3 of the weapons you need to win a championship (McNabb being the other component while the Eagles have tried so far unsuccessfully to find that 1/3 WR piece). Along those same lines, it has been more difficult for Reid/Heckert/Johnson to get correctly pick an heir to safety Brian Dawkins.

 

Alas, the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th round picks, Scott Peters, Freddie Milions, and Tyreo Harrison (another in the long line of failed LBs) respectively, never panned out. Unfortunately, this draft gets a demerit for, ironically, the Eagles taking DE Raheem Brock in the 7^th round. The Eagles spent all their draft/rookie money on the aforementioned players and never offered Brock a contract. He became a free agent, hooked up with the Colts and has developed into a solid pro opposite Dwight Freeney.

 

Interesting note, the Eagles took two local players: Westbrook (Villanova) and Brock (Temple).

Average Draft

Rich Hoffman comes to the defense of the Heckert/Reid draft record, looking at the 2002-06 selections as compared to the other elite (i.e., winningest teams during that time span). By a measure of pro bowlers, established starters, solid pros, and contributors, the Eagles picks are in the middle of the pack compared to the Pats, Colts, Steelers, Broncos, Packers, and Seahawks.

 

The end result, Hoffman contends, is that the draft – or rather perceived poor drafting – isn’t holding the Eagles back. True enough, I suppose, though I’ll be reviewing these drafts in more detail over the coming days (since, you know, I’ve got nothing better to do because the Eagles aren’t in the playoffs). But the fans’ biggest beef is with the picks that were obvious reaches at the time. You know, like Matt McCoy, who was a second-team all Mountain West conference player while his teammate and positional peer, LB Kirk Morrison, was an all-American. Guess which one never developed into an NFL linebacker because he could not make up for in speed what he lacked in size? And guess who has established himself as a tackling machine and perennial pro bowler?

 

It was funny during the Bills game as Stewart Bradley and Akeem Jordan were flying all over the field, the announcers commented on the improved play of the Eagles linebackers and said that Reid noted that they had had difficulty at LB but that they went back to re-evaluate their evaluations. Stewart Bradley is the best evidence of this new LB player evaluation. Which is to say, the Eagles stopped drafting undersized LBs from small schools, and gone with proven players at major schools (Bradley, from Nebraska, and Gaither, from Tennessee).

Pass Happy

It’s not just the Eagles that are pass happy. It’s a league-wide trend. Though surely Eagles fans would be satisfied with the article’s contention that the Patriots are unbalanced because of 586 pass attempts and 451 rushes this season. Or in other words a 56-44 split that the Philly fans would kill for.

Boss of Everything Football

WaPo’s Michael Wilbon could have cited Andy Reid in his argument that the Redskins need to hire a coach and GM, and not let some celebrity coach (i.e., Bill Cowher) to be the “Boss of Everything Football.”

 

“This notion that a coach should have most of the say regarding personnel is obviously flawed. When Mike Holmgren works exclusively as head coach, he's gotten to the Super Bowl twice. As head coach and Boss of Everything Football, he was about to be fired until he relinquished his general manager duties and made his second run to the Super Bowl,” writes Wilbon.

 

He might have also added that Andy Reid’s record hasn’t been that great since being anointed Eagles Boss of Everything Football. Something to think about if Tom Heckert leaves.

Heady Company

Congratulations to Brian Westbrook for his first team All-Pro selection. It’s an impressive accomplishment, certainly one that Westbrook deserves, but you really get a sense of how good Westbrook has become when you consider his backfield mates on the all-pro team: Tom Brady and LaDanianan Tomlinson.

The G. Cobb Report Card

Former Eagle G. Cobb issues his report card for the Eagles 2007 season.

Of particular note:

Coaches – D (cost the Packers game)

Special teams – F (cost the Packers game)

Receivers? – a gentleman’s C.

Brian Westbrook – A (as he should).

Playoffs?? Playoffs!

The good and the bad. Remember this? Also a memorable day in Philadelphia for different reasons.

 

“The most definitive play in Tampa Bay's history occurred on Jan. 19, 2003, but it took several years of construction.

The Bucs were on the road against Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game. They had been defeated in consecutive years by the Eagles in the playoffs (21-3 in 2000 and 31-9 in 2001), the latter leading to the firing of Coach Tony Dungy.

Add Tampa Bay's history of poor cold-weather performances (temperature at kickoff was in the 20s with a wind-chill of 16 degrees) and it being the last game played at Veterans Stadium, and this setting was supposed to be more like the Colosseum with the Bucs being fed to the lions.

All those factors led to Barber's franchise-altering day.

"If you ever have a chance, go watch the tape. Ronde Barber was unbelievable that day in Philadelphia ... That was one of the greatest individual games you'll ever see," Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin said.

Barber terrorized quarterback Donovan McNabb the entire game. He defended four passes and had three tackles, one sack and a forced fumble, but what Barber did late in the fourth quarter sealed his legacy.

Tampa Bay led 20-10, but it appeared to be just a matter of time before Philadelphia reminded its opponents they were the Bucs. McNabb had driven his team into scoring position with 3:30 remaining and three timeouts left. When McNabb attempted to throw a pass to Antonio Freeman, Barber intercepted and returned it 92 yards for a touchdown, sealing Tampa Bay's 27-10 victory.”

Thank you

“Truth is, very much like Donovan McNabb so innocently noted a couple of years ago, the Cowboys can reach the Super Bowl without Mr. Owens just fine, thank you,”Ft. Worth Star Telegram.

Q&A with Q

Even this Philadelphia Eagles-sponsored Q&A with Quinton Mikell leaves it ambiguous as to which safety position Mikell will be playing starting next year.

Random Playoff Thoughts

What is it with the Steelers and post-season officiating? Super Bowl XL was the worst officiated game in recent NFL playoff memory. Indeed, during the game there was the rare block below the waist on the defense as Matt Hasselbeck tried to tackle the defender who intercepted his pass and in the process of doing was blocked by another defender. As befitting a quarterback, he tried to take the runner out by going low and wound up also taking out the “blocker.” So it wa on Saturday night, as the same call – blocking below the waist – was called on the defense as a tackle was trying to be made on the defender who intercepted, only the would be tackler missed and rolled into the player trailing the ball carrier for which the penalty was called. Just an unbelievably bad call.

 

Same goes with the Hines Ward face mask no call, which was actually much worse since the refs wound up calling the defender who was being face masked (and not the innocuous 5 yarder for hand on the mask. Ward was really pulling it) for pass interference.

 

Troy Polamalu is turning into Cousin It.

 

Speaking of hair, the ref was being politically correct in noting that the Jags d-back was “down by contact” rather than noting that his hair extensions, and thus a part of his body, landed out of bounds (while the rest of his body landed in bounds. One more reason not to wear hair extensions and play football). Incredibly, the controversial-adverse Al Michaels and John Madden picked up on it.

 

Has a missed field goal shifted the momentum of a game more than Suisham’s miss on Saturday afternoon vs. Seattle? The Skins were about to put a hammerlock on the lead. Instead, the Seahawks wound up reeling off the next 22 points to win the game.

 

Are the Giants feeding off the momentum of their loss but good showing against the Patriots last week? As long as Manning doesn’t get too much confidence, the win assures that Coughlin and Eli will be back for the Giants next year – which has got to be good news for the Eagles and the rest of the NFC East.

 

Taylor vs. Tillman

ESPN’s “Uni Watch” reviews the history of the uniform memorial to a deceased individual in the wake of the Sean Taylor murder and the “21” being worn by NFL teams for the rest of the season. Interestingly, he notes the protest of several Giants who were teammates of Pat Tillman and believed that Taylor should not be getting a longer league tribute than former NFL star Pat Tillman who left the NFL to enlist with the Army Rangers and was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004. Is the NFL trying to send a larger message? That it is better, from the league’s point of view, if you are an active player who is murdered in your home by a bunch of street thugs rather than a former player who joins the US Armed Forces to defend your country but is killed in a controversial friendly fire incident?

All-pro RB

Peter King thinks Brian Westbrook is an all-pro. Thankfully, he's one writer who hasn't been completely mesmerized by Adrian Peterson's 296 yard game. I've seen arguments that if "Peterson hadn't been hurt for two games that he'd have rushed for 1,800 yards." Well, yes. But he did get hurt. And if Tom Brady had played in two more games he'd have thrown for 55 TDs.

Seeking Moss

David Aldridge says "go get Randy Moss." Easier said than done. But what about Chad Johnson? He's not a free agent, but is unhappy in Cincinnati and could be had with the right deal. Say one or two of the stinkin' fourth and fifth rounders that Andy Reid perennially squanders on stretches such as Delaware QB Andy Hall. Andy Hall and Billy McMullen-- or their draft slot equivalents-- for Chad Johnson? You betcha.

Offseason needs

Rich Hoffman looks at offseason needs. “four new starters: tight end, left guard, defensive end, fullback (with DE the most important. And this assumes that cornerback Lito Sheppard returns healthy.) I see a new third wide receiver and a real return specialist. I see draft picks aimed at the future: cornerback, safety, offensive line, running back.”

 

Generally on the mark, but I don’t understand the emphasis on defensive end. Is that code for Jared Allen? I’m not sure they make any free agent move on the defensive line. In theory, the Eagles have two good end starters—Cole and Thomas—and two quality d-tackles: Bunkley and Patterson. They also have Abiamiri. Sure, Jim Johnson loves rotating his linemen but I don’t see a big splash acquisition for the defensive line. Definitely in the draft, but not in free agency.

 

Free agent fullbacks are low-cost players…sayanora Tom Tapeh. Similarly, say good bye to Reno Mahe. Running back help would mean the Ryan Moats experiment is over (as if it wasn’t already given his preseason broken leg). Certainly there will be picks for the defensive secondary and it wouldn’t be an Andy Reid draft if he didn’t’ take several linemen.

 

So they need help in the secondary, at offensive skill positions (WR,TE and RB), the defensive line, and will take several O-linemen. Par for the course for the Andy Reid Eagles.

Support for T-Jack

If the Vikings locker room is to be believed, the players are unanimously behind Tarvaris Jackson, “T-Jack” (!?), to be the starter in 2008 and to heck with trading for Donovan McNabb.

Dear Fans, From #5

A hypothetical McNabb letter to the fans.

Full Bloom

Speaking of our dear departed Olympian cum kick returner, the Steelers have signed Jeremy Bloom to their practice squad. If the Eagles track record with kick returners is any indication, we can watch Bloom excel with the Steelers just as Allen Rossum did returning kicks for TDs for several other NFL teams not named the Philadelphia Eagles.

Eagle-metrics

Paul Domowich does his best Bill James in sifting through a variety of statistics to shed some light on the Eagles’ season just concluded. Several items caught my eye. First, is the sack per pass play. He reports that Donovan McNabb was sacked once every 11.75 pass plays. But if you take out the 7 sack Umenyiora/Winston Justice debacle, then McNabb was only sacked once every 14 pass plays.

 

And on the subject of McNabb and his newfound propensity to fumble - his nine fumbles is not an unusually high number for him. He fumbled nine times in one other season (2003) and coughed it up eight times in four other seasons. And of those nine fumbles, the Eagles lost five of them. Again, not out of the ordinary for McNabb. He lost that many or more fumbles in 1999 (6), 2002 (5), and 2004 (6). Funny how during the Super Bowl run how no one complained about his eight fumbles or the six that were actual turnovers..

 

The second thing is Domo’s assertion that “They finished 24th, converting just 23 of 51 trips inside the opponents' 20 into TDs. Only two playoff teams were worse - the Bucs (43.percent) and the Titans (36.4 percent).” Curious, that inclusion of “playoff teams” as a yardstick. Being ranked 24^th overall, I’m shocked that any playoff teams were below the Eagles.

 

And finally, there is the special teams play. Domo notes the statistically poor showing of the special teams and the disastrous results in the season opener versus the Packers. He goes on to note that “Reid eventually brought back Reno Mahe to return punts. Mahe has sure hands to go with slow feet. He had just four returns longer than 12 yards and none longer than 32. Kick returners Reed and Correll Buckhalter had just four returns of 32 or more yards, none longer than 35.” But here’s what drives me crazy. Reid brought Mahe back- sure hands but slow feet. So why in the name of Joe Banner didn’t the Eagles keep Jeremy Bloom. If all they wanted was sure hands Bloom was there man. And Bloom’s speed is certainly better than Mahe’s. And Bloom wouldn’t have cost them the Packers game.

 

This is the move that is most puzzling and frustrating of the entire season. A move that, quite simply, cost the Eagles the Packers game and likely a playoff spot. They cut returner Jeremy Bloom because he wasn’t a game breaker. Only they released him with no plan B to replace him. And the guy that they eventually replaced him with, Mahe, is slower and less of a game breaker than Bloom. So what was Reid thinking? Oh yeah, that’s right. In September when all this went down, he was thinking “I can’t believe my two kids are going to jail.”

Content with Curtis?!?!

Blasphemy from the AC Press: “The Philadelphia Eagles might not have to go after Cincinnati's Chad Johnson, Carolina's Steve Smith or some other highly regarded wide receiver during the offseason. Kevin Curtis has been quietly but consistently enjoying the kind of season a No. 1 wideout would have.”

 

Say What!?!

No Bad Mouthing Smith

If LJ Smith leaves this offseason, he’ll do so with class. “"No matter what happens, I don't have one negative thing to say about the coaches, players or the Philadelphia Eagles franchise," Smith said. "I don't think I've been underappreciated or anything like that. I've been treated well."

Fine?

It’s Wednesday and still no fine has been issued by the league office against Vince Wolfork for poking Brandon Jacobs in the eye during Saturday night’s game. The refs may not have seen it - no penalty was called – and Bryant Gumbel tried to downplay it – though Cris Collinsworth was having none of that, calling it intentional, dirty, and worthy of being ejected. And yet, so far no fine issued for the flagrant foul.

Eagle Free Agent Targets?

Some intriguing free agent players for the Eagles to look at this offseason. Some of these are at positions crying out for upgrades (like WR) and others are acquisitions that would have the simultaneous effect of improving the Eagles and depleting a division rival. Best part, some of these guys won’t be getting top money:

 

Marion Barber
Dallas Clark
Travis Henry
Chad Johnson
Chester Taylor
Michael Turner
Jamal Lewis

Justin Fargas

Julius Jones

Aaron Stecker

Bernard Berrian

D.J. Hackett

 

Evolving Science Standards in Florida

“Evolution and the 150-year national battle over its merits comes to Tallahassee's doorstep in February when the [Florida] state Board of Education decides whether to approve an overhaul of state science standards that would make it a major topic in classrooms for the first time,” reports the Palm Beach Post.

Philly, Minnesota, or Bust

Here’s one Chicago sportswriter that thinks McNabb will now stay in Philly in 2008.

 

“If I'm Lovie, I'm openly lobbying for a proven commodity like Donovan McNabb. Trouble is, he may have removed himself from the trade rumor mill and ensured himself one more season in Philadelphia with a strong December finish, including a 345-yard passing day Sunday. The Chicago homecoming may have to wait. And if he is traded, Minnesota is a more logical destination, with the Vikings more equipped for a title run with a monster running back in Adrian Peterson and strength in the trenches. Aligned instead with Cedric Benson and a broken-down line, McNabb might be reduced to a bum.

``I love being here," McNabb said of the fickle Philly fans, who treated him like a god as he left the field. ``I love the passion. I've always loved being here."”

 

Super 5

Maybe with time, Eagles fans can get a better perspective on Donovan McNabb. And they should look at his 2007 stats to marvel at what he was able to accomplish one year removed from a torn ACL.

 

3^rd highest completion total of his career (291)

2^nd highest completion percentage (.615)

3^rd highest passing yardage total (3,324)

4^th highest TD passes (19)

 

I suppose it is a credit to McNabb’s abilities that everyone seems to hold him to a higher standard than all others. But Carson Palmer and certainly Daunte Culpeper didn’t post those kinds of stats in their first year back from reconstructive knee surgery. That people think McNabb is washed up cause he didn’t lead the league in every passing category or that the eagles didn’t make the playoffs is absurd. The numbers don’t lie. And keeping in mind that the second year of an ACL injury is the “real” year back, McNabb should be even better next year.

Solving the Puzzle

Phenomenal analysis of the Eagles’ offensive woes this year and the puzzling play calling by the Courier Posts’ Kevin Roberts. The key points:

 

“Four playoff teams had a quarterback with a worse QB rating than McNabb but none threw the ball as much as the Eagles did. When you're not terribly efficient at throwing the ball, you should do it less -- not more. McNabb topped 30 pass attempts 10 times this season, too much from a quarterback that spent so much time at less than 100 percent.

Jacksonville's David Garrard threw the ball more than 30 times in just four games this season. Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia, only three games. Tennessee's Vince Young, just five games. All are in the playoffs, because their teams didn't ask too much from the quarterback.

The Eagles couldn't have gotten more from Brian Westbrook. But they needed to find Westbrook some help. If not Correll Buckhalter (no running back active all year averaged better than Buckhalter's 5.0 yards per carry and yet carried the ball so little), then the Eagles should have found someone else.”

No Joe Blow

Another rebuttal to Peter King’s assertion that any Joe Blow (i.e., off the street free agent) can gain 1,400 yards in today’s NFL.

 

From the Eagles website: “If RB Brian Westbrook leads the league at season's end in total yards from scrimmage, he will become just the 3rd player in the last 30 years to do so while coming from a non-Division I-A collegiate program. The two others were Eagles RB Wilbert Montgomery (Abilene Christian), who led the league with 2,006 yards in 1979, and Bears RB Walter Payton (Jackson State), who led with 1,875 yards in 1978 and with 2,121 yards in 1977 ... In addition, Westbrook, a third round draft choice of the Eagles in 2002, would become only the fifth player in the last 30 years to lead the league despite not being drafted in the 1st or 2nd round of the draft. The others: Priest Holmes (undrafted), who led the league in 2001 and 2002, Herschel Walker (5th round), who led in 1987, William Andrews (3rd round), who led in 1981, and Montgomery (6th round), who led in 1979.”

2008 Schedule

God bless the NFL. The 2007 playoffs haven’t even started yet, but the league has thoughtfully released the home and away opponents for teams next year, allowing those of us without a rooting interest in the playoffs (I mean, besides rooting against the Patriots) to begin speculating on next year’s prospects.

 

Here’s the Eagles home and away 2008 schedule:

 

Home: Arizona, St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Dallas, New York Giants and Washington.

Away: San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Chicago, Dallas, New York Giants and Washington.

Bills-Eagles Thoughts

Man, what an encouraging sign for 2008. McNabb looked terrific Sunday. He led the league in passing yards, but more than that he looked incredibly accurate. Perhaps the most accurate I've ever seen him. Five passes in particular were Manning-esque (Peyton). The sideline throw to Brian Westbrook, a deep out out to Kevin Curtis, two to Reggie Brown, and the slant to Greg Lewis (which he dropped).

McNabb must be back next year - so the coaches feel -otherwise it makes no sense not to have played Kolb and see what he can do in an actual game. If they actually wind up dealing McNabb, which I doubt, not playing Kolb on Sunday would have been a big blunder.

Speaking of playing time, Brent Celek, Winston Justice, Stewart Bradley, Akeem Jordan and Victor Abiamiri all got significant playing time Sunday. Celek, Bradley and Jordan the past two games. They looked good and hopefully can build on that in 2008. Justice at least looked a whole lot better at right tackle than left tackle. Of course, he couldn't have played any worse than he did in the Giants game. Speaking of which, Osi Umenyiora should take Justice to Hawaii with him for the pro bowl. Umenyiora got more than half (7) of his13 sacks this season vs. Justice in the first Giants-Eagles game. Hopefully this statistical anomaly will trick the Giants into believing that their defensive line is solid and won't seek a replacement for Strahan or an upgrade for "sack leader" Umenyiora.

Irony of ironies for the pass happy Reid, but Brian Westbrook lost the conference rushing title by 8 yards to Adrian Petrerson. Imagine if Westbrook had gotten a couple of carries in the second half. I'm not arguing for it, just noting the frustration Westbrook must feel for having gotten so close. i think it was the smart move to rest him, Westbrook's number of touches over the season (carries + catches) was 368, dangerously close to the "400" carries that have shown to take a serious toll on a running back the following season.

When did JR Reed become such a big hitter? He's been cracking receivers since the Patriots game, and delivered a couple more big shots on Sunday.

Is it really possible that Kevin Curtis got a thousand yards receiving? Seriously?

The 3 Needs

Rich Hoffman thinks the Eagles three pressing position needs this offseason are tight end, guard, and wide receiver. That is, pressing, if they bring back Donovan McNabb and want to win it all in 2008.

While the entire Delaware Valley agrees with WR, the other two are rather curious and seem lower priorities to me. Tight End? Celek looks like a player and you have a proven veteran in Matt Schobel. If you really want to maintain the position for one more year, the Eagles could just franchise LJ Smith and keep for one year on a $4.73 million salary.

Not clear about guard, either. Herremans didn't have a great year but Max Jean-Gilles played well for Shawn Andrews. No need for an upgrade there, only a switch in roster depth of current players.

No, the two other needs beside wide receiver is defensive secondary - an heir apparent to Brian Dawkins - and probably running back, someone to spell Westbrook. I simply don't understand why Correll Buckhalter got all of the carries in the second half of the Bills game. You know what you have with Bucky. Was it some sort of reward Reid gave him for being the backup? I would have much rather preferred to see what Tony Hunt could do in a game situation. That was a squandered opportunity.