2009 Schedule

The 2009 opponents are now set based on the final 2008 regular season standings.

A couple of things jump out: too bad that Saints game is at home, that would have been a nice fan road trip to New Orleans. Here's hoping the Bears game is played early in the season in Chicago, as opposed to November/December.

The Eagles will have one opponent making a cross country trip (San Fran) but will have to make two trips out to the West Coast (Oakland and San Diego). Here's hoping one immediately precedes their bye. On a positive note, that means only two obvious 4pm games at home (Denver and San Fran).



Home:
Cowboys
Giants
Washington
Saints
Buccaneers
Broncos
Chiefs
Niners

Away:
Cowboys
Giants
Washington
Falcons
Panthers
Raiders
Chargers
Bears

More Playoffs?!

My friend expounds on his playoff analysis:

Prediction -- Look for the Colts to absolutely SMASH the Chargers this weekend. Please don't place bets based on what I'm about to say, but I think the Chargers are something of a fluke.

Further gaming out my breakdowns of divisional records when playing teams outside your division, the AFC West is the 2nd worst division in football: 11-29. And before you lay all the blame on KC and Oakland, know this: San Diego went 5-1 in the AFC West.

That means they went 3-7 against non-West teams. That's not the sign of a team ready to do battle against the hottest team in football. Also, in this "run" by the chargers, consider this: 3 of the 4 wins they've rattled off in a row are against AFC West teams (Oakland, KC Denver). The other win came against the imploding Bucs, who this past weekend couldn't even hold a 10-pt lead against the Raiders.

The Colts most recent wins are also fairly pedestrian (a Tennessee team resting, Jax, Detroit, Cincy). But, in November, they gutted out wins against NE, Pitt, Houston and SD.

The other AFC divisions, against non-division opponents, went like this: East, 26-14; South, 26-14; North, 19-22-1.

The poor Buffalo Bills just got whip-sawed in that division, going 1-5 inside and 7-3 outside. Also worth noting: the Steelers may be the biggest of all paper tigers in the playoffs. 

Pittsburgh went 6-0 inside its division, 6-4 outside. I would not be surprised to see them knocked out in the 2nd round, against Miami or Indy.

To which my brother adds:

Steelers 6-4 was against some top teams – NFC East was 4 of them + Pats and Titans.  The 6-0 includes Ravens (yes the other 4 games were jokes).

Steelers are also playoff savvy, I love Tomlin and AT Pittsburgh is no easy task.  No way Dolphins win there.  Colts could.

Agree with Charges/Colts thoughts.

The Chargers comments could be used to describe the Cardinals – just replace Chargers with Cardinals and you are right on (only difference is 6-0 in division instead of 5-1).

Falcons should win.

Playoffs?!

A friend offers this statistical breakdown:

I went through season-ending records and discovered this:

* in games outside their division, NFC East teams went 26-13-1; NFC South teams went 28-12; NFC Central, 13-27; NFC West, 10-30.

Basically, I think you could take the bottom 4 teams in the East and South - Dallas, Wash, Bucs, Saints - and they'd win the other divisions. Maybe the Vikes are good enough and better than those other 4 non-playoff East/South teams. Maybe.

The Vikes, fyi, had the best out-of-their-division record of any Central/West team, going 6-4 against non-Central teams. The Eags went 7-2-1.

Sign of the Times

The Eagles pass/run ratio is so out of balance - and such an anomaly in the NFL - it is hard to imagine a similar story appearing in another NFL city's major sports news. But there it is, Rich Hoffman actually breaking down the pass/run percentages of the Vikings opponents this year as a prelude to the possibility the Eagles may throw the ball 75% of the time this Sunday against the league's best run defense.

Most Disappointing?

As my brother pointed out Sunday, many were calling out Reid before the game for only getting to the playoffs "one time in the last four years." Well that stat has now changed to 2 playoff appearances in the past four years.

Which got me thinking about how some of the other NFL teams look after all the dust settles and everything is said and done. For instance, the Eagles at various points during the season were one of the most disappointing teams. (BTW, do you know they set a franchise record for most points scored in a season? Crazy, crazy stuff.)

Anyway, now that the regular season is over, who were the actual most disappointing teams in the league?

A run down of a few of the favorites:

A. Dallas- a preseason super bowl favorite who appeared to hit a speed bump when Romo got knocked out for a couple of weeks but finished meekly and with no satisfactory explanation vs. Ravens and the blowout loss to the Eagles?

B. The Buccaneers - who at one point were 9-3 and wound up losing their last four games of the season, including blowing a 10 point fourth quarter lead at home to the Raiders that killed their playoff opportunity?

C. The Broncos - who blew a 3 game division lead in the last three weeks of the season?

D. The Jets - who were 8-4 after beating the Titans but wound up 9-7 with Brett Favre at QB?

E. The Redskins - a playoff team last year and got through the hardest part of their schedule (Steelers, Saints, Cardinals and 3 division road games) with a 6-2 start but wound up at 8-8?

F. The Patriots - got to 11-5 after Brady's disastrous season opening/season ending knee injury with a career backup Matt Cassel. Alas, 11-5 was not good enough for the playoffs.

B. Dawk, Tony Romo and Jessica

The Eagles REALLY had their way with the Cowboys on Sunday...and possibly later that night. 

And Brian Dawkins is still THE MAN. And Tony Romo still isn't the man.

Stat of the Day

Eagles 21 pass attempts, 36 rushes.

B. Dawk

Brian Dawkins is THE MAN.

Anything?

Andy Reid on why he called 16 straight pass plays..."we were just trying for anything to work."

And yet, after 3 consecutive 3 and outs on 9 pass plays Reid wasn't really trying "anything." I mean, he wasn't trying running plays.

Kasay

How come John Kasay wasn't called for a false start on the field goal he missed at the end of regulation last week?

He stutter stepped towards the ball before it was snapped. At the very least, it was illegal motion since he was running toward the line of scrimmage before the snap.

Oddly, there was no call - what would have been a HUGE no call had Kasay it the 3.

Even weirder, neither Al Michael or John Madden made any mention of it. I mean, not even as a possible excuse for missing the field goal. You know, something like "his timing was messed up cause he started his kick before it was snapped." but nothing.

Do they watch the same game and plays as we do?

50-50?

Call me a happy optimist but I think the biggest challenge in the Eagles uphill battle to make the playoffs is to beat the Cowboys tomorrow. Surely one of the North division "leaders" will lose - I'm looking at you Minnesota (or you Kyle Orton in Houston) - and I have a funny feeling about Oakland at Tampa.

I don't have a good feeling about the Cowboys game. But if everything falls the Eagles way by 4pm tomorrow, everyone should be feeling stoked about the chance to beat the Cowboys, knock them out of contention and getting the Eagles ticket punched for a game vs. Arizona or Chicago.

Last McNabb Game?

Is tomorrow Donovan McNabb's game as a Philadelphia Eagle? 

Maybe. Maybe not.

In any case, my brother isn't taking any chances and is taking his five year-old son to the Linc so that he can see McNabb at least one time as an Eagle in person.

What Might Have Been

Astute Eagle fans will instantly recall - and regret - the long McNabb-Westbrook catch and run down the Redskins sideline last week as the exact same play the Eagles ran - and didn't convert - during the NFC Championship vs. Carolina.

On that play from the ghost of conference championships past, it was Duce Staley on the same "bubble" route whose outstretched finger tips the pass fell just past. Staley's number was called because Westbrook had ruptured his tricep (or was it bicep) tendon against, ironically, the Redskins at FedEx Field in the last regular season game of that season.

Oh what might of been. In that Panthers game, Staley would have had a long, long gain...if not a TD. It certainly would have tilted the field position advantage and been worth at least a FG. For those McNabb-critics who complain he came up short in all those title games, it's worth remembering that Westbrook didn't play in that one - and it probably cost them the game. it certainly cost them on the play in question. Five years later Westbrook is still making that catch. Five years ago, Duce Staley couldn't.

the rest, as they say, is history. 

After the Debacle

A friend writes:

 

All in all, this is truly the most wasted, useless Eagles season of the Reid-McNabb era.

They had plenty of defense and a few explosive weapons (Westbrook and Jackson), but they simply refused to admit to the other shortcomings, particularly wide receiver. On the final drive Reggie Brown caught a 1st down that was tight, and your brother said to me, "it would be just like Reggie to get 9.75 yards when we need 10." Little did he know what Brown had in store for later in the drive.

The question is simple organizational reality check - do they want to win or want to win the way they prefer to win? Belichik faced this issue after coming up short in '05 and again in '06.

Staring into the abyss, he completely, dramatically realtered his entire offense, jettisoning every receiver he had (save Jabar Gaffney) and bringing in an entirely new receiving corps and a new offensive scheme.  He knew what was wrong and addressed the issue. No, they didn't win the Super Bowl, but he bought his team several more years of being in the conversation of greatness.

It's frightening - and frustating as hell - how close the Eags were this year from being a 12-4 team. It was all dependent on offseason moves, it was all player personnel.

They failed to do those things. And now they're looking at 6-10 next year.

 

 

 

Passing Him By

i think the Eagles problems now go far deeper than just Andy Reid's mediocre player personnel moves.

An 80/20 pass-run ratio is absurd and insane in the nfl. but that is exactly what andy reid did today. what were he and Marty thinking?

TV said the wind was blowing at 17 mph with gusts of 30 mph. And this is the weather - to say nothing of the cold - that Reid decided to pass in all day long.

i'm not sure which is worse, the ridiculously unbalanced pass/run ratio or the fact that the Eagles didn't call a running play in the 4th quarter until their final drive. Put another way, the Eagles had 4 offensive series in the 4th quarter where they didn't call a single running play.

And this  pass-happy offense was missing two of its starting WRs in Kevin Curtis and Hank Baskett.

Reid's obsession with the pass is pathological. Today it couldn't have been more clear. And really, a new QB next year isn't going to change that bottom line.

Playcalling?

The eagles just ran 3 straight pass plays from their own 3 yard line. What the??!

Is andy reid calling the plays again? Sure looks like it. 

Prediction

My prediction:

Eagles 31
Deadskins 10

House party

A 4pm start on the first night of hannukah, an opponent only 120 miles away, and a demoralized fan base could add up to eagles fans taking over fedex field today.

Last month, about 25,000 steeler fans overwhelmed the skins and the same thing could happen this afternoon with pennsylvania's other pro football team.

Bummer Fact of the day

Cold Stone Creamery

Cookie Batter Ice Cream, "Gotta Have It" size (large)

900 calories

49 grams fat (26 g saturated, 1 g trans)

107 g carbs

81 g sugars

 

SUGAR EQUIVALENT: 4 Haagen-Dazs Vanilla and Almond Ice Cream Bars!

Kolb

A friend asks:

so another thought/question. Is it just me, or does Kolb just not look like an NFL QB?
Not sure if you guys were there at the game, and if so, whether you even watched his performance. But he just looked unsteady out there.
Sure, I can't put too much emphasis on garbage time when he hasn't been getting snaps during the week. But hey, he doesn't look like he's ready to come in to these games.
Let me cut to the chase. Why isn't Feeley the activated 2nd-string QB right now?
If we were to get to the Dallas game, a win-and-we're-in-situation, and McNabb got hurt in the 3rdQ, who would you want to see running out onto the field?

Notwithstanding Jaworski's assertions that the coaches love Kolb, based upon his limited play this year he doesn't appear to be a starting qb right now.
And my God, when did he get so fat?! that cutaway full frontal shot of him standing on the sidelines with his double chin and puffy cheeks was awful. He's only 24 years old. What the hell happened to him to blow him up like that?

Mad McNabb?

yes, of course he's pissed. he's been the loyal soldier for a long time. never really voiced his disgust at not getting top flight WRs. Drafting Kolb in the second round. Calling an obscene number of pass plays last year while he was playing on one leg while recovering from the ACL - (that Giants/Winston Justice game last year is criminal). and they wouldn't part with a 3rd rounder to get an all-pro TE (Gonzalez) 8 weeks ago. Cause they wanted to squander the pick next year on a player like Matt McCoy or Ryan Moats?

And after all that, he gets benched. The team stunk, the playcalling was atrocious and he got benched. If anything, i think the benching really, finally caused him to realize that they are probably getting rid of him next year.

Having said all that, McNabb really was stinking up the joint.

But he's just letting fly now.

Yes, these post-game interviews on ESPN and NFL network are VERY player friendly but is it me or does McNabb look like he is really, really loose. Like a thousand times more loose than we've ever seen him before?

8-5-1

A friend writes:

Is the most damning moment of the season the tie to the Bengals?

Or Andy lifting Donovan in Baltimore and just forfeiting that game?

I know, I know.

Take 1 step backward and move a mile forward. Or whatever he said.

Wow, as I type, McNabb sits down with ESPN's MNF analysts.

Here's Donnie's take on why they're playing better: "I don't go back to the benching, because I personally don't agree with the benching. ... We went back to what we know," he just told ESPN, insinuating that the play-calling "went back to what we know."

Holy shit, he just said this about the benching: "Why use me as a scapegoat? There are other ways to go about that."

Holy shit, he's still fucking pissed at Andy.

Here's more.

Steve Young: "Do people realize you're 32 yrs old? You've got 10 yrs left?"

McNabb: "I know that. ... I don't think I've got anything in particular to prove."

But Wait...There's More

Oh dear Lord it gets worse.

The Eagles are also selling - under their "gift giving" portion of their website - game used balls from the Ravens game.

Yes, years from now Eagle fans can look at this ball and fondly recall how Andy Reid panicked at halftime of a 10-7 game and benched the greatest quarterback in Eagles history which resulted in a second half shellacking and a final score of 36-7. In a must win game for the Eagles playoff chances. Good times.

If you're lucky maybe you will get the ball that Ed Reed intercepted and returned for a 108 yard touchdown setting an NFL record. Oh please, can I?

What are they thinking?

What in God's name are the Eagles doing selling game balls from the 13-13 tie at Cincinnati?!?!

Who in their right minds would want to buy/own/show a memento from a game that might likely keep them out of the playoffs? This is a game every Eagles fan (and player) surely wants to forget - and not ever think of again.

I mean, this was an Eagles away game. Why did the team even bother asking the Bengals for some of the balls to sell?

21st Century Hooverville

Senate Republican opposition to $25 billion in federal loans to GM,
Ford and Chrysler without huge wage cuts of UAW workers - while having
previously made no effort to trim executive bonuses at Wall Street
firms that are getting $700 billion - will likely be the defining
moment of what tipped this deep recession into a true global economic
calamity - a la "Smoot-Hawley" during the great depression.

So congrats Sen. Corker (r-tn) - well done.

If the Eagles could make the playoffs...

The could do some damage.

 

...Assuming the Eagles get in the playoffs if they win their next three contests, the gang in green could do plenty of damage come January. Whether a wild-card berth results in a trip to Arizona or Minnesota, an Eagles team on a five-game streak may even be favored by a point or two," notes the Sporting News

It's happened before - and recently .

 For three years and counting, a team viewed as a long shot to get to the Super Bowl entering the postseason has ended up winning it all. In each case, the franchise that claimed the championship got hot at the right time, overcoming a dark moment when all hope seemed to be lost.

A Big NIght for McNabb?

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer .

 If history is a guide, McNabb will post some eye-popping numbers in front of the "Monday Night Football" ESPN cameras. In 14 games on Monday night, McNabb has thrown 15 touchdown passes vs. five interceptions and has a passer rating of 85.7.

 

His record against the Browns is gaudier. He's played them only two times, throwing for 390 yards in a 2000 win and 376 in another in '04. Both times he tossed four touchdown passes. His career rating against the Browns is 125.3. 

Key to the DeRosa Deal

The Chicago Tribune reports :

The key for that deal to work is for the Phillies or Orioles to take Jason Marquis, with the Cubs agreeing to eat some of his salary. 

A Bad Recession

You know the economy is in bad, bad shape when the heretofore recession-proof NFL is laying off 14% of its workers .

Holy moly. First playoff ticket prices were cut and there is seemingly a sale on NFL merchandise everyday this holiday season . And now they're letting 14% of the league's staff go.

The American economy is even worse shape than anybody thinks if it is hurting the NFL this bad.

Falling Even Faster

The Skins starting left tackle is done for the year, other parts of the line are banged up and injured.... and now the star running back has launched a feud with the head coach. 

This team, already falling fast in the standings, is in disarray and will be lucky to win another game this season. 

Hello 7-9 Washington!

Enamored with the Eagles

Peter King is now back on the Eagles bandwagon:

B. Westbrook - offensive player of the week
J. Johnson - coach of the week
hixon - goat of the week
B. Westbrook - #3 in Peter King's MVP voting

Plaxico's absence - Kings

Giants fans can't be happy about this:

The other thing Burress' absence did to this game was allow the Eagles to be much more physical against the running game. You could see it right from the start. Brian Dawkins wrestled Kevin Boss like he was trying to impress Vince McMahon on one of the game's first snaps, a sign the Eagles were going to try to beat up the Giants. "No question about it,'' Johnson said. "We were going to be the more physical team today.'' The safety being in the box was hugely helpful.

Peter King Thinks Eagles Going to the Playoffs

Writes Peter King in MMQB:

NFC (Two wild cards to qualify)

Carolina: 9-3 overall (6-3 in NFC)
Dallas: 8-5 (6-4)
Atlanta: 8-5 (5-4)
Philadelphia: 7-5-1 (6-4)
Washington: 7-6 (6-4)
Chicago: 7-6 (5-5)
New Orleans: 7-6 (4-5)

How I see it: I like Carolina, but I don't trust the Panthers now as much as I do Atlanta, which is odd to say with the Falcons coming off a loss in New Orleans. ... The Panthers may have to win two of four against a tough slate to make it. ... I also don't see how Dallas recovers from that absurd loss in Pittsburgh. ... I see Philadelphia winning out (Cleveland, at Washington, winner-take-all with Dallas at home) and Atlanta edging Carolina on a tiebreaker for the other playoff spot.

Marty Ball?

It is maddening. but my friend is right. this looks like a Marty game plan/play calling... a la Jeff Garcia's last 5 games in 2006. if only Reid had given up the playcalling sooner.

Alas, we will probably never know who/what/how they call the plays.

But it is clear - this offense is demonstrably different the past two weeks. and it is working.

What Might Have Been?

If you thought today's win would dispel the negativity and resentment that has built up around Andy Reid over the last 5 games, you would be wrong.

A friend writes:

 

Something that's bugged me the past few hrs was the point during the game - late 3rd, early 4th - where the Fox guys gave us their insight from Reid. They talked about how Andy had recently gone back and done some research into how the great coaches handled games, and referenced how they threw-to-run, throwing early and softening the defense for clock-chewing runs in the 2nd half.

 

This was presented as if it were new info.

 

Really?

 

Is it possible that Andy just realized this now?

 

Is it just me or does this offense look a lot like the obviously Marty-led offense of late '06 with Garcia under center? What seems to have happened is that Andy really has surrendered play calling - and shockingly the team"s on a run. 

 

I really hope this is known and acknowledged by management in the offseason as they debate the future of this organization. I just want to know what's gone on the past 2 games, why they've done better, why they're now running way, way more often, and why it's effective?

 

Because that all needs to be known, out in the open, as this team's future is considered.

 

If this late surge is the result of Andy giving up calling plays, if this late run - if it continues - is the result of Reid not doing much, giving up power and letting subordinates do for him what he so previously mangled, Andy must not be given CREDIT for this when Lurie considers the team's future.

 

If anything, the last 2 weeks serves as an indictment of how Andy ran this team the previous 11 weeks. I don't think this validates his coaching ability. It shows just how bad a coach he's been fpr the most part.

Need a Falcons Loss

All of the sudden, the Eagles playoff hopes have life - lots of life - in the wake of their 20-14 pounding of the Giants today.

Everything broke the Eagles way with the Cowboys coughing up a 10 point 2nd half lead and then blowing the game outright, along with the Saints defeat of the Falcons. Don't look now but the Redskins just dropped below the Eagles in the standings and are in danger of completely free falling away - good news for the Eagles who play the DeadSkins in two weeks.

Anyway, the Eagles do not entirely "control their own" destiny just yet. They still have to win out. And while the Cowboys are only a 1/2 game ahead, that can be taken care of in the last week of the season.

The big problem is the Falcons, who are 8-5. The Eagles need the Falcons to lose one more - one of their last three games. And since their remaining games are against the Buccaneers, Vikings, and Rams, we all have to hope for a loss in one of the next two games.

Stupid Bengals tie. The Falcons is one of the only NFC teams the Eagles own a tiebreaker over and that is all shot thanks to that inexplicable tie.

Reasons

Eags coming off extra rest
Plaxico distraction- absence
Eags must win
And giants due for a loss

Eags giants

I have an oddly good feeling about this game for the eags.