A Benefit to the Eagles?

From the NY Times:

Fight May Benefit Eagles

The Titans' Cortland Finnegan and the Texans' Andre Johnson were ejected after ripping each other's helmets off and fighting, with Johnson punching Finnegan at least twice in the back of the head. Finnegan has long had a reputation as one of the N.F.L.'s most annoying noodges, but if both players are suspended for a game — shouldn't they be, considering suspensions have been threatened for hits to the head that occur during play? — it will provide a huge break to a third party: the Philadelphia Eagles, who play the Texans on Thursday night.

Bad Officiating

As previously mentioned, last week's Giants game was poorly reffed. Herremans got called for a "cut" block because the defender was currently "engaged" with another lineman. The reality is that this "engagement" consisted of the center extending his left hand to give him a single chest shove before turning to his right (away from Herremans and the defender) to double team another Giant.

Of course, Asante Samuels' "helmet to helmet" hit was questionable as well. Samuels lead with his shoulder and it was a bang-bang play. The revealed the flaws in the NFL's attempts to limit head blows. Ellis Hobbs was carted off the field after a sickening helmet to helmet hit on a kickoff return. As Cris Collinsworth said, it wasn't a penalty. But why wasn't it a penalty? The Giant tackler lowered his head and hit head to head. Just as interesting is why the Samuels hit was a penalty and this wasn't. Presumably it was because the NFL is more concerned with head hunting of WRs and not of ball carriers. But I also wonder if helmet-to-helmet penalties are only called when the defender is "defenseless?"

Which brings us back to the Samuels' penalty. Was the Giant receiver caught the ball on the play in question. Can a receiver really be considered defenseless when he makes the catch? (also see Collie, Austin, November 13).

Doing NBC's job

Al Michaels brieflly and vaguely referenced Eli Manning fumbling in similar fashion last year (on a head first dive). It was nearly one year ago. And it was against the Eagles and the game was broadcast on NBC. Inexplicably, NBC never did cue up the replay from last year and show it. Why is a great mystery. I thought these kind of things were digitally preserved and on the fingertips of the vaunted producers.

In any case, my friend PK did NBC's job for them by finding the relevant replay clip on-line.

Watched this again -- yes, it was a Sun night game. You can see the NBC logo in the video. Which is both odd, since they barely mentioned the similar fumble Sunday night despite having called the game themselves. And because they didn't air the 2 fumbles sequentially so we could see the stupid fumbles.

At the 3-min mark, you'll find Eli's flop from last year that led to the most ridiculous fumble ever -- until last night. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TQr-32UYoA  

As my brother notes: Crazy similarities in both games.  Giants take lead after eagles looked great in 1^st half.  Giants lead was 1 (like last night) and then eagles score on long play.  Avant 2 point conversion – same play just went the other way with lefty Vick playing.  Turnover by G-men in last 10 seconds.  Crazy.

Giants-Eagles

weird, weird game. in short, a typical Giants-Eagles game. 

atrocious officiating in the 1st half. how many holds did they show of the Giants' line? and then the make up (non) call on the Eagles receiver contact near the goal line. Samuels' roughing the receiver call (helmet to helmet). 

Bradshaw's bizarre non-fumble instant replay reversal (was the forearm really down before the wrist?). 

Eli's early INTs that lead to FGs that should have been TDs. 

Avant's drop in the endzone. 

The blocked FG at the end of the half that should have been a Giants TD but wasn't thanks to David Akers(?) and Sav Rocca (?!). 

Thanks to th Ellis Hobbs injury and the Eagles last possession of the first half combined with their lengthy possession to start the 2nd half meant that Eli and the Giants offense didn't touch the ball in like an actual hour of real time. 

The Asante INT and fumble. Ugh. 

Herremans being called for a clip and chop block in the same game. 

completely dominating for 2 1/2 quarters and all the sudden seeing a 16-3 lead turn into a 17-16 deficit. 

3rd and 1 shotgun - only Andy Reid. Followed by 4th and 1 toss for the TD. McCoy was totally shut out but for 2 plays all game. 

Coughlin's questionable call to go for it on 4th and 6 with 3:13 to go and all his TOs from his own 44.. 

Which looked good till Eli fumbled on the slide. So glad Michaels referenced last year as i was initially  thinking it looked familiar but couldn't recall which Manning did and it and whether the Eagles were involved. How NBC did not have a replay of last year's play is inexplicable. 
  
there's probably more i missed. 

weird, weird game. 

An I-95 Rivalry Renewed

My friend PK writes:

What else is better in late November?

Two football teams squaring off against one another with a long history of battling for regional supremacy. First place on the line. A sellout crowd, as always, on hand. An explosive offense for the home team propelled by a QB who, just 3 years ago, was left for dead, athletically speaking.

It doesn't get any better than this.

Go Fightin' Blue Hens. 

Villanova at Delaware, noon tomorrow, at Tubby Raymond Field.

Pat Devlin, the pride of Downingtown, tries to finish the season off for the No. 1 ranked Hens, capping off an amazing recovery from his days on Joe Pa's bench. (He's now ranked among the top 5 QBs in next year's draft.)

'Nova, always snobbishly looking down upon its state-school rival just down the highway, desperately needs a win to have any chance to get to the playoffs.

Game on. Check your local Comcast sports listings.

PS -- Oh, did you think I was talking about the Eagles-Giants? Sorry.

Leading by Example

The Eagles really are leading by example in their Go Green initiative.

Line

What is with the Colts-Eagles line?

Eagles by 3?!

Are you kidding me?

And an over/under of 46? Vegas has the Colts scoring 22 1/2 points. Does anyone think Manning will score any less than 24 points, minimum? The Eagles will have to score 27 points or more to win.

Incredibly, late money is still coming in on the Eagles as the Colts getting 3 is now an even money bet.

Has Vegas not seen the last couple of Colts-Eagles games. If Manning can figure out Jim Johnson's defense, he sure as hell can solve Sean McDermott.

The only positive is that the Eagles run defense is very strong. But a strategy of sitting back and defending the pass/Manning is a dangerous tact.

Why Democrats Got Destroyed

Eliot Spitzer astutely lays out the reasons for the Democratic disaster on Tuesday in Slate.

The key point:

2) The Wall Street bailout. President Obama lost his capacity to harness the support of the disaffected middle when he enhanced the bailout of Wall Street without getting anything meaningful in return. That was the emotional Rubicon for this administration. Had the bailout been accompanied by fundamental reform, genuine contrition, and actual pounds of flesh, the public might have accepted it. But when the banks, in the midst of the foreclosure morass and economic disaster, returned to the same old bonus behavior, the public sensed one thing: betrayal. The president had become one of "them," and the space for the Tea Party to capture the anxiety of the middle was created. Franklin Roosevelt never would have let it play out this way. He would have raked the Wall Street titans over the coals, demanded that all bonuses be returned, and forced real reform on them. Compare the president's meek statement to Wall Street: We are all in this together. The president ended up getting the worst of all possible bargains. He gave Wall Street what they wanted yet got their enmity. He evoked taxpayer ire by making taxpayers pay for Wall Street excess, yet didn't align himself with the taxpayer emotionally.