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Thursday, December 30, 2004
McNabb's Blue Christmas
Check out this link to see McNabb crooning about the loss of TO in the holiday spirit.
Tis the season!
http://www.bangcartoon.com/bluexmas.htm
TO - fun guy
Catch TO's appearance on MNF from Philly? (Was that really his home, with the wood paneled walls and roaring fire place?)
Just reminded me again that he seems like a really cool guy and someone fun to hang out with. Not at all the arrogant blowhard you might expect to see given his on the field celebrations, etc.
Why we will win the NFC Championship
Did you see this quote by McNabb in yesterday's paper?
Apparently, McNabb is fed up with hearing about TO's injury ruining the Eagles chances for a championship, and has to remind everyone that he is the franchise player...that he is the undisputed leader of the offense...that he is the man who singlehandledly took over the Cowboys game late in the 4th quarter to get them the winning TD...that he is the man who ran for 100 yards against the Packers and completed a 4th and 26 pass with the game on the line...that he is the man who threw for 4 TDs and 300 yards on a broken leg...that as long as #5 is healthy and on the field, anything is possible.
"It's unfortunate that people are pretty much turning their backs on us because we lost T.O.," McNabb said Wednesday. "I'm still the captain of this ship and this ship is going to move. I'll take this team as far as we need to go with the guys that we have."
Wow!
McNabb is one pissed off QB right now. A kind of "hey, let's not everyone forget that I"m gonna be the MVP runner up to Manning, and TO will be runner up to me." He might as well have just said, I"ve won with Wuss and Bust before and I'll do it again."
McNabb is going to put this team and this city on his back like Lenny Dykstra did in 1993.
You see.
Kearse defensive MVP?
Thought it was interesting that Kearse didn't play Monday, with Madden saying Jim Johnson called him the defensive player the team could least afford to lose. Kearse is a beast.
But my brother and I got into a debate over who the next mvp on the defense is? He said Brian Dawkins, while I offered Jeremiah Trotter. Jeff argued that it had to be Dawkins cause there was really no replacement for him. He said that the 2nd string is such a downgrade from Dawkins, and while Trotter would also be missed, there is less a downgrade in talent with Simoneau filling in for Trotter. Very valid points.
My thinking was that Trotter has so improved the run defense that to return to the old lineup would be particularly disappointing.
My brother won me over and, besides, I love Dawkins. Got his number 20 jersey. But we both agreed we would prefer not to lose either one in the long run.
Didn't get the memo on that game
It would have been a nice courtesy had Andy Reid informed the season ticket holders that he had no intention of trying to win the Rams game before we all put good money on the Eagles getting 4! Hell even some of us who thought he might liberally substitute figured the starters would play the first half. Even that was a no go and the halftime spread was a loser too cause Reid only played McNabb one series and then ran the ball the rest of the half to shorten the game. (At least it did appear that Reid was tyring to score in the 2nd half with Detmer and Blake, but the second teamers were incompetent).
My favorite play was the bumbled snap that left Artis Hicks standing motionless at the line as the d-end blew right past him to drill Blake. Apparently, no one clued in John Madden either, who was inanely going on about how in the "National Football League" you are always trying to win every game. Did he not see which players were on the field? Darilek? Labinjo? C'mon.
I don't blame Andy Reid. Injuries have pretty much cost the Eagles their shot at winning each of the past three NFC Championship games. Remember when Troy Vincent couldn't go vs. the Rams and their "greatest show on turf?" Or Buckhalter who was running well in the first half going out with an ankle sprain? And let's not forget the long-term devastation of Damon Moore blowing out his knee and being lost forever.
Then there was McNabb just back from his broken leg vs. the Bucs. And last year losing Westbrook and the team's defensive MVP in Emmons was bad enough, but when McNabb separated his ribs in the first half the carnage was complete.
The silver lining in TO's injury (and yes I'm desperately grasping at straws) is that if it had to happen at least the Eagles could afford to lose him. They still have McNabb and Westbrook and the rest of the conference is pitifully weak. We can still win. Losing either one of the other two would be the end.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Sheridan's shiv
Inqy columnist Phil Sheridan is on top of his game. Loved his "TO for TO" appreciation piece today. But it was his scathing and, unfortunately, dead on criticism of Pinkston that was perfectly captured the other day.
"Another time, McNabb had Greg Lewis streaking toward the end zone and waited too long to throw. Williams, in spite of the extra weight of Pinkston's dignity in his pocket, was able to catch up and knock away the seemingly sure touchdown pass.
Ouch, that might have hurt Pinkston as much as a Roy Williams hit. That is, if Pinky had any self-respect left.
Pro Bowl Vindication
The Pro Bowl announcement is a terrific vindication for Lito Sheppard and for Andy Reid, Tom Heckert and the rest of the Eagles' personnel department. Remember the carping from the so-called "experts" (ie, Mel "Helmet Head" Kiper and the rest of the punditocracy) who questioned the Eagles selection of 3 defensive backs in the first two rounds of the 2002 draft (Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis, and Sheldon Brown) when they already had Pro Bowlers Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent on the roster?
While most everyone else was focused on the near-term, Reid and the front office had their eye on the big picture and knew they needed to start grooming replacements while Taylor and Vincent were still in their prime and well before their contracts expired (Taylor hit an incentive clause that terminated his contract a year early).
And remember how going into this season one of the Eagles' biggest question marks was whether Sheppard and Brown could fill the huge shoes of Taylor and Vincent? Lewis had already become a starter replacing the aging Blaine Bishop and filled a leadership void last year when Taylor, Vincent and Dawkins all went down with injuries at some point.
Well, you don't hear many questions about those shoes being filled now. Sheppard in particular has dealt with a rep that until this year he hadn't justified his first round selection status. But shutting down Randy Moss will do wonders for your rep and confidence.
Congratulations to all. The Pro Bowl picks are sweet vindication indeed.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Miami - Pats and Vegas
Anyone associated with the NFL is supposed to keep their distance from any reference to gambling. That's why you get Al Michaels making oblique references to "some people still interested" in a meaningless touchdown in another Monday Night Football blowout. It's impacting the over/under or the spread.
So it is even more surprising when a player, particularly a player of the stature and caliber of Miami D-end Jason Taylor, talks about gambling. "Nobody gave us a chance," Taylor said. "I hope they lost a lot of money with their 10-point spread."
Nice. Glad to know Taylor knew exactly how many points the Pats were favored by and really had his head in the game. The only surprising thing is that Taylor didn't add, "I'm glad we screwed up a nation's 3 team tease."
Another medical malpractice by the training staff?
Eagles' trainer Rick Burkholder was very forthcoming in yesterday's medical debriefings on the extent of TO's injuries. Still, it is fair to ask how they could have missed the broken leg that was diagnosed Monday afternoon. After the debacle that was McNabb's untreated broken leg dduring the Arizona game two years, you would think the Eagles' medical staff would be careful and comprehensive in diagnosing another star player's injuries. So how could they take an x-ray of TO's ankle on Sunday but not of the knee? Did they not see the play? Why not take pictures of both just to be on the safe side?
TO a No Go
Let’s be smart and realistic. TO ain’t playing again this season, regardless of whether the Eagles make the Super Bowl. My gosh, did you read the prognoses of all the doctors in the Philly papers? This type of injury takes months to heal right and coming back to soon would jeopardize TO’s career. It ain’t happening. Encouragingly, TO said he would be smart about coming back. Let’s hope he doesn’t get caught up in the hype and try to come back to early. This year we got a glimpse of what McNabb to TO connection can do. And I want to see several more years of it.
The Eagles can still win without him. And
Monday, December 20, 2004
Down goes TO
I suspect a lot Eagles’ fans were like me and got physically ill when TO went down yesterday and hobbled off the field and into the locker room. It wasn’t necessarily the sight of the injury itself, although that was gruesome enough, but it was the sickening, nauseating feeling in the pit of my stomach that the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes were limping off the field in the form of #81. Honestly, I got physically nauseous or, as the Sport’s Guy likes to say, I (literally) threw up in my mouth.
Still, while most everyone is focused on TO and the divisional playoffs, let me throw out this thought. We can win the NFC championship without TO. The conference this year is that week. But we have no shot of beating the Patriots or Steelers without TO. So maybe the worst case scenario isn’t that TO won’t be healed in four weeks for the playoffs, but he won’t be back in 7 weeks time for the Super Bowl. At least TO will have an extra couple of weeks recuperation (two weeks between conference championships and Super Bowl) to get back on the field for the game that means the most.
Here’s hoping. And praying.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Condi Rice, Secretary of Doormats
Is it just me, or does anyone else wonder how if Condi Rice wasn't able to stand up to Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, or to referee the testosterone laden disputes b/w those two and Powell which is, after all, her job --- how the heck she is going to stand up to or go toe to toe with a real warrior like Ariel Sharon? Not that I'm complaining, as a pro-Israel anti-Palestinian terrorist hawk, but c'mon.
Replay Challenged
Why don't more NFL teams go no huddle when their is a questionable play that might be challenged so as to prevent the opposition from getting a good replay look at it before making their decision? Once the next play is run, you can't go back.
Along those same lines, if you are the defense and you haven't been able to see a replay of a disputed TD, let the offense line up for the extra point and then go offsides. It will only be 5 yards on the kickoff, but should give your team enough time to finally see a replay to determine if you should challenge.
Just think of how that would have benefitted Minnesota in their game with the Eagles on TO's touchdown "catch."
Gibbs and challenges
How is it that Redskins coach Joe Gibbs has a special coach, a former NFL ref, devoted exclusively to telling Gibbs whether to replay challenge a call, and they are now 0 for their last 5 challenges? (Along those same lines, how can Herm Edwards have a special "clock management" coach who so botched the last minute of the Jets-Ravens game?)
Arrest Artest
The season ending penalty NBA commissioner David Stern handed down on Ron Artest is not only a strong rebuke of the player’s actions, but also to the chucklehead ESPN announcers (John Saunders, Tim Legler, Greg Anthony, and Stephen A. Smith) who all but excused the Pacers’ players for going into the stands to pummel Piston fans.
How many other viewers were aghast as I was that the ESPN quartet blamed the fans for provoking Artest et. .al and thus getting the beatdown they they deserved while downplaying the possibility that innocent fans were being wrongly attacked. Anthony and Legler in particular took pains to explain that NBA players are so intense during regular season games that Artest’s reaction was only the natural response. Perhaps more than the actions of the Pacers themselves, the comments of these former jocks --- the “jockocracy” as Howard Cosell decried it --- perfectly illustrates the distance and divide that now separates professional athletes and the media that covers them from the regular sports fan.
Even the usually level headed John Saunders came down firmly on the side of the players with numerous comments about alcohol being the catalyst for the melee of players and fans in the stands. A comment to which my brother retorted, “is he suggesting that Ron Artest is drunk?”
What was lacking from the ESPN broadcast – aside from good judgment, which goes almost without saying – was a sense of proportion. Someone gets doused with beer and, while not excusing it, let’s be realistic it was a half empty cup of beer and not a “bottle” as most of the press called it, its ok to physically attack him. Under that type of thinking, would Saunders and Co. have excused the fan who Charles Barkley once spit on to rush the court to duke it out?
Saunders and Co. blamed the fans, they blamed arena security, everybody, it seems but the Pacers themselves who escalated the incident from a boorish fan throwing a drink on someone to a full blown national sports controversy. Thankfully, the person whose opinion counts most, Commissioner David Stern, had the perspective and judgment that was so sorely lacking on ESPN.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Shooting up the Cowboys
It appeared to me that the Cowboys tried to emulate the Steelers defensive scheme to disrupt McNabb and Co by pressuring him. The Cowboys consistenly rushed five players but unlike the Steelers were not able to collapse the pocket or get to McNabb. The Eagles line did an excellent job, McNabb bought himself time in other instances (the 60 yard pass to FredEx being exhibit A), and quick drops turned into big gains (TO's 12 yard catch and 50 yard run for the score). Funny, you would have thought with Roy Williams and Terence Newman that the Cowboys would have been secure in the defensive secondary to free up others to rush McNabb but the results were disastrous.
Desperate NFL
Sure, the TO-Nicolette Sheridan opening bit on MNF was crude, risque, and inappropriate, but...c'mon. It was only a bit promo before a regular season game. and it was after 9pm. I can't believe the firestorm of controversy this has caused. To equate it with Janet Jackson's boob flopping out during the most watched TV event of the year is absurd.
I can't help but think there is more than a sense of racial undertones to the umbrage. A studly black male (and not just any player, but the most flamboyant player in the league right now) and a comely white sex kitten. That kind of matchup doesn't play well down south or even in middle America.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Big Ben and Predictions
Funny how preseason predictions turn out. I had the game vs. the Steelers as a win since they had Tommy Maddox at QB and appeared to be in rebuilding mode. Even still, had you told me rookie Ben Roethlisberger were to start vs. the Eagles I would have bet money Philly would win. In fact, I did lose a considerable amount on this game. That Roethlisberger kid was as cool as a cucumber. Jim Johnson has completely discombobulated other rookie QBs (notably Ryan Leaf), but not the 22 year old phenom out of Miami of Ohio. He looks like the real deal. Heck, he was converting about a 10x as many 3d downs as potential league MVP D. McNabb. Of course, being up by 3 TDs makes the job a little easier, but he got them those 3 touches to begin with.
7-1 at the midway mark is not too shabby, regardless of how disappointing the 8th game loss was.
In Defense of the Defense
Can we all stop the gnashing of teeth over the Eagles run defense. It is what it is. Besides, should it really be that much of a surprise that they surrender chunks of yardage on the ground (like last year) when they've still got undersized LBs (the QB outweighs the starters!) and a quick but not particularly big d-line.
The fact is that this defense is a front-running defense. It's specialty is rushing the passer. This year more than ever the defense needs the offense to score points so opponents have to throw. And it appears we finally have an offense that can score in bunches.
If anything, the most disturbing aspect of the loss to Pittsburgh was the ineptitude of the offense. The nearly unstoppable attack early in the season has practically ground to a halt. TDs in the red zone are down and 3rd down conversions are way down. Sure, Westbrook is hurt and Baltimore is a top defense, but c'mon. Also, the play calling has gotten much more conservative. Remember the 3rd and 5 sweep to Westbrook Reid called? And they were down by 3 TDs at the time!? Heck, in Cleveland Reid was passing on 3rd and 1. What happened?
Bill Parcells is no dummy. On Monday night we'll probably see a similar game plan like the one last December at the Linc. Ball control running game. Hopefully, like last December, the Eagles can score early and often to make him put it in the air. At which point, Kearse and company can get after that statue to QB immobility, Vinny Testaverde.
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