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.

Andy Reid’s press conference did nothing to allay the fears. Inconclusive MRI? More tests needed? Not exactly a reassuring message that it’s just a severe ankle sprain. (BTW, how comical was it that Reid kept saying that “chances weren’t high” that TO would play this weekend vs. the Rams?! That’s hysterical. I mean, the entire region is praying TO will be physically able to play in the divisional playoff. Who cares about the Rams game?).

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.