TO trouble

Here's a possibility in the whole disgruntled TO storyline that I haven't seen raised in any of the articles. Believe me, this possibility makes me queasy to think about, but realistically has to be considered.

Is the reason TO wants to be paid more in 2005 because his ankle is not as well healed as everyone has been led to believe? Under this scenario, TO knows he can make it to opening day, but perhaps by mid-season it will be clear to everyone that his injured ankle is totally hindering his play. He cashes his multi-million paycheck this year and retires at the end of the season (or the Eagles put him on IR and he retires). It would help explain why he is so hellbent on getting a big payout for this season.

Just a (sickening) thought.

To Jax or not to Jax

I have been agonizing over the decision of whether to travel to J'ville for teh Super Bowl this entire week. Understand that in no circumstances will I be going to the game. The price of tix are prohibitively high. But is it worth it to go down to the city just to be exposed to the atmosphere? Or would it be better (and cheaper) to watch the game from some venue in Philly?

What to do, what to do?

In defense of Pinkston

WR Todd Pinkston has been skwered over the past year + since he was abused by CB Ricky Manning in the 2003 Championship game. That led to a wholesale review of the entire Eagles WR corps and the subsequent acquisition of Terrell Owens. But here's the funny thing. Up to that game vs. Carolina (and McNabb's later plea for more "offensive weapons"), Andy Reid was quite content with Thrash, Pinkston, and Mitchell.

Here's the funny thing. The highly praised Pats' WR bunch is so highly praised for their "team" approach, yet their stats as an entity and individually are remarkably similar to the Eagles, sans Owens. Among Patten, Givens, Branch and Brown, only Brown has cracked 1,000 yards receiving in a season. All the rest haven't caught a sniff of that milestone. And all but Brown haven't come close to 100 receptions in a season either. Funny how Pinkston and Thrash and Mitchell were, well, thrashed for such pedantic receving numbers while the Pats group puts up similar numbers but are "celebrated" for their efficiency and lack of egos.

I'm not suggesting that the Eagles shouldn't have upgraded at WR last year. Clearly, Pinkston's performance, or lack of performance, and Thrash's nonexistence in that Carolina game (exacerbated by the absence of B. Westbrook) necessitated some sort of move. But it is interesting how perceptions are shaped. The contrast between two different receiving groups and their abilities' has never been clearer than in this contest. ESPN's John Clayton was moved to write about those "differences" in a recent story
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs04/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1982272

Interestingly enough, the ESPN stats page for players in teh super bowl lists Troy Brown's position as "cornerback." Which brings up a fascinating football philosophical question. Is it better to be known as the best receiver of a nondescript group of pass catchers, or the best WR cum nickle back in the NFL. Apparently, the answer is b.

More on TO

Here's the full article referenced in an earlier post about TO's "frustration" with his late season drop in production. You know an interview doesn't go well when Stephen A. Smith has to write an article in today's paper about how misunderstood TO is. Amazing the team has avoided a TO tempest all year and now they get one during the playoffs and while TO is hurt.

January 6, 2005, Philadelphia Inquirer

Stephen A. Smith | Owens says frustration clouded stellar season

By Stephen A. Smith
Inquirer Columnist

He had 14 touchdowns this season before a Cowboy came along and nearly squelched his championship aspirations. He was mentioned in the same MVP talk as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning before limping off Lincoln Financial Field while Eagles fans cringed, wondering whether their luck would ever change.

That's why Terrell Owens has the hyperbaric chamber just a few inches from the crutches that remind him of his debilitated state, while he reminisces about his stellar season and prays that the Eagles will remember those moments, too.

Still toned, chiseled and "ready to play in the Super Bowl," Owens sat in his house Monday night, television blaring, appearing as focused and determined as he is on the field.

He lifts towels with his toes now, part of his rehabilitation after ankle surgery that includes daily workouts in the NovaCare Complex pool.

Owens says that the Eagles' trainers are excited about his progress, that X-rays last week showed bone healing just eight days after surgery, and that he feels no pain when putting his foot on the floor.

Hope about returning during Super Bowl week has been replaced by confidence.

"It's looking better and better," Owens said, beaming.

Then he lowered his voice. His smile disappeared. He began reflecting.

"I reached a point where I didn't want to think about why this happened and just accepted it as God's way of telling me something," Owens said. "Maybe it was His way of making me appreciate the game more, because I've always said I really didn't like the game... that I just played it because God had given me the talent to play it.

"Maybe it's a situation where I was just frustrated; toward the end of the season, I was really frustrated as to how my production had gone down. And it wasn't due to a lot of double coverage.

"A lot of people may want to say it was double coverage, but if you break down the film and see where the balls are going and where I am, I tended to get frustrated."

Not getting the ball got to him, Owens said, "so maybe me being out right now is another way for [the Eagles] to see my value to this team."

He wasn't finished.

"I don't know what the reason was for my lack of production; I don't have a definitive answer for that," he continued. "And I definitely don't want to seem like the person who's never satisfied. But, dude, I know what I bring to the table. I know what I do when I get out on that field.

"You can't tell me I'm not open more than half the time when I'm out on that field. I don't care if it is double coverage.

"I think if a lot of people were to break down our game film and watch the actual game film instead of highlights from television, they'll see what I'm talking about."

Will they see Donovan McNabb looking in other directions? Will they see coach Andy Reid making the quarterback do so, to avoid a spandex moment?

Owens wouldn't say. In fact, he went out of his way to give both McNabb and Reid credit, intimating that his lack of production was "probably part of Coach Reid's game plan to prepare others for playoff competition."

But Owens' frustration was too obvious to ignore.

Despite adding a fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season to his resume while breaking the Eagles' season record for touchdowns by a receiver, he isn't satisfied.

"I could've done more and I could've said more, too," said Owens, who entered this season with 8,572 yards after eight years with the 49ers. "But this isn't San Francisco. We're winning here.

"And, believe it or not, we're a team in everything we do, in every sense of the word."

Yet that has little to do with the feeling of resignation he's experiencing.

Owens is resigned to missing the divisional playoffs, along with another potential NFC championship game for the Eagles. He believes that if the Eagles miss out on a trip to Jacksonville, Fla., everyone will blame his injury.

But he never was resigned to missing out on numerous touchdown opportunities, to other receivers' complaining about the number of balls that weren't thrown in their direction, and Reid, McNabb or somebody else's penchant for hearing the violins and failing to exploit the opportunities opponents handed the Eagles on many Sundays.

And now that the playoffs are beginning without him, Owens feels the need to remind everyone to "be careful what you ask for."

"A number of those guys have wanted an opportunity to get more playing time and more balls thrown in their direction," said Owens, who is concerned about some of those dropped passes. "It's no secret that [Freddie Mitchell] has wanted the ball more, that [Todd] Pinkston wants to be more involved in the offense, etc. So now these guys will get a chance to show what they can do - without me.

"Hopefully, it won't be a repeat situation of pre-T.O. But, God, I hope not," he said, aching at the thought of another missed opportunity.

Then he began his exercises, repeating "Super Bowl... Super Bowl" under his breath, relishing the thought of walking out on the field in Jacksonville on Feb. 6 and hoping that his teammates share his hunger.

Vacant?

How in the world is the second team All-Pro QB position "vacant." And why isn't this explained in news accounts that elaborate ad infinitum about Peyton Manning's unanimous selection to the first team? Was there a tie?Is there no 2nd place when the first teamer is unanimous? the Media is out to lunch on this, too bad too cause McNabb is a serious candidate for 2nd team.

Uh-oh, TO

TO's frustrated. What to make of this rather strange article/interview in yesterday's Inqy? TO's mad about his production dropping in 2nd half of season, but it seems unclear who he blames. It does seem somewhat strange (or silly depending on your viewpoint) that TO cracking 1,000 receiving yards and getting 14 TDs in 14 games would still be lamenting his stats and drop in "production."

Who'd a thought TO would be more of a problem/distraction while hurt than he would have been on the sidelines of an ugly Eagles' game? Or is this some sort of ingenious strategy to take the attention and pressure off the rest of the Eagles and place it on the one guy it won't affect? Or is this a petulant star's attempt to keep the spotlight on himself during the brightest part of the season?

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/10575665.htm

Bye, Bye , Boo

Sheesh, with all this hand wringing over playing the second team and the second guessers who are maintaining how important it is to sustain momentum and routine -- you would begin to think how unlucky the Eagles are to have secured a first round bye. Too bad we're not the Seahawks or Rams who played playoff-relevant games in week 17 and now get to play in the first round. Please.

The importance of rest and the bye cannot be overstated. The Eagles will be fresh while their opponent will have been slogging through a grueling playoff push.

Alas, knowing the state of the region's mental state, I'm sure the anxiety will be palpable on Sunday the 16th. Let's not panic. And let's remember that McNabb usually starts games so hopped up he doinks his first couple of passes into the ground or sails them over the head of his receivers. This is not an indication of too long a layoff, but a typical McNabb start.

Reid really was damned if he does, damned if didn't, as far as resting his starters. But given the Eagles' injury history, how could he not err on the side of caution? Especially after TO went down? I mean, who else got nervous when Simoneau had to have his ankle x-rayed? Or when Michael Lewis was laying on the field vs. the Bengals? Or when Ike Reese grabbed his knee? Would you have liked to see #5 or #36 in that position? I don't think so.

The Eagles will be fine. Everyone take a deep breath and relax. And remember that Andy Reid is practically unbeatable after a bye and McNabb is a perennial slow starter (and has nothing to do with a lengthy layoff.)

Round 2

NFL playoff schedule is out. A bit of a change-up for those of us who presumed (and were led to believe the Eagles were a big ratings draw and would be playing on Saturday night (Jan. 15)). Eagles play 1pm on Sunday. Guess the Favre - Vick matchup was too good to pass up for Sat night prime time. GB will be playing a short week. They can't be happy about that.

2005 Schedule

Looks like at least four 4:00 pm home games next year at the Linc. What do you want to bet that Falcons game in Atlanta is a Monday Nighter.

HOME
Dallas Cowboys
Washington Redskins
New York Giants
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers
Green Bay Packers

AWAY

Dallas Cowboys
Washington Redskins
New York Giants
Arizona Cardinals
St. Louis Rams
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Atlanta Falcons

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.

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.

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 Miami’s come from behind upset last night (12 points in the final 2 minutes!) just shows that in one game for all the marbles the Eagles could beat the top AFC team without TO.

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.

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.

Now if someone can only answer the question of how the heck Jim Gray found himself in the middle of this entire ordeal. Whether it be the Holyfield-Tyson fight to Pete Rose, Gray always seems to find himself in the thick of things, even if it appears to be only on the surface an early regular season basketball game cum riot.

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.

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.

The Pitts

Man, that was a butt kicking at Heinz Field on Sunday (can I say "ass" kicking on this site?). It was just one of those games. Eagles fans are familiar with the type... the kind where McNabb basically throws up a mulligan. #5 never looked comfortable on the field (and he looked particularly pissed off (can I say pissed off on this site) with TO in his ear trying to pump him up.).

It happens. Remember the game when the Colts came to town? How about against the Jaguars...at the Vet? Although, I must say that even at half time I was reminiscing about the comeback McNabb orchestrated against the Steelers a couple of years ago at Three Rivers (Akers made a last second FG and won it in OT) and thinking that it could happen again. Uh, no.

Look, let's just move on. The Steelers are one of the best teams in the league and we played them on the road after two draining games by the Eagles. On the bright side, McNabb and TO's relationship came out of the baptism by fire ok.

Did you get a sense like I did that McNabb just decided to shut TO by throwing him the ball 18 consecutive times in the second half? Wonder how TO would have felt about Garcia had he done that back in their days with the Niners. Also, I think the yapping TO did was overblown. The reality is McNabb finally has an equal peer on the offense (Westbrook is still too young) to speak directly to McNabb. Who else was going to do it? Todd Pinkston? Please.

TO - The Last Word

Let's give the always voluble TO the last word on the subject of justice obstructing in a double murder perp Ray Lewis.

"I'm obviously not one of those who are a face of the NFL that they're going to have on commercials...It's discouraging at times that I get labeled and put in that same mold and that I'm the worst guy that ever put on a uniform in the NFL," he said. "It's funny, it really is. I listen to all the comments and at times, it baffles me.

"I've never had any off-field problems. I've wanted to say it for a long time, but since Joey put it out there, you have a guy like Ray Lewis, who I thought was pretty much my friend. This is a guy, double-murder case, and he could have been in jail, but it seems like the league embraces a guy like that. I'm going out scoring touchdowns and having fun, but I'm the bad guy. So I don't understand it, I really don't.

"I listen to ESPN and all the guys that report on there, it's really funny...I just take it with a grain of salt and I keep ticking. I know they're looking for me to do something [off the field] or something to come up, but it's not going to happen."

Thanks, Joey

A hearty amen, to Joey Porter's comments about Ray Lewis. Finally, someone in the league speaking out about Ray Lewis. Here's the critical part from Les Bowen's article today.

Porter, who also has feuded with Lewis, sounded a favorite T.O theme in Tuesday's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: other players celebrate flamboyantly, and some of them have even had off-the-field issues, which Owens hasn't, yet few are as widely reviled as T.O. In Lewis' case, those off-the-field issues include that agreement to plead guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of justice and testify against two of his friends after a double-murder at an Atlanta-area nightclub in January 2000. (The friends were acquitted.)

"It's fine for this guy to celebrate, but it's not fine for this guy," Porter was quoted as saying. "It's good for this guy to be creative, but it's not good for this guy. Why isn't it funny when Terrell does the pom-poms? You guys can make who the good guys are. The media has total control over that.

"...But this guy [Lewis] just comes off a murder case and he comes back dancing and goes to the Super Bowl and you love every minute about it. He gets a 4-minute introduction when he comes out. They absolutely go crazy for it. He makes a tackle, he dances every play and you guys love it. Terrell scores a touchdown and he does his celebration and, for some reason, you guys just choose, 'We don't like you. You aren't one of the guys we pick.' I never thought it was fair."

This land is your land, this land ain't my land

What to make of the election results, particularly the exit polls that showed a large portion of the country cited "moral values" as their top priority when selecting a president. Apparently, much of the country is less concerned with the war on terror, the situation in Iraq, jobs, healthcare and the economy than they are about whether two men (or two women) can get married.

Admittedly, I live in one of the coastal "blue" states, but if that doesn't encapsulate the ideological divide in this country - I don't know what does.

Oh Manuel!

First, let me say that I think the hiring of Philllies manager Charlie Manuel is a positive step. But my anger and frustration stems from wondering why this move wasn't made 4 months ago!? If you were going to hire Manuel, why didn't you fire Bowa when the Phillies were playing listless ball in July and August in the hopes of lighting a fire under them (and yes, I am aware of the irony of firing the flame-throwing Bowa and promoting Manuel to "light a fire" under the 2004 team.)

Was Ed Wade afraid that Manuel might get the Phils to make a run at the wildcard, in which case he might be forced to bring him back next year, without the benefit of the casting call of interviews for again skippers?

Why would Wade feel the need to keep Manuel regardless (if he had made the move)? As my friend Ross noted, this is the big time. Why would you feel constrained in making another change after the year at the expense of your interim manager?

Why, indeed? Wade traded away prospects at the deadline to make a run at the playoffs. Why wouldn't he deal his manager for the same goal? Why wouldn't he just let Manuel know he would have to reinterview for the job?

Why, why why?

Oh, that's right. Cause they're the Phillies

Turnout

How is it that in this country and in the 21^st century that voters have to wait in line for 2 hours, and in some cases longer, to vote in presidential elections? Everyone decries the lack of civic participation in elections, but it seems the current system is specifically designed to only accommodate that dwindling minority that actually votes. If we are truly serious about increasing participation then a new commitment and new investments are needed to make sure that voting goes more smoothly and more quickly than it did yesterday. If not, then let’s just admit the fact that in 21^st century America, we prefer limited turnout.

Ravens view of TO's dance

Said Anthony Weaver, Ravens Defensive End, about TO's TD celebration, "His dance made me sick... I do have one thing to say about the dance and that is that I would not want to mess with Ray."

Yup, just ask the families of two dead men in Atlanta. You don't mess with Ray Lewis. Certainly when he pleads guilty of obstruction of justice in a double homicide.

But hey, the Eagles won't play the Ravens again for a couple of years at least.

My friend PK sent me an email after the Ravens game which I've posted. He also sent a copy to my brother who then responded in kind:

We will not have a letdown. Too much experience on this team (again, whythe Trotter and Douglas signings were so big). Also, Reid won't let ithappen. Reid is the best coach in the NFL not named Belichek. He keeps theteam even keel. He gets wrecked for his lack of comments or apparentemotion, but that's why this team overcomes the adversity that happens intoday's NFL. His press conferences are the same after wins as they afterlosses. I imagine you couldn't tell the difference between yesterday'spress conference and the one after the Pats last year in September. I trustReid will not allow us to be too flat. How can you not trust him after thepast 3-4 years (regular season). Belichek is much the same way. Thatcalming force is part of the reasons we could actually run the table.

WhenI looked at schedule at beginning of season I saw 14-2. The reason was allthe hard games were at home (beginning of season Steelers weren't good).Panthers/ Vikings/Packers/Ravens - all home. I can't see worse than that atthis point. Remember it's now November. Andy doesn't lose often inNovember (it must be his excitement for turkey/potatoes and stuffing!).The Vikings were all the rage the past few weeks. Look what happened tothem - at home!!

Goal #1 - win division DONE
Goal #2 - get bye DONE
Goal #3 - HF throughout DONE
Goal #4 - SB trip TBD

Think about it. If we play bad the next 9 weeks we still go 12-4. At worstwe tie the Vikings. We own tie breaker. No chance the giants go 12-4.At this point the only thing to play for is history. Why not us??

Eagles Euphoria

My friend PK sent me the following email after the Eagles beat the Ravens.

"January can't come fast enough." That was how Jeff [my brother] summed up the Birds situation in a message last night. Very true.Let's face it, the Eagles have been around since, what, the 1920s.We've never been 7-0. Never. Not once. Never.Until now, we're 7-0 now. 7-0.

OK, we're going to lose somewhere along the schedule here, and I predicted two weeks ago that it would happen in Pittsburgh, a "trap door" game because we'd be looking ahead to the Cowboys the following week on MNF.

Well, having looked through the entire schedule the rest of the way, there is NO WAY the Eagles should get caught looking past the Steelers.This is The Game of the Year, a possible Super Bowl match-up, the toughest team on the schedule at this point. Throw in the fact that the Steelers played above themselves today in beating the Pats, they might be headed for the letdown game, not us.Christ, we were in complete control of that game today against the Ravens and yet somehow they came out statistically ahead of us in everything, total yards, rushing yards, time of possession. Not sure how that happened.

A couple things that concern me, beyond the obvious thing (Westbrook's health):* we seem to have come down with a case of the not-quite-able-to-punch-it-in-the-end-zone-itis. Drives that just don't get finished off and instead we get an Akers field goal. If TO doesn't make that incredible move for the lone td today, that would have been another Akers field goal.*

D-backs. Lito and Brown have played OK this season, but I still have concerns about them in a really big game, big situation, against someone like Favre. In previous years, with all-pro corners who could go man-to-man without any worries, Jim Johnson could load up B-Dawk and the other safeties and the l-backers to stamp out the running game. He's still doing that to some extent now -- Dawkins and Lewis were the leaders in tackles today -- but it scares me to leave Lito over-exposed, which is exactly what happened on that heave by boller that led to the ravens lone td.those two things aside, holy crap, why not us? If Westbrook can come back healthy and play the rest of the season, we're looking seriously great. With two games against the Cowboys and two against the Skins, as well as a season finale against Cincy, that's basically five wins in the bag right there. There are only four other games against teams that should have a chance at beating us.And we're basically three games ahead of hte NFC field, given that the Giants and Vikes have two losses each and we beat them so we hold a tie-breaker over them.Another huge concern could well be getting to something like 12-1 and having home field wrapped up in early December and then not playing meaningful football for another month or so.

The emerging MLB theory is that wild cards win the World Series so often because they scratch and claw all the way down to the last weekend of the season while division winners often have huge leads and coast down the stretch.I sure hope that we don't do something like 14-2 or 15-1 only to lose our zing down the stretch.

Shut up Schilling

Curt Schilling has just concluded one of the gutsiest postseason performances in MLB history. And this blog's admiration for big #38 is well-documented. But I must say how disappointed I've been with Schilling's recent comments every time he opens up his mouth.

First it was all the God talk and him being a born again Christian. Then came some controversial stuff in an on-line Boston fan site interview. And then there was the Schillling as the Bush partisan. (I'm sure that played really well up in Boston and New England.).

For the love of Curt, would Schilling just shut up and let us bask in the glow of his post-season glory and his leading the Sox to their first championship in 86 years without hearing the stuff that is only detracting from his still forming legend.

TO's Ray Lewis Dance

Before the season (in my preseason prediction no less), I said a win against Baltimore and its punishing defense and nobody getting seriously hurt would be the best possible outcome from Sunday’s game.

Well, notwithstanding JR Reed’s hamstring and Pinkston’s pending knee injury, the 15-10 win was the best possible scenario. Sure the Ravens had 3 pro bowlers out on an offense that heretofore has been anemic to date (under the unsteady leadership of that noted field corporal, Kyle Boller), but a win is a win is a win. And is it the Eagles fault that Jamal Lewis’ suspension for drug charges happened to coincide with the Eagles matchup?

And what to make of TO’s TD celebration mocking Ray Lewis? It was instantly recognizable to any NFL fan. And it certainly didn’t sit well with the all-pro LB, nor many of his defensive teammates who were already stewing from TO’s slap at Ravens’ GM Ozzie Newsome’s comments to TO during the off-season trade/free agent debacle. (Oddly, two Ravens d-backs, Deion and Corey Fuller, took a different take by noting that the best way to shut up TO was to shut him down or shut him out of the endzone.)

My brother equated the dance to TO’s spiking on the Dallas star two years ago. Whatever the case, TO’s recent matchups with opponents in back-back-back weeks (Carolina’s Ricky Manning, Cleveland’s Jeff Garcia, and Baltimore’s Ray Lewis) has certainly brought a swagger to the Eagles this years. And like TO, the Eagles have backed up the talk, and walked the walk.

Heck, it ain’t bragging if you do it.

B-Dawk interview with P. King

Peter King poses THREE QUESTIONS WITH ...

Philadelphia safety Brian Dawkins, who teaches me about the word "crunk.''

MMQBTE: You got a pretty big scare against the Browns. Do you think it was good for you?

Dawkins: "I loved it. We needed it. There are going to be times when you come into a stadium on the road and get their best game and the fans are all crunk to beat you.''

[Editor's note: "Crunk'' means "excited,'' or "fired-up'' in some facets of our nation.]

MMQBTE: Why is that good for you?

Dawkins: "Because we've got so many young guys on this team who need to learn what it's like to play in a big game, a high-pressure game. We need the guys who are new to these games to get used to playing in them. Guys like [running back] Reno Mahe. Every time he touches the ball, he makes something happen, and it's good to see him do it in a tough road game when it counts.''

MMQBTE: The way you use your entire roster reminds me of the Patriots.

Dawkins: "The Patriots are amazing. What's so amazing abut them is they always play well in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line. In today's football, to win 20, 21 in a row, I don't know how they're doing it. Just amazing. I really admire what they've done.''

Donovan's detractors reconsider

Peter King has a new appreciation for Donovan McNabb and the explosive impact Terrell Owens has had on the Eagles' West Coast offense. see link attached.

McNabb getting national props

Peter King gets a new appreciation for Donovan McNabb and the explosive impact Terrell Owens has had on the Eagles' West Coast offense. Link attached.

Zook: Fights are Ok, Losses Aren't

The U. of Florida leadership may have wanted to send a strong message when it fired embattled head coach Ron Zook, but the message may not be the one the SEC power wanted to send.

Zook’s teams have played well with winning records, just not as well or as many wins as Steve Spurrier’s teams. And then Zook got into an “altercation” with members of a fraternity a day or two after several of his players got into a fight at the frat house.

That was disturbing enough, but even more disturbing was the way the Florida administration tolerated it, until Zook got thumped at home by Mississippi State. At which point, they fired him.

So the message from Florida is: it’s ok for a coach to get into it with university students so long as he is winning. But any coach that can’t back up his misbehavior with victories will be shown the door in Gainesville in a hurry.

hello again

I apologize for not posting in a while, I’ve been out of town and unable to access a computer or the Internet. A lot has happened in the interim.

We’ll have to get to all the Schilling stuff later. And to Terry Francona’s continued mismanagement that hasn’t seemed to impeded the Red Sox. Hey, Bob Brenly mismanaged his team to a World Series ring.

Anyway, back to the Eagles.

Last week’s win vs. Carolina was very encouraging for the manner in which the Eagles achieved it. It was a business-like approach. There didn’t seem to be any point, either before or during the game, that there was any sense – by the players, coaches or fans – that the Eagles were not going to win this game.

I liked TO’s trash talking to the Carolina secondary before the game. Heck, that’s part of the reason he was acquired. So guys like Ricky Manning can’t push are WRs all over the field. TO knows it. We know it. Todd Pinkston knows it. Even better, TO backs it up on the field. The message was unmistakable clear – this is a whole new year. A whole new team. And you aren’t beating us.

Eternally Schilling

My love for Curt Schilling is well documented on this site. And yes, I have given up the ghost that he will win the AL Cy Young this year. Johan Santana just had an extraordinarily monster season while Schilling only had a monster year.

But a similar fondness for Schilling extends to my brother and another friend, PK. We’re all from Philly, and acquired our appreciation for Schilling during his years with the Phillies. We all appreciate his big-game pitching talents and rooted for him when he won his World Series ring (and LCS and WS MVPs) with the Diamondbacks.

As disappointed as we are that the Phillies weren’t able to land him this off-season, Boston seems the second best place…kind of like Philly-North.

We are all still rooting for him and the Sox to beat the Yankees. One- cause we hate the Yankees and 2) another World Series will burnish his Hall of Fame credentials.

But there is a sense of melancholy were he to win with the Sox. As my brother notes, Schiling has always had a fondness for Philadelphia. As witnessed by his interest in being traded back here last off-season and for the home he still maintains in Chester County.

But should the Sox win the championship, we will probably lose that Philadelphia connection for good. He would achieve, literally, God-like status in New England were they to win it all – and as an added bonus deposing the hated Yankees. Clearly, their victory would be in large part to Schilling. All of which is to say that should they win and Schilling get into the Hall later, he will probably be inducted as a Red Sox. The D’backs stint doesn’t count. They’re an expansion team for chris sakes.

So while I want to see him do well, it will be bittersweet to realize that he will gone from us (Philly fans) forever and belong eternally to Red Sox Nation.

Eagles to catch a break with Lewis pending suspension?

If Al Michaels' sources at NFL HQ are to be believed, then the pending suspension of Jamal Lewis as mentioned on MNF last night is good news for the Eagles. According to Michaels, Lewis will plead guilty to lesser charges in his drug trafficking indictment, and spend 4-6 months in jail during the off-season. The league will suspend Lewis after next week's game for between 2-4 weeks which likely means that he will be unavailable to play in the Ravens-Eagles October 31st game. Lewis is the Ravens offense. Forcing shakey QB Kyle Boller to carry the entire load is great news for the Eagles in what could shape up to be an easier game than previously thought.

All according to plan

So, the Eagles are undefeated at the quarter mark of the season and go into their bye week 4-0. If you were scripting this, it couldn’t go much better:

TO has TDs in each of the four games, and 6 overall.

Westbrook has held up well to the added load, but 32 touches in Chicago is too many even if Westbrook wants the work.

McNabb has been nothing short of the league MVP. Remember when critics complained about his accuracy? 70% completion rate this season, baby. Amazing what a premier WR in your lineup will do for your QB’s performance.

Remember when the big concern was whether Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown could fill in for Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent? Don’t hear much about that anymore, either, do you? Containing Randy Moss will do wonders for your reputation.

Kearse? The other big-time off-season pick-up? He’s a one-man wrecking crew nearly singlehandedly wreaking havoc in offensive backfield’s. (Taking nothing away from the fine play of Simon, Walker and the revitalized Huuuugh Douglas. McDougle is also coming into his own.). Plus, Dhani Jones is playing really well.

Perhaps the biggest concern was the “handling” of TO and the fear that the Eagles would get off to a slow start a la last year – with McNabb underthrowing Owens, TO ranting about it on the sidelines, and dissension in the locker room unlike the steady, stable response to last year’s season on the brink. Obviously, that hasn’t come to pass. Winning and TDs have a way of mollifying everyone.

The only problem has been injuries. Shawn Andrews was a big loss (even with the injury, you don't hear many people questioning the decision to move up and pick Andrews 16th overall.) So was the veteran play of Jon Ritchie. Add in ND Kalu and Buckhalter and that it is a lot of starters gone for the season at this point in the season. It’s a credit to the personnel office that the team hasn’t missed a beat. But the big concern is that depth is now terribly thin and the team can’t afford more injuries at these positions. The NFL season is a marathon and the victor is often the one who survives the attrition best.

The added bonus is that the Eagles are drafting behind the New England Patriots whose 18 game winning streak is drawing all the national attention while the Eagles go quietly (relatively speaking) about asserting themselves as the best team in the NFC. Here’s hoping the Pats continue to win cause looking ahead, the Eagles should be 6-0 going into their Halloween matchup with the Ravens. A win in this game and even the Pats streak won’t keep eyes off of Philly then. Scary indeed.

How does Vegas do it!?

How do they do it? But for the foregoing of an extra point in lieu of a two-point conversion to get within 8, the margin of difference in the Eagles-Bears game would have been 9 (19-10), the exact line posted by Vegas oddsmakers! How do they do it? How could they have foreseen the Eagles' difficulties in the red zone resulting in 4 Akers' FGs - and 2 misses! that would have well exceeded the line. Amazing! Now, I know it is the sports books that originally set the line but then it is adjusted accordingly based on the amount of "action" being wagered on either team in any given contest, so much of the credit goes to the collective wisdom of the sports betting public - half of whom thought the Eagles would win by more than 9 and half of whom thought the Bears would lose by less than 9. Collectively, then - we're all geniuses. Individually, however, is a totally different story. And I mean that in a totally why does it always seem like i'm losing way. At least this time I was on the winning side (as I noted in an earlier post when claiming the Eagles would cover the 9.) One incomplete two-point conversion is the difference between winning and losing. Amazing.

Schilling Cy Young/MVP Watch

Schilling didn't get his last start on Friday vs. the Orioles since the games were meaningless after the Yankees clinched the division on Thursday and the Red Sox were already in as the Wildcard. He finishes 21-6, with 3 20 win seasons in the last 4 years. One of the knocks on Schilling in years past when it has come to the Cy Young is that it was difficult to vote for him as the best pitcher in the league when he wasn't even the best pitcher on his own team (ie, Randy Johnson). Similar criticism was, or could have been made earlier this year. But in the year he has been with the Sox (and with the decline of Pedro), Schilling is the undisputed ace of the Boston staff. Check out ESPN's the "Sports Guy's'" column on the Sox and his high praise for Schilling (note: the Sports Guy is a Boston native who is a diehard Red Sox fan). In fact, here's a little sample: "The torch has been passed: Pedro to Schilling.
At dinner last Sunday, my father mentioned that he liked our chances in October because we had "two aces." I patiently explained to him that Pedro wasn't an ace anymore; Dad vehemently disagreed.....Classic Pedro had another gear on his fastball. Aging Pedro rarely makes guys swing and miss in big spots. Against the Yankees in Game 7 and last Friday, both nail-in-the-coffin singles came on dink hits, mainly because Pedro can't fall back on that 97-mph heater to save his ass anymore. He's just a different pitcher, a No. 2 starter with a B-plus ceiling. He's certainly no Schilling.
My first Schilling/Fenway experience coincided with his 20th victory, which came against Tampa, a team we played 78 times this season. Of every development this season, the connection between Schilling and the Fenway fans has been the happiest. He's one of us. There's no other way to say it. If he wasn't a professional athlete, you can imagine him posting on message boards, calling radio stations and gulping down flat beer at games. For that reason, he resonates with the locals in a "Bird and Neely" kind of way. "

Mayberry's injury

Now, I'm no doctor but someone really needs to explain how Jermane Mayberry can be playing with a torn biceps tendon when Brian Westbrook was unable to late last year. I recall from Westbrook's injury that the arm becomes nearly useless. Obviously, that is a problem for a running back. But it would seem to me, that such an incapacitation would present similar if not greater difficulties for an offensive lineman. I mean, how do you pass block? One handed? Or do they just harness the arm to your torso and Reid's only going to call running plays over Mayberry so he can use his shoulders? I admire Mayberry's toughness and desire to play, but how he is going to play really needs more elaboration.

Phils finish strong...again

Boy, too bad the Phils didn't play this type of baseball in August...and July...and June...and May...and April. Had they, we wouldn't have to hear all about the amazing season the Braves put together and would instead be talking about the playoffs and how the Phils fulfilled all of the pre-season expectations by finally..finally deposing Atlanta. Nobody closes out a season by reeling off victories in meaningless games to attain that mystical milestone of 88 wins than the Philadelphia Phillies under the direction of Larry Bowa.

Bye, Bye, Bowa

Larry Bowa's firing before Saturday's game is just downright bizarre. If you were not going to let him finish out the season, why didn't you fire him a month and a half ago when the Phillies were playing uninspired ball, but still in contention for a wildcard berth? And having made your decision in August, why bring the ax down now, just before the season concludes? Perhaps Ed Wade was unnerved by the strong finish the Phils were putting together and didn't want to a repeat of years past when the final weeks managed to color the judgement of the front office and the fans as to the underperformance through most of the season.

Oh what a feeling

A couple of weeks ago in a post about the Giants game, I mentioned the atmosphere in the stands among the fans and the pervasive feeling that Philly fans get when they are optimistic but still have a general sense of foreboding that it is too good to be true and something bad will happen.

I think that unique combination of hope and dread is particular to Philadelphia and perhaps some other snakebit sports towns like Boston (the Red Sox) and Cubs fans. It's the mood that prompted my brother to comment in the days before the Eagles-Buccaneers NFC title game that was awash in stories about how the Eagles had set out to get homefield advantage throughout the playoffs and the impressive record of the home teams in those championship games by saying, "we're such losers, we'll probably lose." It was the same feeling that descended when they saw McNabb being helped off the field after Carolina LB Greg Favors dove into him in last year's championship game.

Now, Inquirer columnist Phil Sheridan has expanded on "the feeling" and maybe its exorcism this year. (see attached link)

Schilling Cy Young/MVP Watch

It looks like Curt Schilling will get one more start in the regular season with the possibility of maxing out his record at 22-6. He's scheduled to pitch Friday night. Of course, he probably wouldn't pitch if the Sox can't catch the Yankees for the division title and would instead rest up for game 1 of the divisional playoffs which start Tuesday. Still, stay tuned to today's doubleheader between the Yankees and Twins. From an intangible factor, it would be in Schilling's favor for his hopes of a Cy Young to pitch Friday night with a chance to narrow the Yankees lead over the Sox heading into the last two games of the weekend.

Also, check out Peter Gammons' column (attached link) on the candidates for the Cy Young and MVP awards. Note that he mentions Mariano Rivera for MVP. If a reliever can be an MVP candidate, why not a starter, specifically Schilling?

Eagles deny trade rumors

Several Philly media outlets are now reporting the Eagles have "emphatically" denied that they will try to trade for Chiefs RB Larry Johnson.

9 ?!

The Eagles' line for this week's game against the Bears opened at 9!!?? And will probably go higher closer to game time. The Bears secondary is decimated by injuries and they'll be starting their backup QB, Jonathan Quinn. Nevertheless....9 points is a lot of points to favor a road team in the NFL. It's an indication of how much respect the Eagles are getting. I mean, 9 points is the sort of line you saw with the '99 Rams or the '03 Chiefs, two of the most prolific offenses of the past two decades. Heady company. Man, that is a lot points. (I think the Eagles will cover.)

Another LJ on the roster?

Ok, take this news for what it for what it's worth considering it's second hand and its associated with sportsline.com, the same outfit that fell for an Internet hoax and erroneously reported that Clinton Portis had injured himself in a weight room accident and would be out 8-12 weeks, but according to Sportsline.com KC Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is on the trade market and the Eagles are shopping. Sportsline. com says, "The Kansas City Star reports that not only is Miami interested in trading for Johnson, but Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Dallas have also held discussions with the Chiefs about the former first-round pick. The team is reportedly asking for a veteran player at linebacker, wide receiver or cornerback or a draft pick." Interestingly, the Eagles have the Chiefs' 3rd round pick obtained in the trade of John Welbourn (as long as he meets playing time goals). Perhaps the Chiefs would like that pick back? Larry Johnson is a big back, 6'1", 230 lbs. With Buckhalter an unrestricted free agent after this season (to say nothing of coming off a second season ending knee injury) adding Johnson now, in addition to bolstering a depleted backfield, is the type of long-range move Andy Reid and the Eagles personnel office is renowned for.

Schilling Cy Young Watch

Schilling won number 21 yesterday as the Bosox beat up on the Yanks. Had Francona not left Pedro in the 8th inning Friday night just before the Yankees busted that game wide open, Schilling's win would have put the Red Sox only a game and half behind the Yankees with 6 to play. Since Schilling needs all the intangible factors he can get if he has any hope of beating out Johan Santana for the AL Cy Young, Francona's Friday night gaffe is no small miscue. (And what is it about Red Sox managers and them being incapable of taking Pedro out in the 8th inning of must win games vs. the Yanks (see game 7 2003 ALCS?).

A friend of mine who lives up in Boston and is a Sox fan says he considers Schilling the MVP of the team and of the league. Which begs the question, can Schilling win the MVP? and has any pitcher not won the Cy Young but won the MVP?

Taming the Lions, 30-13

Noting that the Eagles' most impressive win of the season at this stage would come against the...Detroit Lions? ... would likely count as one of the most surprising pre-season comments. Still. And it wasn't the "why" of the Eagles win that was most encouraging - not the potent offense, with the multiple threats; not TO catching another TD (a now regular Sunday occurrence); not the stifling D, the rampaging Jevon Kearse and the heavy pressure put on young Joey Harrington; not the solid special teams play. NO, the most impressive feat was how the Eagles won. They came in after a short week (MNF), on the road, against an upstart undefeated team --- and they put the hammer down. A quick and clean kill that practically crushed any thought of a Lions upset (they were getting 4 1/2 points) after the first quarter. In years past, the Eagles would have let such a team stay with them and struggle to keep their lead and the victory till the bitter end. But with this offense and downhill playing defense, it's score early, score often and don't let the opposition catch up. Hammer time, indeed.

Free LJ Smith from special teams!

In light of TE Kellen Winslow, Jr's season-ending broken leg suffered while trying to recover an onside kick, I think it's fair to ask when the hell Andy Reid is going to get LJ Smith off of special teams!?!

This guy is an emerging star. He's got size and speed (which is probably why he's on the sp. teams to begin with). But, c'mon. He's going to supplant Chad Lewis any day now as the starting TE. He's a terrific weapon. So why not move Lewis to special teams, where his loss would not be as devastating to the offense?

Schilling Cy Young Watch

Curt Schilling pitched 8 shutout innings vs. the Orioles the other night, but Keith Foulke's blown save cost him win #21. Of Foulke's 6 blown saves this year, 3 have come at Schilling's expense.

The failure to lock down win #21 considerably dimmed Schilling's chances for the Cy Young. Johan Santan is having a phenomenal second half (he's undefeated) and is leading the AL in strikeouts (Schilling is 3rd) and in ERA (where Schilling is .4 behind).

I figure at this point the only way Schilling can get the Cy Young is if he wound up with at least 3 more wins than Santana (making him 24-6) and helping the Sox catch the Yankees in the homestretch.

Even still, Schilling's season is remarkable. He's top 3 in the 3 main pitching categories and got to 20 wins for the third time in four years.

Eagles 27, Vikings 16

Lito Sheppard didn’t necessarily grow up last night, but his play certainly justified his selection as a first round pick three years ago. He was solid in coverage – where he was matched up with Randy Moss most of the night -- and he was surprisingly and impressively physical in making tackles and stopping runs. So can someone explain to me how come he wasn’t getting any props from the media on Tuesday morning? Randy Moss caught 8 balls for 69 yards. Let me repeat that to make sure it sinks in….8 balls, 69 yards. That, my friends, is essentially shutting down one of the NFL’s premier receivers (the premier receiver to hear Moss tell it.)

Heck, the whole Eagles’ secondary played well. Sure, Culpepper threw for 350 yards, but it sure didn’t seem like it. And the Eagles’ D limited the Vikings to 2 TD total, only one of which was a pass. All week leading up to this game all anybody could talk about was Randy Moss (and TO). So how come after the game, in which Lito and friends basically took Moss out of the game – certainly making him a non-decisive factor – there is so little praise, much less acknowledgement, of their accomplishments?

Sheldon Brown had a solid game too. And Michael Lewis! He brought the wood last night, flying around the field and hammering Culpepper on a key goal line stop. Dawkins was, well, typical Brian Dawkins…which is to say the standard by which all other free safeties in the league are measured.

My astute friend observed last night. Could Bobby Taylor or Troy Vincent have played better or been more effective than Sheppard last night? The answer is an emphatic no. Note to Philly media: the much maligned Lito Sheppard had a coming out party vs. the Vikings. A pity you didn’t notice..

Other thoughts and observations:

Dhani Jones had an outstanding game, seemingly everywhere on defense.

It was most likely the worst officiated game of the season, or that I’ve seen in some time. The “penalty” on the lateral to Freddie Mitchell and then the pass back to McNabb was further marred by the fact that it was initiated by Mike Tice’s challenge. He basically challenged a play cause the refs didn’t call the penalty. How can that be reviewable? Couldn’t you challenge holding on every play if that were true?

Mike Tice was challenge happy, but inexplicably didn’t challenge TO’s controversial TD “catch.” Was he out of challenges? On the flip side, Andy Reid strangely didn’t try to challenge Brian Westbrook’s fumble just before the half. Boy, you’d hate to lose a timeout in the first half on the off chance you might retain possession!

Jevon Kearse’s stats don’t tell even half the story of the havoc he wreaks on an offense. He lined up at end, interior line and LB.

The crowd was feisty and intense. The noise volume was noticeably high when the Vikings had the ball.

With regard to Randy Moss’ offensive pass interference: beyond it being a dumb, dumb play, it did highlight the need to make this penalty more punitive. Defensive pass interference is a killer penalty. Offensive pass interference is hardly equivalent. The league should also mandate that it results in a loss of down.

All things considered, getting home at 2:00 am wasn’t too bad. Traffic dissipated quickly.

I’ll give my friend TD the final word. Heard after the game, he said, “I don’t want to get caught up in the hype of a big win, but I think the Eagles could go 16-0.” Ummm, I think you just got caught up in the hype.

How is that the Vikings had the ball for 38 minutes – 38 minutes! – yet the Eagles only punted once?

There was no wind when Morten Andersen came up woefully short on his attempted 44 yard FG. Way short.

1 down - 15 to go

Wow! TO and Jevon Kearse played as advertised! 3 TD's for TO?! Kearse was all over the field. My favorite Kearse play was when he ran from across the other side of the field and caught Tiki Barber from behind. No wonder he has problems staying healthy! The guy is in on every freakin' play cause he's unGodly fast.

The Linc had a playoff intensity yesterday. And also that weird Philly feeling where you have such high hopes but secretly in the back of your mind are terrified the team is going to fall flat on its face (you know, like losing three straight nfc champ games.).

Unbelievable. Did Terrell Owens singlehandedly open up the entire field for the rest of the Eagles offense? Westbrook, Mitchell, Pinkston, Lewis, Smith all looked like they had plenty of space to operate. (BTW, what was Westbrook still doing in the game with 6 minutes to go and the Eagles up by 3 TDs?)

I know its the Giants and they're not very good, but is it possible that one game breaker can open things up for everyone else to the extent that he did in the Giants game?

Other thoughts and observations:

* I couldn't believe how thin Ron Dayne looked! Jeez, he actually looked quicker than the plodder we've all come to love (at least those of us rooting for rival teams in the NFC east).

* Tiki barber remains one of the few gints bright spots.

* Honest to gosh true story. Eagles get in the red zone for the first time. I think McNabb called a timeout just after they spotted the ball on the 20. My buddy sitting next to me says, "for all the hype surrounding TO and for as much talking as he does, Owens better score a TD here. On this play."

I say, if he scores on this play you've got to go buy a #81 jersey. My buddy says deal. Of course, the very next play McNabb hits Owens in the end zone. True to his word, he went out to the concourse and bought an Owens jersey.

Speaking of uniforms, there were an awful lot of Brian Dawkins jerseys yesterday. I would even hazard a guesstimate that I saw more #20 jerseys than #5, which as hard and as blasphemous as that may seem, appeared to me at least to be the case.

Also on the subject of the unis, those black "alternate" jerseys are ugly. And soooo original. Black. Wow. Like no team has a black jersey.

*Only a few of us suckers were there at the bitter end praying to God the Jints weren't going to score a garbage TD and cover the 8 1/2. Thankfully, McDougle(?) knocked Manning into next Thursday.

* What a pity for Shawn Andrews. He was playing like a veteran. Here's to a speedy recovery. Can't wait to see you next year. The injury will also have ramifications for next year. Did the Eagles coaching staff see enough of Andrews play to make an informed decision on the status of soon to be free agent Jon Runyan?

* Don't know if they showed this on TV, but after his 3rd td, they showed Owens on the sidelines on the jumbotron. The crowd is going wild. Owens sees himself on the big screens and puts his hand to his ear a la Hulk Hogan. The place went absolutely bonkers and ratcheted up the decibels even higher.

* Did anyone see Kearse start from the other side of the field and run down Barber in the 1st half?! Amazing!

* I know the Giants aren't very good, but they've always given the Eagles trouble. Still, a very encouraging start to the season. If the Eagles play like that vs. Minnesota, they'll be 2-0 and looking real, real strong.

2004 - Here We Come!

After three straight appearances in the conference championship and the acquisitions of Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse in the offseason, Eagles fans can’t be faulted for believing that a fourth championship game appearance and, hopefully, a Super Bowl victory are within the team’s grasp this year. Unfortunately, preseason expectations of most teams too often don’t hold through the actual season. Just ask the Buccaneers, who looked like world beaters vs. the Eagles in the season opener last year but failed to even make the playoffs. That oblong ball has a funny way of taking unusual, game changing, season shifting bounces. There is simply no guarantee that the Eagles will make the NFC championship and even earn a playoff berth.

The return of Joe Gibbs is just another reminder that one of the keys of the Eagles success over the past three years is that they basically have had their way with their division rivals. The Redskins have been in disarray ever since Dan Snyder bought the team. Cowboys coach Dave Campo was incompetent,(in addition to having a roster with little talent.) And the Jints, while always tough, were perennially dealing with the fate of Jim Fassel.

All that has now changed. The Eagles will be lucky to split with the Skins. And the two games vs. Parcells should be tough (but winnable). Ironically, the toughest division foe of recent years, the Giants, should now be the easiest.

Moreover, the pressure is really on Andy Reid now. Not only does he have to get over the hump of the conference championship game, but for a team whose best player is on offense and whose head coach calls the offensive plays it has been the defense that has carried this team for his entire tenure. It’s time for the offense to carry the burden. One need only look at the final scores of the three championship games to discern the trend. The high powered Rams offense scored 29 points. The Buccaneers scored 20 offensive points (discounting Barber’s INT TD). And the Panthers scored 14 points. The Eagles defense has allowed less points in each of the three games.

Unfortunately, the vaunted Eagles offense has also scored less points in those three games. 25 vs. the Rams. Only 10 against the Bucs. And a measly FG put up against the Panthers. With the emergence of Westbrook as a triple threat out of the backfield and the trade for premier WR TO, Reid will not be able to avoid the blame if the offense fails to live up to expectations this year. This is particularly true since this is probably the weakest Eagles defense of the past three years.

Of course, we got a flashes of the offense’s potential potency last year, most notably in the high scoring game at Miami. Here’s hoping that it wasn’t a tease but finally comes to fruition in 2004.

NFC East predictions:
Eagles 12-4
Redskins 10-6
Cowboys 9-7
Giants 5-11


Game by game breakdown

Giants – If Eli Manning were starting this game, this game would be a blowout. Jim Johnson’s defenses eat young QB’s for lunch. Even still, this should be a win. Heck, the Eagles are 8 point favorites. It will be interesting to see how shell shocked Kurt Warner is. My own theory is that he took too many shots, especially blows to the head, while standing tall in the pocket and delivering pinpoint passes to fleet Rams receivers during the “Greatest Show on Turf’s” glory years. Those blows have caught up with him. Hard to believe the Giants were considered a playoff contender last season but begin this year in full rebuilding mode.

Vikings – I would have likely listed this game as a loss were it being played in Minnesota. It’s not, so it’s an Eagles’ win. C’mon, I mean, Mike Tice? This could be the game where Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown earn their stripes covering Randy Moss, or it could be the game that prompts a flood of calls to WIP Tuesday morning demanding the return of Bobby Taylor.

@ Lions and Bears, oh my! - These two North division teams get lumped together. Thankfully, the Eagles don’t have to play these teams in a year or two when they should be very tough. The Lions are still young and the Bears are rebuilding. These are wins. Even with a loss to the Vikings, worst case scenario is the Eagles enter the bye week at 3-1.

BYE

Carolina – Rematch of the NFC Championship game. The Eagles are a better, healthier team than they were then. Somehow, Jake Delhomme throws a twenty yard out that turns into an 80 yard TD in the Super Bowl and he’s the second coming of Archie Manning. We’ll see. Eagles win.

@ Cleveland – Tough game against an improving team. Should be a win, but is trap game coming on the road a week after the revenge game vs. Carolina.

Baltimore – Jamal Lewis may have broken Dickerson’s season rush record had he played against the Eagles last year. Alas, this is not last year. And did you see Kyle Boller in the preseason? He’s shakier than a Polaroid picture. The Ravens defense is still ferocious, so let’s hope there aren’t any serious injuries coming out of this game

@ Pittsburgh – See Cleveland above. Duce will have a good game. Win.

@ Dallas (Monday night) – If Vinny Testaverde is still upright when the Eagles come to Big D, he won’t be for long. If he’s not and Tony Romo’s the starter, this is definitely a win. On the other hand, Parcells inexplicably got 10 wins out of Quincy Carter.

Washington – The Eagles will split with Joe Gibbs’ team, so this home game is a win and their away game is a loss.

@ NYG – Eli Manning will likely be playing at this point. It’s a win.

Green Bay – Rematch of the divisional playoff. I think the Eagles will win this game, but for the sake of margin of error I’ll put it down as a loss.

@ Washington – See Washington above. If the Eagles can steal a win vs. the Redskins and sweep them, they’re probably on pace for homefield advantage in the playoffs. That’s a good thing, right?

Dallas – If the Eagles are going to lose a second game within the division, it will be against this team. This game in particular? Probably not.

@ St. Louis (Monday night football) – Although St. Louis might be a contender for the team with the highest expectations that falls flat on their faces, until the games get played and we see if it’s true, put this one down as a loss at the RCA Dome.

Cincinnati – Cincy will be much improved, but Carson Palmer doesn’t scare me and this is probably a meaningless game for the Bengals while the Eagles may be playing for playoff seedings, including a bye. Win.

For argument’s sake, you can assign another loss among one of the following games: Minnesota, Carolina, Baltimore, Dallas --- and the Eagles should still go 11-5 (10-6 at absolute worst). Good enough for the playoffs, maybe even a bye, but probably not homefield advantage. That’s ok, the most important thing is to get the bye. The rest will care of itself.

Howard Eskin's Rumorville

Wow, I always thought Howard Eskin's reports from "Rumorville" on George Michael's sports machine were intended to be tongue in cheek. But given the legal settlement reached between Eskin, WIP, and Allen Iverson's lawyer - it is fair to ask if Eskin just makes this stuff all up as he goes along. Sports radio and a lack of facts? Do you think?

"Howard Eskin, the afternoon drive-time host on sports talk-radio station WIP-AM (610), has been suspended for 30 days to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Richard Sprague, a lawyer for 76ers star Allen Iverson." from the Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/9/04

A Last Look Back

Before posting predictions and projections about the upcoming 2004 season, let’s take one last look at 2003- and what might have been. Certainly the biggest lesson learned from 2003 is how fickle the NFL and the Eagles in particular can be. The season started off with so much promise, then descended into near unbridled panic, and finally wound up with the Eagles hosting the NFC championship game again. The other lesson from last season is how important momentum can be and how large single plays and certain games ultimately loom for both the Eagles and their opponents.

I couldn’t decide of whether to do two separate top 10 lists of the best and worst plays of the season or just to lump them all together. What I settled on was to do label it the most critical plays (both good and bad) and see how that turns out.

11. 1 LJ Smith drops the touchdown pass from Koy Detmer on 4th and goal vs. Tampa in the very first game at the Linc. Who knows how that game plays out if the Eagles actually go up 7-0 in the first quarter. As it was, they got shutout and gave a subtle hint at how anemic their offense would be in the early part of the season.

10. The onside kick to start the game in Dallas that backfired utterly when the Cowboys retuned it for a TD. It was the margin of difference in the final score, but spoke volumes of Andy Reid’s psychology. It was the onside kick that started the season vs. Dallas in 2001 that sent the unmistakable message that the Eagles were a team not to be taken lightly. The 2003 onside kick seemed to be an attempt to reclaim some of that magic and some of that swagger. Instead it highlighted that the Cowboys were now being coached by a professional and not Dave Campo.

9. The Eagles defense stuffs Stephen Davis on 4th and inches inside the red zone during the Panthers-Eagles game. Carolina didn’t score, but the play was a huge lift to a defense that had come under withering criticism for being unable to stop the run. John Kasay inexplicably missing 3 FGs and an extra point also helped the Eagles cause.

8. Brian Westbrook’s 62 yard TD run in Buffalo that sealed the win for the Eagles in the must win game of the season. That the must win game came in week 3 speaks to just how horrid the start was in the first two games of the season.

7. Eagles deflect Patrich Ramsay’s 2 point conversion attempt that would have tied the score with less than a minute to go as the Redskins late rally falls short, 27-25. I think much maligned Lito Sheppard was the one that defensed the pass, but can’t say for certain. The Eagles were comfortably ahead for most of the game and having Washington tie it, much less perhaps winning in OT would have been a disaster. Somehow, this play is kind of forgotten in shaping the Eagles’ season, probably because it came a week before Brian Westbrook’s punt return TD against the Gints. The loss knocked Washington into a tailspin from which they never really recovered.

6. The Eagles stuffing Green Bay on fourth and goal from the one in the divisional playoff. I believe it was Jerome McDougle who made the tackle, but Corey Simon? Who blew up the play with his penetration.

5. Koy Detmer’s INT at the goal line with five minutes to go in the game. In some ways, it was eerily similar to the pick McNabb threw the year before to Ronde Barber. In both instances, the Eagles were rallying on long drives that would have put them within one score in the last five minutes of the game and with the momentum shifting to the home team. Each pick was game, set, match.

4. DeShaun Foster breaking tackle after tackle, most of them Simoneau’s, before scoring the Panthers’ second TD in the champ. game. How different would the fourth quarter have played out had the Panthers only been ahead 10-3 instead of 14-3.

3. Freddie Mitchell’s 4th and 26 catch. ‘Nuff said on this fantastically amazing play. A pity the Eagles didn’t make the super bowl at which point this play becomes legendary as opposed to merely stupendous. It’s also worth noting that for a passer who experts say has questionable accuracy, McNabb threaded the needle on the pass with the entire season on the line.

2. McNabb being “tackled” by Carolina LB Greg Favors in the NFC championship, separating McNabb’s ribs and assuring that the Eagles’ best player would not be 100% healthy for the second straight championship game. For all of the league’s emphasis on protecting QBs, the fact that an LB was allowed to dive into a prone QB --- one of the league’s premier players in the second biggest game of the season --- without some sort of penalty being called, unnecessary roughness? remains mystifying.

1. Brian Westbrook’s game winning TD punt return in the last minute of the Eagles-Giants game. It’s hard to overstate just how bad and listless the Eagles looked during this game. Westbrook’s return shifted most of the focus on McNabb’s thumb (remember that issue?). The Westbrook play also had the twin benefit of dealing a severe blow to a division rival. Although the Jints won their next two games, its to ponder if NYG wouldn’t have gone into the nosedive they did if they hadn’t loss this game in such gut wrenching fashion.

A Pessimistic Preview

Here's SI's Peter King's negative thoughts about what happens if things go bad with TO in Philly appearing in this regular MMQB column.

Now, about Philly. I have the same questions all of you do. I just think many of you are thinking all the questions will be answered positively. I don't. There's too much risk in this team for me. Does Jevon Kearse make all the difference to the defense?

"He tilts the field when he's in there,'' his former defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, told me. When he's in there. Those are the key words. This is the ultimate speed rusher, and in the last two years he's missed 16 games with a broken foot, a sprained foot and sprains of both ankles.

I love Brian Westbrook, and my gut tells me he'll be more Tiki Barber than Amos Zereoue, a little back who can touch it 320 times and stay healthy. If he can't, Philadelphia's in big trouble, because I don't think Donovan McNabb's the kind of keep-the-chains-moving, eat-the-clock quarterback you need in a runner-weak offense. I've heard him counter my claim about him not being accurate enough at 57 percent in a passer-friendly offense (not that it's just me who's saying it) three or four times this summer. And McNabb's such a good guy I hope he proves me wrong. Maybe a very good receiver takes you from 57 to 63 percent. Think of it. If you throw 450 passes in a season, the difference between 57 percent and 63 percent is 27 completions.
The addition of Owens could do that, right? Well, the addition of Owens also means McNabb will likely be throwing downfield more than he has in the past. No matter how good, and how open, Owens is, I'm dubious McNabb can jack up the completions that much.

Now about Owens. I spent some time with him a month ago at camp, and I give him credit for doing so, because he knows what I've said about him. (Last year, in the midst of his Tour de Destruction of San Francisco, I said, "Terrell Owens is everything that is wrong with pro football.'') He and McNabb said all the right things about how Owens wouldn't be a distraction if he wasn't getting the ball, as long as the Eagles were winning. I guess I'm going to view that skeptically. Let me show you a little chart here (left).

So this is what was so hard to live with. This was what Owens just couldn't stomach anymore. When I sat with Jeff Garcia in Cleveland a month ago to ask him about it, I was surprised to find him so, so ... sad.

All he'd ever done is show up to work every day and worked his rear end off to be the best player he could be, yet his co-star kept dissing him in the press for his lousy arm. How lousy could it be? I mean, look at those numbers. For a four-year period, 2000-2003, Garcia-Owens was more productive than Daunte Culpepper to The Great Randy Moss, by 15 catches and seven touchdowns. Culpepper has the huge arm and Garcia the piddling one, right? Maybe not. The average Culpepper completion to Moss went for exactly 12 inches longer than the average Garcia hookup to Owens.

You're asking why I bring this up. Simple. If Owens found so much to bitch about in San Francisco catching 87 passes and 12 touchdowns a year, how's he going to feel in the Philly, where there's a chance he could have lower numbers in both categories? How's he going to feel going from a 63-percent career thrower (Garcia) to a 57-percent career passer (McNabb)? Will he grow alligator arms reaching for McNabb's errant throws?
I''m not predicting doom. I'm really not. I am raising the point that it's easy to be on an NFL honeymoon on Labor Day. Everything's beautiful today. I just don't know if everything will be beautiful two months from today.

I think there's a good chance Owens will be on much better behavior with a quarterback he respects and considers a good friend in McNabb. And McNabb is the king of his locker room, the way Derek Jeter lords over the Yankees' clubhouse. McNabb will be able to keep Owens in line if he strays. Probably. I emphasize "probably.'' There is much at stake for Owens, because he begged to come to Philadelphia. That's the biggest reason I think this has a good chance of working.

As that noted football philosopher Bill Parcells once said: "That's why they play the games.''

Levens Leaving

I'm not sure what is the most surprising thing about the whole Dorsey Levens experience.

1) That he was waived two weeks after he was signed to add some size and veteran experience to an otherwise thin and young RB corps?

2) That he was waived without a hint that it was coming and after getting a substantial amount of playing time in the Eagles game vs. the Jets.

3) That Andy Reid has decided to enter the season with Westbrook, Mahe, and Thomas Tapeh (Tapeh?!) as the front line halfbacks. (Hardly Staley, Buckhalter and Westbrook).

4) That Dorsey Levens, at 34, would have been the second oldest RB in the league!

5) That Andy Reid came to the same conclusion EaglesEye had two weeks earlier. To wit, Dorsey Levens was in serious decline as an NFL player.

Take your pick.

Right back at Huuuughh!

Hugh Douglas has always been a fan favorite so it's nice to see the admiration is reciprocal.

"The Philadelphia fans are the greatest," Douglas said.

Thanks. You're great too.

Schilling watch

I'm still a huge Curt Schilling fan, years after he stopped wearing Phillies' pinstripes and criticizing management.

I'm a nutty optimist, but I still hold out hope that #38 can get into the Hall of Fame. I figure he needs at least 225 career wins to have any shot at enshrinement. Even then, he will have to rely on a number of intangibles associated with his play. To wit, his World Series co-mvp award for one thing.

Along those lines, a Cy Young award would also help bolster his case immensely. He took a huge step toward that accomplishment last night with his 17th win of the season. He's now tied for first in the AL in wins, 3rd in ERA, and 3rd in strikeouts.

If he can get to 20 wins, maintain those other numbers, and if he helps carry the Sox into the playoffs, and particularly if they can catch the fading Yankees, then a strong case can be made for his first Cy Young.

Schilling watch

I'm still a huge Curt Schilling fan, long after he stopped wearing Phillies pinstripes. He's one of the game's premier big-game pitchers.

I'm a nutty optimist, but I still hold out hope that #38 can get into the Hall of Fame. I figure he needs about 225 career wins to have any shot of enshrinement. Even then, he'll have to rely on the intangibles associated with his candidacy. To wit, his World Series co-MVP award will help bolster his case.

What would also help tremendously would be if he won at least one Cy Young award (that would help address one of the criticisms that he hasn't even been the ace of his own last two teams). He took a big step toward that accomplishment with his 17th win of the season last night.

He's now tied in the AL for wins, third in ERA and third in strikeouts. If he were to get to 20 wins and helped the Red Sox get into the playoffs, and doubly if they could catch the fast falling Yankees, he would have a very strong case for that first Cy Young.

Bush Twins- Party Hearty

Even non-partisans can agree that the appearance/speech last night of Jenna and Barbara Bush was the most cringe-inducing event of the Republican National Convention. Maybe it seemed like a good idea to humanize the leader of the free world by showcasing his daughters (but really, First Lady Laura Bush would have sufficed in and of itself), but the Twins' five minutes of fame (it seemed painfully, painfully longer) was just downright bizarre.

The tag-team speech itself didn't help - an odd mix of homage and humor - and the girls' woo-hoo delivery merely confirmed their vapidness and party hearty reputation. This is the next generation of the Bush dynasty?!!?

Having shown little interest in world events or the family business for the past 22 years, the girls now want to participate in their dad's last campaign. Now we know why they've been AWOL this entire time. They're insipid dolts. They may want a role in the presidential campaign, but what good can they accomplish on the stump after that disastrous appearance?

BTW, did anyone else think it strange that while the President spoke to the convention via satellite after his girls' intro that the people in the background continued to play softball as the President spoke?