9/23/2008 07:49:00 PM

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Eagles 2008 Season Log: Week 3, Defense Stifles Steelers


With Dallas and the Giants at 3-0, and the Redskins at 2-1, the Steelers game turned out to be a must-win for the Birds. Fortunately, the Defense came through and the offense did just enough to win the game, leaving both the Eagles and the Redskins at 2-1 looking up at the undefeated Cowboys and Giants.

Jimmy Johnson's Defense put on quite a show against the Steelers. Our cross-State rivals were stifled in every aspect of their offensive game. We sacked Big Ben 9 times, and hurried or hit him dozens more. Fast Willie got nothing all game, and our CB trio of Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown shut down the passing game.

People have been wondering where this Defense was against the Cowboys. But the Cowboys are a different team with a monstrous offensive line, Marion Barber and Felix Jones in the backfield, and TO catching passes. Oh, and one of the best Tight Ends in the league beating people up over the middle. I don't know--maybe the game plan could've been more aggressive against the 'Boys. I tend to think that both teams game planned for a shoot-out, and that's what we got. The Cowboys got the better of us mostly b/c of the late fumble by McNabb.

Anyway, I digress away from the Steelers game. This game was like a classic, late-season, battle of NFC East teams. The Eagles D beat up the Steelers, but we got beat up too. Westbrook sprained his ankle, McNabb missed a few plays, LJ Smith's back acted up, and Tony Hunt left the game with a concussion. Fortunately, the Defense and Special teams did enough to keep the Eagles offense in the game (the same was not true for the Steelers) and we escaped with a 15-6 victory, and no serious injuries.

Many of the experts put the Steelers in the top tier of the AFC, but the Eagles exposed them--at least on the offensive side of the ball. They will have a hard time beating a team like the Broncos or Chargers if they can't find any playmakers on offense. But I don't care about the Steelers. The Birds played a solid game and escaped with a victory. That makes me happy.

This week, we travel to Chicago for a Sunday night game against the Bears. The Bears aren't good, but they're still the Bears and the game is still on the road. Even though Westbrook will probably sit this one out, the Bears offense is so terrible that the Eagles should have enough to get it done. After this weekend in which the Giants are resting, the Redskins will either be 3-1 and tied with the Cowboys, or 2-2, leaving the Cowboys atop the division at 4-0. Another must win?

9/19/2008 10:26:00 AM

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Eagles 2008 Season Log: Philly Media on McNabb, Steelers Game a Must Win?


On Tuesday morning after the loss to the Cowboys, both the national and local media were tipping their hats to the Eagles for their effort the previous night. Both the Philly media and Eagles fans have always had mixed views on McNabb, so I was particularly surprised at the positive messages coming from both about the loss to the Cowboys. Later during the week, however, things quickly devolved into "McNabb can't win the big one" and "McNabb choked" when he fumbled the handoff to Brian Westbrook.

I can't tell you how pleasurable it is to not have to be surrounded by that vitriol all the time. McNabb is a Pro Bowl QB, he's healthy and back to form, and he can win the big one. The Defense let us down against the Cowboys, not McNabb. And don't forget we were down two starting WRs in that game. If everyone stays healthy, I guarantee you that when Dallas visits Philly in Week 17, a)the game will mean something, and b)we'll walk away the victors. That's how close in talent I think these two teams are.

Anyway, back to matters at hand. On Sunday, the Steelers (2-0) visit Philadelphia. While it's probably a little early in the season to call a game a Must Win, this one is pretty close. Both the Cowboys (at Green Bay) and the Giants (hosting Cincy) have very winnable games. If they both win and the Eagles don't, we'll be 2 games back after Week 3, and that's not good. With how evenly matched the NFC East is and how much everyone beats up on each other when they meet, being 1 game back is nothing to worry about at this point in the season. Two is a different story altogether.

The last time the Eagles and Steelers met in the regular season was 2004, and the Steelers kicked our asses up and down the field that day, winning 27-3. It's a different Steelers team with a different coach, but the style of football is the same. The Eagles have to shake off the loss to the 'Boys and show up ready to play. If we do, and can stop the run, we should be allright. My man McNizz will come through.

9/16/2008 09:06:00 AM

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Eagles 2008 Season Log: Week 2, MNF in Dallas


Wow. S**t. Wow. S**t.

Wow--it was a great game filled with big plays, turnovers, a healthy McNabb using his legs to keep plays alive, and tons of scoring.

S**t--the Eagles lost to the Cowboys 41-37 in a game they had control of and could've won. Yes, they made a great showing on the road against a very very good football team. But I don't give a s**t about that. The NFL is about wins and losses, and we didn't win last night.

The media--even the contemptuous Philly media--are all giving the Eagles props for keeping the game close and having a legitimate chance to win. The reason this is the case is that the Cowboys are everyone's favorite to win the Super Bowl this year. It's pretty clear I'm in the minority, as my opinion is not only influenced by my hatred of the team, but more importantly their 0 for the playoffs coach, their 0 for the playoffs quarterback, and their lack of a single playoff win since the Troy Aikman/Emmit Smith/Michael Irvin era. I also still believe, in my heart of hearts, that the Eagles aren't yet ready to give up the crown as the dominant NFC East team of this decade. Not with McNabb returning to form, not with Mr. Westbrook on the field, and not with the moves they made this offseason.

The Cowboys are a good team, no doubt, and I give them credit where credit is due. They have a high powered offense, a fast and strong defense, and get game breaking abilities from Felix Jones on Special Teams. But the Eagles should've won that game last night. At least they could have, and we blew it.

Here's where the Eagles fell short:

1. At least in the first half, TO ran all over our allegedly high-powered secondary and scored two TDs.
2. We gave up too many yards--particularly the TD--to Felix Jones in the return game.
3. Our weakness at WR was exposed, particularly in the second half, and we didn't get LJ Smith involved like he was against the Rams.
4. Protection of McNabb was great in the first half, but fell apart in the second half with him being constantly flushed out of the pocket and forced to use his legs in ways that make me (and probably every other Eagles fan) gasp until he would get up from the ground after being hit.
5. We had zero sacks. That's right, ZERO. You cannot beat Tony Romo without pressuring him.
6. For one night, Westbrook took on the hands of Dikembe Mutumbo.

On the bright side, all of these things are basically correctable, and were the game in Philly, the Cowboys might be saying the same things about why they lost. McNabb is back, and almost every other team in the league would've been blown out by the Cowboys last night. We hung tough and should've won. Nevertheless, it hurts, even more than the Patriots loss last year. We had this game in our grasp, but literally and figuratively fumbled it away.

It's only week 2, so it's important to keep things in perspective. Assuming everyone stays healthy, when Dallas visits Philly on the last weekend of the season, the two teams are likely to be playing in a game with a lot more significance, and they very well may meet in the Playoffs. For the Cowboys to earn their Super Bowl berth, they'll need to go through Philly in December, and probably New York too, as we can't forget who the reigning Super Bowl champs are.

We have the Steelers at home next week. It'll be good to return to the cozy confines of the Linc, but our cross-State rivals play a tough brand of Football, and the Eagles will have to be on their game (as they were in Dallas) to get the W.

9/12/2008 08:51:00 AM

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Eagles 2008 Season Log: Cowboys Talking



There's an age-old adage in life to act like you've been there before. In a business meeting, when you're approaching that hot chick at the bar, in sports, and in many other situations. This week, while the Cowboys haven't said anything too inflammatory, they aren't acting like they've been here before. And guess what? This Cowboys team hasn't been there before. They are 4-12 against the Eagles this decade, and they haven't won a playoff game since Troy Aikman was QB. In contrast, the Eagles went to 4 straight NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. Yes, yes, yes...Dallas has one 4 (I think) SB wins, but those bragging rights belong to the fans, not the players who have no relation to eras past.

In contrast, the Eagles are laying low and saying all the right things--particularly Andy Reid's comment that TO will go down as one of the best WRs ever to play the position. With the core group of veterans that has more than a few playoff victories under their belt, they know that, in this rivalry especially, all that matters is what happens on the field.

So, keep talking Cowboys. All it does is provide fodder for the Eagles to get even more motivated than they already are for this early season matchup.

9/10/2008 08:05:00 PM

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Eagles 2008 Season Log: Week 1, Lowly Rams Visit Philly


Even though it was a Sunday, I woke up at 6am, charged with anticipation about the kickoff of the Eagles 2008 campaign. When the rest of the family got up, we ventured out to get some coffee and let Hannah play in the fountains at our local Whole Foods. When I saw someone in the distance walk by wearing an Eagles jersey, I thought about embarrassing myself with a call of affirmation...until I realized that this idiot was wearing a Kevin Kolb jersey. What kind of idiot (a racist, perhaps?) wears a Kevin Kolb jersey. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he went to Houston, or is Kolb's brother.

Anyway, as 10am kickoff approached, my adrenaline started flowing and I started getting excited, and my excitement rubbed off on Hannah. Last season, she was introduced to Football, and began to recognize it when it was on TV. This year, she gets to know and love the Eagles. During the preseason, I had her chanting "Go Eagles," and on Sunday, I had her singing the first lines of the Eagles fight song. My enthusiasm was rubbing off.

Like many NFL teams, the Eagles typically script their first X plays of every game. On Sunday, they executed those plays flawlessly. 1. Get DeSean Jackson involved and into the flow early. Check. 2. Show LJ Smith that he's going to be relied on again now that he is healthy. Check. 3. Give the TD to Brian Westbrook, last year's NFL All Purpose Yards leader. Check. Eagles 7, Rams 0.

While many would argue that the Rams were an unworthy opponent, the Eagles played near flawless football throughout the afternon. McNabb looked sharp, confident, accurate, and completely satisfied with the weapons at his disposal. Andy Reid never plays rookie wide receivers, but DeSean Jackson appears to have the work ethic and the talent to make even Andy Reid--one of the more stubborn NFL coaches--change his routine. LJ Smith is healthy and back to being a receiving force in the middle of the field. It looks like we got faster on defense, and even though one member of the secondary is unhappy, the CB combination of Asante Samuel, Lito Sheppard, and Sheldon Brown is a formidable group. And perhaps most importantly of all, special teams (which more or less provided negative value last year) played great, generating more than 100 yards in the return game, and downing the ball deep in Rams territory multiple times.

The Eagles racked up the points and the yards throughout the day, as the Rams barely looked like a mid-tier NCAA team. Playoff teams are supposed to beat up on teams like the Rams the way the Eagles did, so I have no complaints. And the way the Eagles played makes me think that my exuberance about this season is justified. One game does not a Super Bowl winner make, but we're on the right track. Even Donovan feels good about the fast start (http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/Checklist_Start_fast_Yes/330002).

Final score: Eagles 38, Rams 3.

Next up: Monday Night Football, Eagles @ Dallas. It's way too early to put high stakes on this game, but I think the winner has an inside track on the NFC East.

I'll be back for an update before kickoff on Monday night.

9/07/2008 10:24:00 AM

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Eagles 2008 Season Log: Intro


My life as a sports fan is back now that the 2008 NFL Season has arrived. Through this blog, I'm going track the highs and lows of the 2008 season, told through the eyes (mine) of a long-suffering, but ever hopeful, diehard fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The past couple years have been tough--particularly as a big fan of Eagles QB Donovan McNabb. Since their loss in Super Bowl 39 to the Patriots, the team has only made the playoffs once, and McNabb has not won a Playoff game. First, a sports hernia and the antics of Terrell Owens wrecked the team's chances in 2005, then he tore his ACL on a freak play (he wasn't hit) in 2006. Last year, he wasn't healthy until late in the season, and the team missed the Playoffs despite a strong finish. These 2 years came after 4 consecutive NFC Championship game appearances (1-3 record).

Like all NFL fans, I am optimistic every year, when everyone is "undefeated." This has been especially true for me given that I started paying close attention again (the team was pretty bad for about 5 years before Reid came in) with the arrival of the Reid/McNabb era in 1999. So it should be without surprise that my optimism is back this year.

This year feels different. It feels more like rational exuberance. McNabb is healthy, and the team has reloaded. They drafted Cal standout WR DeSean Jackson, signed Asante Samuel from the Pats, traded a 4th rounder for Lorenzo Booker, got faster at LB, and have a balanced and deep DL.

I'd probably be less exuberant if there were an NFC equivalent to the Patriots or Colts--teams that go deep into the Playoffs every year. After the two top teams (Cowboys and Packers), the NFC was wide open last year, and the 8-8 Eagles had a legitimate shot at the Playoffs until late in the Season. With the Farve-less Packers and Playoff winless-Romo, it's even more wide open this year, and I look for the Birds to return to form.

Despite my excitement, there's a reason they play the games, and I've got 16 ahead of me. I look forward to sharing my season with you. Please stay tuned.

E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles!