Chundles

With the Eagles surprising run into the second round of the playoffs, their bandwagon has suddenly gotten crowded with Reid/McNabb bashers who can only marvel, like the rest of us, at how well the team is playing headed into the game against the Giants. Regardless of the outcome of this game, it's time for the haters among us--fans, media or both--to shut up. This is the greatest era in Eagles history, and as the team has proven since Thanksgiving, there's still some fuel in the tank.

I have to admit, I thought the era was over after McNabb was benched during the Baltimore game (which surprisingly was a 12-7 game going into the 4th quarter, and we lost 36-7). This season has been full of ups and downs, but the Baltimore game was rock bottom, and even the biggest McNabb supporters, like myself, thought it was over. Maybe not for Reid, but definitely for McNabb. He was playing some of the worst football of his career, and the team was sinking fast.

Despite the clunker against the Redskins in Week 16, the team won 4 of its last 5 games, and snuck into the playoffs after the lowly Raiders beat the Buccaneers, and we demolished the Cowboys. Everyone from the coaches to the players deserve some credit for the run they've gone on, but most importantly, Reid has proven himself (again) to be a great CEO of this organization, and Donovan McNabb has proven himself (again) to be one of the best QBs in the game.

Again, others (especially Jimmy Johnson) deserve credit, but the coach and QB deserve the most. This is the 7th time Reid has led his team to the Divisional Playoff round (all but one with McNabb as QB). Before Tom Coughlin won the Super Bowl last year, he'd achieved nowhere close to this level of success in his career--and now he's a hero. This isn't to say the team shouldn't change anything for next year (more on that after the season), but Reid should be the coach, and McNabb should be the QB, regardless of what happens in the Giants game. That combo gives us our best chance to compete for a Super Bowl, which is what we all want so very much.

Sunday's game against the Giants will be tough, and I can guarantee you that the haters will come back to life if the Eagles lose, but once and for all, please, find something else to complain about. Reid and McNabb are here to stay.