Chundles

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.

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.

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.

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!

Summer typically sucks in the sports world, but things are heating up. Manny plays for Torre, Favre was reinstated, Chad Johnson showed up at Camp, Shawn Andrews had a gun pulled on him and is depressed, Peyton had surgery, the Pats still cheat, Romo still hasn't won a Playoff game, and the Yanks are getting hot.

The rest of August should be fun, and then September comes, when Football season kicks off. I can't wait. Where will Favre be then? Minnesota? Green Bay? Tampa Bay? The Arena Football League? Now that would be a story.

I'm baffled by the bipartisan uproar over Barack Obama's recent comments that he might "refine" his strategy to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops home. The exact quote is as follows:

“My position has not changed but keep in mind what that original position was. I have always said that I will listen to commanders on the ground; I’ve always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability," he said. "That assessment has not changed and when I go to Iraq and I have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I’m sure I’ll have more information and will continue to refine my policies.”

First of all, what's so controversial about what he said? He'd be a complete moron to say that he was going to bring troops home immediately without regard to the broader situation on the ground. Second of all, he's never said that he would actually do that. So what's the big deal? The big deal is the fact that people think Obama is above politics, that he's a figure akin to Ghandi, Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, or some of the other revolutionary change-makers throughout history. And that he can wave a magic wand and fix the mess in Iraq that we created. Neither are true, but that's not necessarily a knock on Barack.

Barack Obama is a politician. So far, he's shown himself to be a pretty good one too, although he hasn't been put to the test yet (a good campaigner and fundraiser does not a good leader make). Politicians change their mind all the time. They have to. The world changes constantly, and any policy maker who doesn't change with it will get left behind (at least that's that way it should be). So it's smart and responsible of him to say what he did. On top of that, the "system" requires politicians to do so to stay alive.

Our country and our government are not things from a fairy tale that can be changed at the drop of a hat. They are real, made up of flawed individuals (like all of us), and neither is easy to change. I support Obama's campaign, but let's be honest. The US is not a dictatorship, so the amount of change any one person can implement (without the support of the Legislative branch) is very, very limited.

It seems that Obamaniacs have created an image of Barack that he can never live up to--that he is capable of waving a magic wand and affecting the kind of change he's been campaigning about. I'm sorry to say that anyone who thinks that we can just up-and-up leave Iraq has no grasp on reality. You think our international reputation is bad now? Imagine what it would be if we did that and left the Iraqis, and the thousands of terrorists who've entered the country over the last 5 years, to fend for themselves. That would be stupid and irresponsible. We can develop and implement an exit strategy, but we can't just turn our backs and go home.

As I said, I support Obama. We need some new blood in Washington, and McCain is too close to the current administration for my liking. I just hope that the unattainable image of Obama created by his followers doesn't make it impossible for him to succeed. He's real, our problems our real, and it will take a lot of hard work to make even some of the changes he's talking about.

Wanted
(c) 2007 Universal Studios
Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common and Angelina Jolie

With a toddler running around the house, I don't get to the movies frequently. I didn't want to blow my wad on a crappy movie, so I had to choose carefully. Indiana Jones and Ironman? Those are DVD movies for me. Wall-E? Maybe that'll be the first movie I take Hannah too. Don't Mess with the Zohan? I probably would've enjoyed that, but it wasn't playing at the theater I wanted to go to. I've always been a fan of (good) Summer blockbusters, so I chose Wanted, a special-effects laden action flick with a good cast.

Since Angelina is a such a big star, and her hotness has the power to sell tickets, the previews made it seem like she (and her sex appeal) was the star of this movie, but that wasn't the case. She had an important role, and she looked good (if a little skinny), but this movie wasn't about her. Regardless, I made the right choice.

James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland) plays Wesley Gibson, an unhappy, unfulfilled, paycheck-to-paycheck numbers cruncher at an unnamed corporation. The only eventful things happening in his life are his best friend banging his girlfriend, and his dump of an apartment that sits within a few feet of the subway tracks.

Early in the movie, Gibson is approached by Angelina's character, Fox, and told about a fraternity of assassins that Gibson's father (who was allegedly killed in the first scene of the movie) was a part of. Gibson, with his pathetic existence and low self esteem, doesn't believe it. Ultimately, he's convinced that he's the only person on earth who can avenge his father's death, so he decides to join the fraternity.

Through a series of brutal training exercises, Gibson hones the skills that lie deep within his DNA. As the ensemble cast trains Gibson to become a killer, the story of the Fraternity unfolds: thousand years old, carries out assignments to restore order to the universe, guided by fate, etc. When his training is complete, Gibson becomes a member of the Fraternity and is given the assignment to find and murder his father's killer.

While McAvoy does a great job playing the unassuming assassin, the real star of Wanted is the special effects. There were some amazing chase scenes, the methods used by the assassins was flat-out cool, and they used some nifty little tricks like making bullets curve like a Barry Zito curveball. I'm no special effects expert, but Wanted brought some new things to the table that will no doubt be copied by others in the next few years.

The story held my interest as well, although the background story of the Fraternity seemed to have borrowed a few elements from The Priory of Sion, detailed in Dan Brown's book The Davinci Code. The Fraternity's history was detailed by Sloan (Morgan Freeman), and even though pieces of it seemed familiar, Morgan Freeman stately voice and stage presence makes it easy to suspend disbelief.

All in all, I enjoyed Wanted, would recommend it to others and look forward to seeing it again when it comes out on DVD. It's a well-made, action packed Summer movie with a good cast, great special effects, and a story that will hold your interest. If you go in with the right expectations, you won't be disappointed.

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 4)