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Are the Eagles suddenly booring?
Many Eagles fans have been excited about the ongoing training camp do to the fact that the team that will take the field on Sundays starting in September will be vastly different than the ones that have proceeded it for the better part of a decade. We don’t know if it will be better, but right now the word “different” also stands for “hope.”
Then there are those who are not so excited about training camp. Without McNabb shooting off his mouth or Sheldon Brown looking for a bigger check, this preseason has been more about actual football and less about drama. To me that’s a good thing, yet some people just need their taste of daily drama.
Philadalphia Inquirer writer John Gonzalez is one of those people. He misses the old Eagles already. Check out his take on the current group compared to that of years ago.
Here is an extended clip from Gonzalez’s piece, which can be read in entirety here.
The Eagles’ locker room was once stocked with oversized personalities willing to yammer in front of a television camera until the battery lost its charge. If Lito Sheppard wasn’t grumbling about his contract, there was always the possibility Sheldon Brown might pop off and say something of note. They’re gone now. So are Shawn Andrews and Terrell Owens, Freddie Mitchell and Hugh Douglas and others. And though it was time to move on as far as football goes, those of us who enjoy a solid sideshow will miss Donovan McNabb’s often ridiculous one-man Party of Five.
Compared with some of the guys who once served under Andy Reid, the current crop of Eagles is about as entertaining as Michael Strahan’s short-lived show on Fox. Who is going to hold the driveway workout/news conference? Who’s going to catch a locker room beat down courtesy of the team’s ambassador? Who’s going to get his Michael Phelps on or thank his hands for being so great or rock an air guitar at the worst possible moment?
Who’s going to give us something to talk/complain/laugh about?
Maybe most of what happened in the past was detrimental to the team, but it was also entertaining. If the Eagles have any shot of continuing the town’s best Off-Broadway production for a 12th-straight season under Reid, only one man can make it happen – and he’s not talking.
DeSean Jackson has gone into the sort of disciplined communication blackout usually reserved for covert military missions or the morning after a one-night stand. The once outspoken wide receiver hasn’t said much during training camp. On the day he arrived, Jackson said he had nothing to say (how very Meta of him). And on Monday, he told The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane that he’d “talk with y’all closer to the regular season.” It didn’t seem possible, but the preseason just became even more unbearable
So how do you feel. Is this preseason an exciting one for you because of the uncertainty surrounding the changes or is it just a little too bland for your taste?
Full Training Camp now underway
The veterans are all in. Eagles Training Camp has officially begun.
As the Birds usher in a new era with the likes of Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook and Sheldon Brown no longer on the roster, this camp has a feel unlike any other in the last decade. For the first time there is a bit of uncertainty as to what to expect from this team. Will the youth movement result in the Eagles taking a step forward or back? Is Kevin Kolb the real deal at QB? What can we expect from the Eagle’s defense in Sean McDermott’s second season?
Over the next few weeks phillysportsblogs.com will examine those questions and many more.
But for today, here is a look at some highlights from last season as football fans get pumped up for their favorite time of year.
Mixed Messages
The Philadelphia Eagles released a statement Saturday saying that they are not considering releasing quarterback Michael Vick at this time. The questions surrounded the star because he is in the midst of an investigation of a shooting. After signing with the Eagles following his two years in prison, Vick had seemingly stayed out of trouble, until June 25th.
On the eve of his 30th birthday, a former defendant on Vick’s dog fighting case was shot outside Vick’s restaurant, where he was out celebrating. Vick insists that he was long gone from the restaurant by the time of the shooing, but questions still remain.
This latest incident just adds to the controversy that surrounds Vick. The former Virginia Tech star, who was previously imprisoned for his famous involvement in a dog fighting ring, was given a second chance by the Eagles, but he does not seem to be making the best of his situation. While it is understandable that he can not have control over everything that goes on around him, it would be in his best interest to try to stay under the radar as much as possible.
It seems that Vick has put the Eagles in a difficult position. With the release of Donovan McNabb this off-season, the team showed they are committed to quarterback Kevin Kolb, with Vick backing him up. Now the team will have to decide whether Vick is worth the risk.
Eagles give Kevin Kolb extension
Not that there was any question that Kevin Kolb was the Eagles leading man after the team traded Donovan McNabb to Washington earlier this month, but Philadelphia reinforced the point today signing Kolb to a one-year contract extension.
The deal gives Kolb a guaranteed contract of $12.26 million over the next two years.
This was a move expected by many. When the team trades away a player like McNabb it has throw some dollars to the new QB and that’s exactly what they did. Another smart thing about this deal is that it doesn’t cripple the team should Kolb not pan out as planned.
Read the complete details on philly.com.
Looking at the best possible scenario
Why the Washington Redskins?
Why trade a Pro Bowl quarterback to a team that plays in the same division?
These types of things just don’t happen.
Actually it has. And Eagles fans can only hope that the result repeats itself.
On April 21, 2002 A Prowl Bowl quarterback was shipped out of his longtime home to a struggling team in the same division. That quarterback was Drew Bledsoe. The reason he was replaced was, of course, Tom Brady.
Brady had become the city’s Golden Boy overnight as he led the team to a Super Bowl after replacing the injured Bledsoe in Week 3 of that season. The Patriots had two valuable quarterbacks and one of them had to go.
People think of this move as a no-brainer because of what Brady has done over the last decade, but it was by no means an easy decision.
In 2001 the Patriots awarded Bledsoe the richest contract in NFL history – 10 years $103 million. In nine seasons with the Patriots, Bledsoe rewrote the team’s record books, setting the franchise’s career passing records with 4,518 attempts, 2,544 completions and 29,657 yards while starting 123 of 124 games. He also had 166 touchdowns. He was the reasons fans showed up to games.
But the team had to make a decision – and there was no way Brady was the one who was going to go.
While happy about the title their team had just won, Patriots fans were apprehensive about sending a quarterback with Bledsoe’s resume to a divisional rival. When the Bills whipped them by 30 points in the season opener, and Bledsoe became an MVP candidate at the seasons midway point, fans really started to wonder if their management had made a terrible mistake.
It didn’t take long for Patriots fans to settle down. Brady led New England to two more Super Bowl wins, while Bledsoe never got the Bills to the playoffs and later fizzled in his final years with the Cowboys. The decision was the right one on every level.
Eagles fans can only hope for similar results.
The stories are not exactly the same. Brady won a title prompting the need to make a move, while Kolb simply won a pair of games. But much of the story is similar. For a decade Bledsoe was the Patriots; For a decade McNabb was the Eagles. Most people believed that while getting older Bledsoe still had plenty left in the tank; People feel the way about McNabb. The thought of Patriots fans seeing Bledsoe in a Bills uniform twice a year was hard to swallow; McNabb wearing a Redskins jersey makes people around here sick.
All fans can do right now is hope that management made the right decision here.
And hope that somehow, someway, the Kolb-McNabb decision turns out like the Brady-Bledsoe choice did.
That’s not too much to ask is it?
Donovan McNabb traded to Redskins
This time it’s not an April’s Fools joke.
According to espn.com, the Eagles have reached a deal to trade quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Redskins. That’s right, he’s staying in the NFC East.
Bellow is an excerpt:
The Philadelphia Eagles have reached agreement on a blockbuster intra-division trade that will send perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins according to multiple sources close to the situation.
The two sides still must finalize language, but McNabb is now headed to Washington. Sources said the deal involved the Redskins’ second-round pick in the 2010 draft and either a third- or fourth-round pick next year, depending on several factors.
The move means the Redskins now have a new starting quarterback and the Eagles have a new one as well in Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick is now in line as the team’s backup.
Read the whole story here:
The timing of the news is surreal as we are just hours away from the Phillies opening up their 2010 season. Boy is the city is going to be buzzing. Philly Sports Blogs will have much more reaction to McNabb going to a divisional rival once the story is officaly confirmed.
For now?
Wow. Just wow.
Loud writer has lost touch with city
To be quite honest I’m surprised it took this long to bring my next guest into the woodshed.
He’s loud, obnoxious, and quite often out of touch with the Philadelphia fans he writes for.
Welcome Stephen A. Smith.
Smith made a name for himself nationally once he joined ESPN but has been known for his hate-spewed ramblings in Philadelphia for much longer.
Today Smith offered this observation on the whole Donovan McNabb trade drama:
McNabb should have demanded a trade by now. Who cares if it’s to the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, or one of 13 other teams, by my count, that could desperately use McNabb’s services this season? With the Eagles having adopted their new and improved turncoat mentality, the biggest mistake McNabb appears to have made does not involve interceptions or NFC championship/Super Bowl losses.
His biggest mistake was not demanding a trade years ago.
The treatment McNabb has received year after year has been disgraceful. What has taken place this off-season has surpassed betrayal. And for what, exactly? One quarterback (Michael Vick) who’s still shaking off the rust of prison, and the other (Kolb) a bit rusty from riding the pine for three seasons.
You can read the story in it entirety here: Just be warned, you might have a headache before you are done.
He references the Eagles likely future quarterback as Kevin (Corn on the) Kolb. Really Smith? What are you seven?
He then goes back into the well about McNabb only having two quality receivers in his whole career of any quality in T.O. and DeSeasn Jackson. Seriously, how does that well have any water left?
It’s fine to argue that the Eagles would be making a mistake by trading McNabb, some people still feel that way. But in typical Smith fashion he offers nothing to explain why trading McNabb would hurt the franchise.
Of course when the trade does go down and if Kolb becomes a star overnight Smith will be the first one in line to tell you how he saw this coming a mile away.
He will do it in a loud, brash manner. That’s just his style.
Hey any chance that when McNabb gets traded, Smith can be thrown in the deal?
Reid says Eagles entertaining offers for all three quarterbacks
Andy Reid has finally come out and admitted what everyone in Philadelphia already knew: The Eagles are entertaining trade offers for all three of their quarterbacks.
You can read the report on espn.go.com
While the news is not a surprise, the fact that it came from Reid is. The Eagles’ coach has been steadfast in his statement that Donovan McNabb will be the team’s starting quarterback next season and they would like to keep all three of their signal callers.
The national media has not bought that for a second though, linking McNabb, Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb to different locations during the offseason. Someone is going somewhere.
Of course tightlipped Andy was not about to go into any further details on any possible deals, as the article states.
“This is the truth: Our three quarterbacks are Philadelphia Eagles,” Reid said Tuesday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “People are entertaining us with offers. Nothing’s been done, but we’re evaluating all of them. That’s the truth. There’s not a lot really going on other than entertaining.”
So while we may not know more about the future of the Eagles quarterback position today than we did yesterday, at least Reid has come out and admitted the obvious.
For him, that’s a big step.
It’s the offseason of Donovan McNabb
In Philadelphia every offseason is about Donovan McNabb.
Only this time, Philadelphia is not alone.
ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio says that the drama around McNabb is the story off the offseason. Bellow is an excerpt:
Philadelphia is the only team in the NFL with all three quarterbacks on its roster going into the final year of their contracts. Teams are calling, wondering who’s available, who’s not and what the Eagles would want in any potential trade.
The Eagles’ front office is listening. But here’s the kicker: The Eagles, according to multiple league sources, have so far told teams that both McNabb and his primary backup, Kevin Kolb, are not available.
Now, does that mean the Eagles won’t trade McNabb? Definitely not. Most league insiders believe the Eagles are just posturing right now, trying to determine the market and how to proceed. If the team says publicly or privately McNabb is on the trading block, its bargaining position would tank.
You can read the complete article here.
The word sources has been thrown everywhere lately and none of it has been verified. On the same day a source told a Buffalo newspaper that McNabb would be open to a trade to the Bills, and a source told ESPN that he would not be open to a trade to Buffalo.
Sometimes I think sources are pulled from the thin air.
It seems set in stone that at least one member of the Eagles’ quarterback trio and maybe a second will be traded. Who that is and where he/they end up is anyone’s guess right now. The speculation will be endless and the Eagles front office has to be loving every second of it. The more their quarterbacks are pumped up, the more the Eagles can ask for in a trade. The trading game is all about having leverage and with three quarterbacks that teams believe can be starters, the Eagles are holding all of the bargaining chips.
Among the teams that have talked to the Eagles, according to multiple sources, are the Denver broncos, Cleveland Browns, St. Luis Rams and Buffalo Bills.
McNabb rumors swirl
Not even the Super Bowl can be free of Donovan McNabb trade rumors.
Les Bowen issued a piece in today’s issue of the Daily News talking about the latest speculation in on trades involving McNabb, as well as Vick and Kolb. He also stressed that as of now nothing is close to happening.
Bellow is Bowen’s article.
If there is one day in the NFL year when we ought to be free of worrying about Donovan McNabb and the Eagles , it should be Super Bowl Sunday. Alas, such is not the case.
We’ve had reports today from ESPN folk who apparently have too much time on their hands, with their network not doing the game. Adam Schefter says teams have asked the Birds about all three of their quarterbacks and three teams have called about Michael Vick. Sal Paolantonio added that three teams — Cleveland, Denver and Buffalo — have had multiple conversations with the Eagles about Donovan McNabb.
Don’t know the exact teams myself, but I understand there have been a lot of calls, many of them not about any QB in particular, just letting the Eagles know Team X is interested, should they look to deal any of their three. I’m also told nothing is anywhere close to happening, that all of the queries have been preliminary.
This last point canot be overemphasized. NOTHING IS ANYWHERE CLOSE TO HAPPENING.
As you know, Andy Reid has indicated McNabb will be the Eagles’ QB in 2010, and McNabb has said this is his strong understanding, as well. Vick has said he would like to go somewhere where he could start, and a few days ago down at South Beach, McNabb endorsed that idea. Kevin Kolb has said he’d like to start, but is a team player, and so forth.
The Vick-to-St. Louis speculation makes a lot of sense to me.
A scource close to the situation thinks at least half a dozen teams ultimately will inquire about Kolb — including Cleveland, where Tom Heckert, of course, is now the GM, working under Reid’s mentor, Mike Holmgren. Almost any team looking to draft a QB this season would be smart to look into Kolb, who presumably wouldn’t need several years of training to take over. This is not a great quarterback draft; if Kolb came out this year, he’d almost certainly be a first-rounder. Of course, with McNabb heading toward his 12th season and not under contract after 2010, trading Kolb would be quite a gamble for the Birds.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled Super Bowl XLIV hoopla.
Making the case: The final verdict at QB
Over the past few days phillysportsblogs has made a case for Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb and Donovan McNabb to be named the starter in 2010 for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now it’s time to get serious.
Before I unveil the rightful choice for the job, it is time to look at one of the major factors in the decision that not yet been discused.
The last two weeks have been hard on Eagles fans young and old. Entering the final week of the season the Eagles had hopes of a NFC East title, No. 2 seed and first round bye in the playoffs. Instead they were presented with two tail-whippings at the hands of the rival Dallas Cowboys.
Over the course of those two games it became impossible for even the most stubborn Eagles fan to deny that the Cowboys have surpassed the Eagles in terms of talent and production.
Before the start of the season Eagles’ President and CEO Joe Banner announced to the media that his team was the most talented in the NFL.
Mr. Banner, you were wrong. Dead wrong.
While there is uncertainty for the future in Minnesota and Arizona due to possible retirements at the quarterback position, Dallas and New Orleans look set for the several years to come. Each team has a multi-layered running attack, a proven quarterback (Yes, it’s time to award Tony Romo that status) and tons of weapons at the tight end and receiver positions. The Cowboys are also stacked on defense, while the Saints have shown drastic improvement on that side of the ball from a year ago.
These teams aren’t going away so the only way for the Eagles to return to the Super Bowl — and maybe actually win it — is to improve to or above their competitions level.
With a solid draft — and health — the Eagles should be able to see improvements on both sides of the ball. Stewart Bradley will be back at the MLB position and DeSeasn Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek will each be a year wiser.
Is that enough?
No.
And that’s where the decision making comes to light.
Everyone has seen what McNabb can — and cannot — do leading the offense. It is true that if McNabb has three or four years of success at his current rate he will surpass the 40,000 yards passing mark and with that likely secure a ticket to the Hall of Fame. If he is elected to the Hall he will go in as an Eagle.
But even with that in mind, it is time for a change.
There are anywhere from 8-12 teams that will be looking for a new starting quarterback in the offseason and there isn’t a whole lot out there. There are not 8-12 quality quarterback out there. In fact there might not be two.
The market is led by Kyle Orton, Jason Campbell, Chad Pennington, Tavaris Jackson, and Kellen Clemens. Yhat’s it folks.
I mention this because if made available McNabb jumps to the top of that list. He could even bring back a late first rounder, or a combination of a second and a third. This would help the Eagles fill a couple of holes on the lines in a hurry.
So who then is the man to lead the offense in 2010?
Kevin Kolb.
If not now then it will be never for Kolb and the Eagles. He is a free agent to be next offseason and if the Birds do not commit to him next season there will be no reason for him to re-sign.
There is no guarantee that simply placing Kolb in the starting lineup will vault the Eagles into contention with the Saints and Cowboys next year and beyond, but it is almost certain that is the Eagles return with McNabb they will not.
As the saying goes “you are what you are.” The Eagles with McNabb at the helm have been a very, very good football team over the last decade. Yet at the end of the day the franchise has earned the same amount of Super Bowl rings as teams that are very, very bad.
What McNabb has done for this city and team should not soon be forgotten. He brought the team to heights it had not been since the early 80’s and turned Philadelphia back into a football town.
For that he should be thanked, and above all, appreciated. But the time has come to part ways.
McNabb is still very good.
It’s long past time for the Eagles to be great.
Kevin Kolb, the time is yours.
Making the case: Kevin Kolb for starter in 2010
Though his sample size was small (two games) and the defenses he faced weren’t the greatest (Chiefs and Saints), Kevin Kolb’s two performances as the starting quarterback for the Eagles this season should not be overlooked.
In that limited sample he became the first quarterback to pass for 300 yards or more in his first two NFL starts. That’s right, he did something that not even Peyton Manning, Joe Montana or Dan Marino can lay claim to.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying Kolb is the next great quarterback in the league, but he certainly looks capable of running an NFL offense.
The Eagles drafted Kolb with the 36th overall pick in the 2007 draft (traded with the Cowboys to get that pick). Next season he will enter the final year of his four-year rookie contract. That is the same year that McNabb’s contract is set to expire.
Needless to say, the Eagles are on the clock.
People who clamor for McNabb to remain the Eagles starting quarterback point to his incredibly strong arm and his ability to get the deep ball to DeSean Jackson. While Kolb may not have quite the rocket hanging off his shoulder, he showed the ability to throw – and put touch on – a 64-yard touchdown pass to Jackson against the Chiefs In the same game he had a nice intermediate route pass to Brent Celek that turned into a 35-yard score.
I understand that his best performance came against one of the worst defenses in the NFL, but Kolb has no control over the schedule. Who’s to say he couldn’t have doe the same against the Raiders when McNabb led the team to an awful 9-point showing?
The Eagles gave up a lot to draft Kolb, notably a first-round pick the rival Cowboys. There is no way Kolb and his agent would sign onto an extension in the last year of his contract if he is not promised a chance to at least compete for the starting job. That means the Eagles would risk losing Kolb next offseason without truly knowing how good he can be.
In addition, trading Kolb this offseason would likely net a value far less than the Eagles gave up. Though he is young and there are several teams in the market for a quarterback any packages for him would likely begin no higher than a third rounder.
The Eagles front office has done a great job stay competitive while also getting younger. Their receivers are young, they have a young running back n LeSean McCoy and there is plenty of youth on the defensive side of the ball. This team has a chance to grow and improve together.
All that is missing is a young, talented quarterback.
Kevin Kolb is that man.
Making the case: Vick for starter in 2010
Michael Vick is a weapon, plain and simple. He can run, pass and he is capable of the big play at any time.
When the Eagles signed Vick last offseason they did so to give an athlete with a troubled past a chance to rebuild his reputation in the community and show that he could also still get the job done on the field.
I think most would agree that he went 2-for-2.
It is almost a certainty that the Eagles will not keep Vick around as a backup considering his contract calls or him to make 5.2 million next season. Reid has already come out and said that Donovan is his guy next year, but plenty can change in an offseson.
The Eagles have three options with “the original wildcat: They can decline his option leaving him to go free elsewhere; pick up the option and trade him; or trade McNabb and make Vick the starter.
While option three seems the most unlikely, let’s examine it.
It is hard to look too deep into Vick’s numbers this year considering he attempted only 13 passes during the regular season – completing six for 86 yards. He also ran the ball 24 times for 95 yards. Vick was used sparingly during the regular season and most of his plays were designed to set up this big moment on Saturday.
It was the one highlight in an otherwise miserable day for the Eagles and their fans.
For his career, Vick has been up and down. He has tons of highlight runs and has a cannon for an arm, but also lacks the consistency to be an accurate pocket-passer.
So how does it make sense for him to become the starter in Philadelphia?
I think it could be a good move for the franchise if they get an offer for McNabb that is too good to refuse – as in, above market value. The fans are clamoring for a change and starting Vick would certainly qualify. The team could keep both Vick and Kevin Kolb for next year and see how things transpire. If it becomes clear that Vick is not the guy, you have a young backup you can turn to. If it does work out you can negotiate an extension with Vick to keep him in Philadelphia. Either way, one of th two QBs would become the “man” in the future.
Is it likely? No. Could t work? Yes.
Fans have seen what the McNabb-Reid combo can do. They want a new look and this could be the one.
Check back on Wednesday when we make a case for Kevin Kolb to be the 2010 starter.
The end of the McNabb era may have arrived
The late Albert Einstein is known for many great pieces of knowledge. In the sports world there is one phrase he coined that seems to trump all else:
“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.”
That phrase has been used by fans over the last few seasons to persuade the Eagles front office breaking up the duo of Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid. Of course the front office has not taken that route, keeping the pair together and hoping for different results.
As a result, the Eagles fan base has been driven insane.
The Birds made it clear earlier this season that Reid will be back, signing him to a contract extension after back-to-back wins over Washington and Atlanta. What we will soon find out is if McNabb will join him.
It’s not an easy call anyway you look at it. Few quarterbacks in the league have an arm as strong as McNabb’s. With DeSean Jackson on board McNabb got to show off that arm, throwing for over 3,5000 yards and 22 TDs. His 92.9 QB rating is well-above average.
But then there is the bounce passes and the mental lapses. And for all that he has accomplished (five NFC title games), he still has a reputation for failing to deliver in big games.
The Star-Telegram in Dallas has a good read on McNabb’s cloudy
“And while the blame for the Eagles’ 34-14 loss to Dallas on Saturday shouldn’t be laid solely at the feet of McNabb, the fact remains he is what he is — the Eagles quarterback and the face of the franchise. When things go right, he usually gets credit. When things go wrong, and wrong they did go on Saturday, McNabb must face the music and bear the brunt of the criticism, as he did Saturday.
But for how much longer?”
The rest can be read here: http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/1881936.html
With Kevin Kolb’s contract will run out after next season and Michael Vick’s option only to be picked up if he is a starter (backups don’t make $5.2 million) there is clearly a decision to be made – a decision that will go a long way in determining the teams success over the next few years.
Over the next three days I will make the case for Vick, Kolb and McNabb to be the starters, before rendering a verdict on Friday. In the meantime, who do you want to captain the Eagles next season?
Eagles control their own destiny, notch 2nd win in a row.
The Eagles dominated every single offensive and defensive category in todays game and in the process managed to just barely win. They had more total plays of offense, more yards passing, more yards rushing, had better yards per pass and rush attempt, had more time of possession, better 4th down efficiency, allowed fewer turnovers, and barely escaped with a win !!
Yes they were not as good on third down, thanks to the Redskins being unnaturally good at that, but they did everything they could to give the Redskins the game until the 4th quarter, from the initial onsides kick they misplayed, allowing Washington to have a 24 yard field, quickly shortened to a 19 yard field with the 5 yard penalty, to repeatedly being called for offensive penalties that negated many of their better plays.
They had a touchdown called back that turned into a field goal, they brought Vick in every time the offense gained any momentum and he promptly disrupted the rhythm of the game, they had countless passes dropped including three in a row by Brett Celek, they lost DeSean Jackson after another touchdown catch due to injuries, yet they won the game to go to 7-4 and put their fate in their own hands for the first time all season. Jackson’s catch was his shortest of the year, a mere 35 yards. This guy is clutch and the best reciever we have had in years, and I hope he is recovered in time for next weeks contest !
Simply put, if the Eagles win out, and beat the Giants and Cowboys in their final meetings, they win the division.
If they beat the Giants and Cowboys and win 1 of their other three remaining games, they will win at least the wild card.
A couple positive observations, the one two punch of McCoy and Weaver was productive for the second week in a row. The halfback/fullback tandem rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries and Buckley came through with the first touchdown of his NFL career to pull the Eagles within 2. Then McCoy performed a balancing act to tie the game up with the 2 point conversion allowing Akers to win it with his field goal on the ensuing drive as the Eagles scored 11 unanswered in the fourth quarter for the win. Assante Samual overcame an average first half with 2 interceptions to keep the Eagles in the game. And the Eagles finally appeared able to convert a third and short with their running game, a quality they had been seriously lacking over the past 6 weeks.
Through the first three quarters fans had to be worrying about the Eagles repeatedly driving the length of the field and having to settle for field goals. A 90 yard 10 play drive for the tying touchdown followed by a 10 play drive for the go ahead field goal hopefully put some of these qualms to bed, at least until next week.
One can only hope Reid won’t overplay Vick in the reunion next week with his former team, the Atlanta Falcons. I think enough has been seen this year to confirm the “Vick experiment” is a dismal failure, it is time to let McNabb run this team for the final 5 games, and if not satisfied with his judgement and performance, you have Kolb chomping at the bit to have a go at it next year, I repeat for the millionth time this year……WE DON’T NEED VICK !!!
OK, got it out of my system, for now, on to next week. We dodged a serious bullet against the Redskins, hopefully we will fare better against the Falcons.
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