Iggles Blog - Philadelphia Eagles Blog

Well That Got Andy's Attention

Raise your hand if you saw the Mike Shanahan thing coming.  Anyone?  I sure didn't.

This is why I don't (really) gamble on sports.  Who could possibly have guessed that both the Broncos and the Chargers would finish 8-8 at the end of the year -- but Mike Shanahan would be the one getting fired.

If things hold the way they seem to be going, Wade Phillips and Norv Turner will keep their jobs ... but not Mike Shanahan.  Amazing.

It's funny, everyone talks about how Mike Shanahan was a personnel guy / coach just like Reid, and they say that's one of the reasons Denver has struggled.  That may in fact be true.  But you don't even have to get into that kind of supposition to see that Shanahan was taking on too many roles. 

You may not know this, but Mike Shanahan stopped calling his own plays this year.  That's right.  One of the best play-callers in the history of the NFL turned that duty over to his 32-year-old quarterbacks coach this year.  Shanahan slid into the role we all believe Reid has, which is overseeing the gameplan and vetoing some plays in some situations. 

I know nothing about Bates.  He may truly be an offensive wunderkind.  But when Mike Shanahan is coaching without calling his own plays, he's coaching with one arm tied behind his back.

The scary thing is that there's a lot of executive/coaching talent floating around out there right now.  Bill Cowher is sniffing around.  Mike Holmgren and Mike Shanahan are both free agents.  Bill Parcells can opt out of his deal (but probably won't?) when the ownership in Miami changes.  That's a whole bunch of Super Bowl rings just waiting to get back into the game.

On that note, I have to say I find the Holmgren thing at least a little interesting.  We know the guy didn't have truly high-end success in Seattle, but he had a pretty good run there before the wheels came off this season.  We also know the reports are that Holmgren promised his wife he'd take a year off.  And I realize people are already pre-hiring him for the GM spot in San Francisco next year.  But if I'm Jeff Lurie, I'm thinking very, very hard right now about how I might fit Holmgren into this organization.

We know Andy Reid has the utmost respect for Holmgren.  He's uttered some variation of the line, "No one does it any better than him," dozens of times over the past decade.  Holmgren might be one of the few guys out there Reid would happily accept as a co-equal.

The beauty too is that Holmgren still has his head in the game.  He'd be able to step in quickly and help with this year's offseason -- only the most critical offseason in the last five or so years. 

I firmly believe the Eagles need to bring in a fresh voice this season for the personnel department.  Someone who doesn't share all the baggage of the past few years (because they wouldn't be the one who'd brought these guys in).  Someone who can say, "Look, I know you like this guy, but I can tell you for a fact that we used to try to go after him with X, Y and Z back in [other city]."  Mike Holmgren is a perfect fit to be that guy.

And then once that's done, let's figure out how to make Mike Shanahan our offensive coordinator...

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Other notes:

Stories like this are why Peterson will hang on to the football in this game.  I bet if FO tracked this, they'd find RBs make far fewer fumbles in games after games in which they couldn't hang on to the ball.  All week, the Vikings coaches are going to be banging ball security into AP's head.  He'll be fine on that this week.

I'll see your Joselio and raise you a DeSean.  From Domo's story on the defense today:

"Hanson, I kind of knew what he could do. We really like him inside. He's got good quickness to cover a slot receiver. It's the hardest thing to do, covering a slot receiver inside. Because they got half of that field to work with..."

Which is why Jackson is uncoverable in there.  You know what I'd like to see?  A four-receiver set with Baskett and Brown on the outside and Curtis and Jackson in the slot.  We know Baskett has the long speed to get by anyone, so you'd have to be careful leaving him outside without help.  On the inside, what kind of personnel do you use to cover these two seriously dangerous receivers?  You can put your nickel on one of them -- a mis-match in favor of the Eagles -- but then you're going linebacker, safety or dime back on the other.  None of those are good match-ups for the defense. 

The obvious move is to play zone, but both those guys are really smart and good at finding creases.  And if you send them deep, the middle of the field is going to be nice and open for the outside guys running crossing routes.

Annnnnnnd ... if you spread the defense out that much to deal with your passing game, how happy to run the ball do you think Westbrook and the offensive line will be when they're blocking five-on-five in the box. 

Some context missing in this story about the Eagles' upcoming draft picks:

Looking back on it, you wonder if the Eagles would have traded out of the first round with the Panthers last year. Knowing what they know now, you wonder if they might just have gone ahead and made the selection as it stood, and what impact that might have had on 2009.

Draft order does matter. A ridiculously high percentage of Pro Bowl players come from the first half of the first round of the draft - and the Eagles almost never pick there. It makes their life harder. In their hearts, they figured the Carolina pick might get them into the first half of the first round. Now, this.

Just another draft day miscalculation for a team that isn't as bad as people say when it comes to picking players, but isn't good enough.

Yeah, it sucks that the Panthers ended up being good this year.  But the thing is, we know Andy Reid wanted to use that first-round pick on DeSean Jackson.  I can't find the quote right now, but he said a couple months ago that Heckert was the one who convinced him that Jackson would be available in the second, even though Reid was freaking out (inasmuch as he freaks out) that the Eagles were going to miss out on this guy.

And if they did the draft over again today, do you think Jackson would be there in the second?

So basically the Eagles got the first-rounder they wanted (who has very much played like a first-rounder but won't be getting paid first-round money for a couple of years), an extra year out of a developmental future guard (Mike McGlynn), and a free first-rounder in this year's draft.  

Assuming the Eagles would have taken Otah, would you be happier now if they had him instead of DeSean Jackson?  I wouldn't.  Maybe Trevor Laws, though.

Finally, this is exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to profiling all the Eagles -- not just the stars.  The longer-time readers may remember this stunt from back in May:

But there's another, much larger, subset of Eagles fans that simply want to learn as much about their team as possible.

That's why so many people visit PhiladelphiaEagles.com every day.  It's not because we crave the incessantly pro-organization editorial slant.  It's because you can learn a lot about the team, its players, the coaches and generally what's going on at the NovaCare Complex by checking in.

This really came through to me the other day when I was (back pat) talking to David Akers.  We talked for 10 minutes, but I could easily have filled two hours with questions and follow-ups.  And yeah, it was a pretty cheesy interview, but did you know he ran a 4.6 40-yard-dash coming out of college?  Did you appreciate, as I did, hearing about Sav's development as a holder?  Did you really, really want to find out what kind of shoe he likes to wear when he works out?

Ok, maybe not that last one.  But the point stands:  Every single player on the Eagles has an interesting story.  And I want to read about it.

And I don't think I'm alone.

So why did we have to wait until after week 17 to read that story about Chris Clemons?  Who cares about needing the fumble return as a hook?  They guy's life story is just as interesting now as it was four months ago.  And as great as that fumble return was, he's really been playing good football for most of the second half of the season.

More, please.

A Night For College Football

Tonight would be an excellent night to have two televisions in your family room (as I would if our DirecTV dish ... oh forget it).  Both the Holiday Bowl and the Texas Bowl kick off tonight at 8 ET. 

I know what you're probably thinking.  "Ok, the Holiday Bowl is always good and it matches up two top 20 teams, but why would I care about the Texas Bowl?"

Well, you probably don't.  But if you like points -- lots and lots of points -- you may want to tune in anyway.  Scout.com's take on the game:

What will happen: The two teams will combine for 800 passing yards and about 80 points.

That's the kind of prediction you can feel pretty comfortable making when the two schools are ranked 10th and 24th offensively and 114th and 83rd defensively.  (There are only 119 Division I schools.)

There's more to it than that, though.  Bet you didn't know this:

Quick question: What is the most prolific quarterback-receiver duo in college football history? Must be somebody from Miami or Florida State, right? Maybe Texas? Wrong. It’s Rice’s Chase Clement and Jarett Dillard, who have hooked up on 50 touchdown passes.

Here's the story on Clement (whom Rice recruited when they were still running the ridiculous option offense of Ken Hatfield):

The record-setting Clement has thrown for 9,478 yards and 96 touchdowns with just 34 interceptions, and he has rushed for 1,669 yards and 24 scores. He emerged from the fray after Rice made the move from the option to the spread, and he blew up over the last two seasons and is finishing off his career with an All-America caliber season with 41 scoring passes, 11 touchdown runs, and just seven interceptions. He started out hot with six touchdown passes in the win over SMU and he got hot late with 25 scoring strikes and just three interceptions over the six-game winning streak.

Years of having to watch Hatfield ... maybe that's why I appreciate Reid so much ...

Anyway, Clement's a great story, but he doesn't have the size to be a QB at the next level.  Dillard, on the other hand, will most certainly be drafted:

Simmons’ all-star counterpart on the other side is senior Jarett Dillard, who will put a close to a phenomenal career with 284 catches for 4,052 yards and 59 touchdowns. With great hands, good enough deep speed to make the big plays, and excellent leaping ability, he’ll be target one of the veteran WMU defense.

This game won't tell you much about his ability to match up against elite competition, but going 9/158/1 against Texas earlier this year was not a bad sign.  We'll see at the combine just how great his physical skills are.

I'm telling you, though, this is a game you want to tune in for.  At least give it the flashback treatment. 

Oh, assuming you have the NFL Network ...

Tuesday Thoughts

I watched the 30-minute short cut of the Vikings/Giants last night.  I could only get through it once, since that was all the daughter was willing to put up with, but that was enough for a few observations:

Jackson really is the young McNabb.  He's just as streaky as mentioned, runs well, and plays as an identify/fire QB, rather than anticipating the action.  He looked terrible early, but then got into a nice groove where he was drilling lasers into guys' chests.  

Beyond the general stuff, he has two pretty clear weaknesses.  He never seems to put much air on the ball, preferring instead to gun it as hard and as flat as he can.  That works when guys are open, but there are times it makes much more sense to throw it over -- rather than through -- the defense.  

His second issue is that he's fool-able.  At various times he misread coverages, most prominently on an end zone interception where he never saw the safety, who read him all the way and came in to pick off the post route.  

He handled the pressure pretty well, however.  And if the guy is open and he's in rhythm, he's going to throw some nice balls.  He looks a lot better than even at the beginning of the season.

The Vikings punt coverage unit is as bad as advertised.  This was mentioned in a previous post by a couple commenters, but it really stood out last night in the game as well.  When punts were coming down, there was nary a coverage man to be seen downfield -- repeatedly. 

Note that FO extends this to the Vikings' entire ST unit.  They're the worst group in the league, although the punt coverage is by far their biggest issue.

The Giants ran right at Jared Allen.  New York's edge blocker are (much) better than the Eagles' edge blockers, but Allen got manhandled out there.  It got so bad, the Vikings had to flop the (non-injured Williams) from LDT over to RDT to stop the bleeding.  That seemed to shore things up.

The cornerbacks don't look that great.  Winfield looks like a purple Lito (the good one, before last year), Griffin seemed ok, and the nickel man Sapp was not impressive at all.  To be fair, it was one game against a running team, so I didn't get that many chances to see him.  I think there's a good chance we could see some more of that DeSean in the slot stuff we were seeing last week, however.  I'm not sure there's anyone in the league who can cover him in there.  Seriously.

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Terrell Owens continues to amaze me.  The guy is clearly the problem, no matter where he goes.  And yet somehow he's never the one guys get angry at.  Check out the remarks of Terrence Newman:

“It is like the problem when you had the anonymous player saying all that stuff,” he said. “They are a coward, you know, and that kind of stuff ruined this season.”

Let that sink in: A bigtime Cowboy called another bigtime Cowboy, and Witten specifically -- if locker room rumblings about the identity of “the snitch” are to be believed -- a coward.

Welcome to what happens when you have a Cupcake for a coach.

It's not Owens, who's the clear instigator of all this stuff and is the walking definition of a locker room cancer.  No no, it's the guy who bitched about Owens who's the problem. 

Here's more from that article:

What has been built at Valley Ranch under Coach Cupcake is an unmitigated disaster. We have a mess far bigger than first imagined, and one not easily resolved either.

This is not solved by finding another QB, or dumping T.O., or drafting a safety. This is a cracked foundation, as evidenced by problems that obviously remain between T.O., Romo, Witten and Jason Garrett.

And how do you clean up that level of deeply fractured?

Is it really that complicated?  Really?  I mean, yeah, the Cowboys have some issues.  No one respects the coach and the quarterback is now a certified big-game choker.  Those are problems.  But the answers are pretty simple:

1. Ditch Owens.
2. Ditch Phillips.
3. Bring in Marty or Bill.

Really not that hard.

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Yeah, I didn't want to look up "Schottenheimer."

True Story

Way back in March, I broke my usually ironclad sports-only rule to take on something Peter King wrote that week in his MMQB column for SI.com.  I'm not going to link to the post, because it was off-topic then and non-topical now, but it's the starting point for a longer story I'd like to tell today.

I began that post with a line apologizing for poaching another blogger's turf, in which I linked to this item from Gabe.  You'll remember the controversy he discusses quite well:

Quote of the Week II
“I just want to be able to win and get back to the Super Bowl.”
–Philadelphia cornerback Asante Samuel, who got $20 million guaranteed in a six-year, $57 million contract with the Eagles on Friday.

If that’s what was most important, then why didn’t Samuel stay with New England? Does he, or his agent, really think the Eagles have a better shot to get back to the Super Bowl than the Patriots in the next two or three years?

Gabe gamely attacked the point, which cause a friend to email me the following:

On that note, I forgot to mention that I do agree with King’s comment regarding Asante Samuel, which your fellow blogger trashed.  If you disagree that his better chance to win would have been to stay with the Pats, I will offer you an even-up wager as to whether the Pats or Eagles have more success over the next 3 seasons.  I would propose a bet based on most Super Bowl wins over the next 3 years, with a tiebreaker of most total wins in that period (regular season plus playoff).  I’ll obviously take the Pats.  I think that the absurdity of that bet answers the question.  It’s not a knock on the Eagles, but it’s a no-brainer bet to take the Pats even-up against virtually every other franchise in the NFL.  Pats - Colts even up I would have to think about.

My response:

[T]hree years is too long for any good bet.  Twenty bucks says the Eagles go at least as far into the playoffs next year as the Pats.  New England has serious roster issues.

Not sure what I meant at the time about roster issues, but the wager was accepted, then mostly forgotten until the season started, when -- within about eight minutes -- things looked pretty good on my end of the action.  Fast forward to November 25th, however, and things were not so pretty:

Derek, our $20 bet is solely based on advancement to the higher playoff round, correct?  So if the Pats have a better record than the Eagles but both teams miss the playoffs, it’s a push?

My response:

Very nice way of asking that question.  Yes, I will soon owe you 20 bucks.

He was nice enough to throw in a "well maybe the Pats won't make it" line, but yeah, it didn't look good.

What a difference a month makes.

Preliminary Vikings Thoughts

At some point in the postseason, the Vikings will lose a game.  Their two options at quarterback are, respectively, inconsistent and mediocre, the defense is good but not great in every respect beyond stopping the run, and the offense is by far the lowest-ranked scoring attack among NFC playoff teams. 

These guys aren't that great.

The problem, of course, is that football doesn't decide things in seven-game series.  It's one and done, and as we all know, on any given Sunday...

Here's a little context for those stats from above:

• The Eagles have the ninth-best scoring offense, the Vikings have the 14th.  The difference is just over two points.
• The Eagles have the fourth-best scoring defense, the Vikings have the 13th.  The difference is just under three points.

That's a difference of maybe one turnover. 

And you want something that will really blow your mind?  Check out the quarterback section here and here.

That's the problem with basing all your hopes on the "blowupability" of an inconsistent quarterback.  Maybe you end up facing him during one of his Dr. Jekyll performances.  Doesn't help you a bit when he turns into Mr. Hyde against Carolina the following Sunday.

It's also reasonably certain that Jackson will have a short leash in this game.  The outcome is way too important to the future of Brad Childress' NFL coaching career for the guy to stick around long if things start to go south.

(And while we're on the subject of the Eagles' former offensive coordinator, look for all kinds of testy little dismissive remarks from that guy this week about going up against his former boss.  Childress isn't much for those kind of retrospectives.)

The weird thing is that these two teams have a fair amount in common.  They are, at bottom, two six-loss teams who boast superlative running backs that differ stylistically but are good enough to carry an entire offense for long stretches at a time.  There are plenty of differences, too, but hey, they even run the same offenses.

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The mood in Minnesota is rather interesting.  Brad Childress, as you may have heard, is not really a popular figure in the great white north these days.  Think Andy Reid but without the long track record of success. 

If you want a taste of the zeitgeist, read this short piece (including the comments).  The description of Peterson's fumble-prone ways is particularly enjoyable.  Or check out this one for a look at what the fans think of Childress' clock management.

As mentioned above, there are some intriguing parallels between the two teams.

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For the defense, the crux of the problem will be stopping Adrian Peterson while not giving up big plays on the handful of orchestrated deep shots the Vikings will take downfield.  It's not quite the same challenge you saw with 2007 Barber/Owens or early-2008 Jacobs/Plaxico, but Peterson/Berrian is at least in the same ballpark. 

The first-order, pre-analysis of the Eagles' defensive gameplan is likely the idea that Johnson will try to blitz the hell out of the young Tarvaris Jackson.  After all, the shaky young QB vs. JJ defense usually plays out that way. 

But poke around a bit more and ask yourself if that's really the best approach.  Sure, you might shake up Jackson and force a few turnovers.  That's the best-case scenario.  But if you get too blitz happy, you're also:

• Weakening the second-level run defense, a scary proposition against a home run hitter like Peterson.
• Giving plenty of single coverage on the outside against a dangerous deep threat in Berrian.
• Risking death-by-success, if your entire blitz-based gameplan is so effective early it forces the Vikings to swap QBs, replacing the young Jackson with the seen-it-all Frerotte.

That's why I think you have to throw out the idea that Johnson will base his defense on attacking Jackson.  The second-order thought here is that it's all about stopping Peterson.  Stack the line, attack the run-blocking scheme, leave in your run-stopping tackles in iffy nickel situations, and don't even think about Jackson until third down, where the focus will be fooling an inexperienced quarterback with coverage shenanigans, not (just) all-out blitzes. 

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Obviously we won't be caring about this too much during the game, but if you haven't watch the Vikings much before, you'll be interested in seeing how the Eagles offense looks with an entirely different playcalling mindset.  It's (mostly) the same offense, but the focus is entirely different.  It's a little like playing out a few years in the franchise mode in Madden.  Same playbook, different players, different playcaller (unless Andy Reid also plays Madden).

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On the offensive side, we're all probably having the same thought right now.  If Pat Williams comes back healthy, the Vikings have the best run defense in the NFL.  Which, um, could mean the Eagles struggle running a bit early and ... well ... let's just say there's a pretty good chance we won't be loving those run/pass balance graphics this week quite so much.

The Vikings' pass defense is a mixed bag:

• 45 sacks, fourth-best in the league (right behind the Eagles)
• 215.6 PY/G, 18th-best in the league
• 7.1 Y/A, 21st-best

And yet, strangely, the FO stats put the overall Minny pass defense at #4 leaguewide.  Better, in fact, than their run defense.  Scroll down that linked page a little more and you'll see the Vikings are 6th against #1 receivers, 2nd against #2 receivers, but then 17th, 23rd and 20th against #3s, TEs and RBs.  The Eagles go the other way with the receivers (15th, 5th, 2nd), but share similar ranks against TEs and RBs.

As mentioned above, plenty of similarities between these two teams.

When I watch the Minnesota shortcut from this week against the Giants, one of the things I'll be interested in is whether or not the Vikings flip their cornerbacks around to match up against certain receivers.  If they leave them in place, like the Eagles do, there's a good chance those statistics suggest that Antoine Winfield is getting a lot of time against #2 receivers, probably by himself, while the rest of the defense slides around to mass-defend the #1 guys.  That's just speculation at this point, however.

The bottom line, however, is that when you can stop the run with just two guys, it frees up a lot of other people to play pass coverage.  The health of Pat Williams' shoulder is therefore probably the biggest story going into this game.

Enjoyed This Way Too Much

I don't generally re-post things the other guys stick up, but this was just way too clutch not to memorialize here as well:

Just Being A Fan

What a day. 

I got up in the morning furious that I wouldn't be able to watch the game, but not expecting it to matter much either way.  I kept tabs on all the early games on the drive to the airport by madly refreshing the "sportacular" app on my phone every 30 seconds.  I almost drove off the road when Tampa Bay pulled two scores ahead.

Ryan Longwell was lining up his 50-yarder right as we were coming out of the security line.  I saw the Minnesota players jumping around on the sideline and figured that might be it.  But then the final seconds counted down in Houston and Tampa Bay and improbably -- make that amazingly -- the Eagles were facing a win-and-in game against the Cowboys, the first half of which I got to watch in its glorious entirety as Southwest kept endlessly delaying our flight. 

By the time the cabin doors closed, both fumble return TDs had been scored and I could fly in full knowledge that it would have taken a collapse of epic proportions for the Eagles not to make the playoffs.

What a day.

- - - - - -

There really is a time and a place for everything.  The last few weeks, we've spent a lot of time discussing the things that seem to be wrong with this team.  Some of the coaches (a few of you), some of the players (a few of us).  All the little things that seemed to nag at a team that, in the end, did make the playoffs.

And while we're still going to see items like this over the next few days and think "hmmmm," at least for the next seven days we're not going to be talking about them here.  It's time only for talking about the Birds, the Vikings, the playoffs, and how happy I am that my DirecTV is now working again, thanks to a power outage that seemed to occur while we were in the air, serendipitously providing the reset our receiver needed.

- - - - - -

Hats off to the dude wearing the old school Eagles t-shirt in the Columbus airport today who came up to me in the bar and asked what the situation was with Oakland and the others.  You woke up this morning, knowing the long odds, knowing you were going to be nowhere near Phily, and recognizing the game probably wouldn't matter -- and still you pulled on the Eagles gear. 

Kudos also to the ladies to my left who had to listen to the guy who thought, "The Eagles just don't have any receivers except for that new rookie guy," would be some sort of effective pick-up line. 

There's just something about being in some random bar in some random city with at least a few of your home fans around that makes the world seem like an OK place for awhile.

- - - - - -

The last thing I want to do here before we move on to better things is apologize for this.  I've been wrong plenty of times before and will be wrong plenty of times to come, but I'm not sure I've ever been more wrong on this blog than I was when I wrote that.  Reid never even thought about quitting, which is why he took that tie and why the Eagles are in the playoffs today. 

It didn't have to work out that way.  In fact, it's only in spite of some ridiculously long odds that it did.  But it was the right move not because it worked out in the end, but because it allowed all that working out in the end to take place. 

Sorry, Andy, you got me on that one.

%#*^! DirecTV

BIG thanks to the folks at DirecTV, who felt like yesterday would be a great time to force-download an update to my receiver that ended up bricking the box. Since I'm not home, I can't reset the damn thing, which means it ain't recording the game and I won't be able to watch when I get home.

I just love DirecTV.

So ... if the game matters today, I'm hoping you guys knock yourselves out in the open thread so I can at least read the blow by blow when I get home.

Of course, if the game doesn't matter, well then that sucks too.

Choking time Atlanta. You know you can do it.

Note and Christmas Posting Schedule

Obviously things are going to be a little less regular for a few days with the holidays.  Now that the NFL has finally decided on a 4:15 start time, I'm not even going to be able to catch the end of the game in real time.  I'll be in the air instead, flying during the "window" between the 1 pm starts and the NBC night game.

Anyway, I just thought this column was kind of funny.  The whole premise is that the Eagles' playoff destiny may be determined by the time the game is played, which could be unfair because our guys might then come out flat and allow the Cowboys to roll over them.

First of all, no, I don't see that happening.  If they're knocked out beforegand, the Eagles are going to be coming out angry in this game.  Not angry at the NFL.  Angry at themselves for blowing a free shot at the playoffs.  The fact that they don't like the Cowboys only adds to that fire.

Secondly, what do we know about this team?  They're always at their best when their playing loose, free, nothing-to-worry-about football.  We say it last year with the three-win finish and again this year after they'd shot themselves in the feet and seemed to be out of the playoff picture midway.

Finally ... I mean ... Sunday was like three days ago ... do we really want to argue that the Eagles knowing they control their playoff destiny is something that's going to guarantee some kind of great performance?

They Are Who We Thought They Were

Thank you, Denny Green.  You really nailed that one.

Wide receivers who don't get open and don't make plays?  Check.
Offensive coaching staff that reverts to a pass-only attack when times get tough?  Check.
Limited offense that shuts down if Westbrook isn't having a big day?  Check.
Quarterback who has games where he blows more than his share of easy throws?  Check.
Solid defense that still can't generate turnovers?  Check, check and check.

They are who we thought they were.

- - - - - -

Of course, knowing all that didn't change the bitterness of that loss yesterday.  That was tough, very though.  Knowing you hold your playoff destiny in your hands and then coming out and playing like that?  That was terrible.

- - - - - -

I'm not buying all this "flatness" stuff, though.  There's no way they came into that game anything less than very excited.  But then the offense ran 13 plays to pick up 24 yards -- total -- in the first quarter, and immediately the energy was gone. 

- - - - - -

My understanding of the Philadelphia Sports Booing Culture is taking a hit.  Consider this situation:

1. High-priced, high-profile free agent brought in to do just one thing to help the team.
2. Free agent kind of does that thing, but not really, and seems to blow plenty of opportunities to do that one thing.
3. In the biggest game of the year to date, the free agent blows a chance to not only do that thing, but then maybe score the game-tying points as a result.
4. The next day, this free agent still isn't really taking any hits among the fans and all signs point to a non-booing next week at home.

This doesn't make sense to me.  Sure, I think it's fine.  I doubt Asante's performance would be improved by getting vocally reamed each week at home, but either the PSBC has really changed since the World Series (which would be news to Donovan) or else there's something different about Asante.  I can't figure out what it is.

- - - - - -

There are basically two approaches the Eagles can take here: 1) blow it all up, or 2) aim for incremental improvement. 

If you fire Andy Reid (which they won't), you're going for number one.  I think many Eagles fans -- even the Reid supporters -- occasionaly find themselves engaging in a little Bill Cowher fantasy.  You know how it goes:  the grizzled old coach comes in and kicks a little tail, the guys at first reject his hard methods but then find themselves responding to them after they see the results, the team gets to playing FOOTBALL not that mincing, fraidy-cat WCO junk, and 12 months later Brian Dawkins is not only back, but holding the Lombardi Trophy.

It's a nice picture, but it has as much chance of happening as your other fantasy about Padma Lakshimi.  The Eagles are not a "get over the hump" franchise right now.  They're in the midst of a massive overhaul and any coach they bring in right now would be continuing that path.  "Win Now" won't be the mantra.

(Hold that thought, however, because in three years the Eagles are either going to be in the Super Bowl or the very definition of a franchise in the midst of a can't-get-over-the-hump phase.)

The problem for the incremental improvement approach is two-fold:  1) it's hard to figure out exactly what needs to change and 2) some of those changes are going to look a lot more like "blow it all up" than "incremental improvement":

Changing QBs.  I go back and forth on the advisability of this.  I think there's little chance that Kolb is a better QB than McNabb next year (little as in "barring injury, almost none.")  And I do think this team is really just a couple of elite pieces away from being right there at the top of the league.  But what if Westbrook gets hurt next year?  Or Trent Cole?  Or a few guys on the offensive line?  Suddenly, all your plans for making one last push for a championship with the old guys are out the window. 

And look at the New England Patriots for a minute.  There's no chance Matt Cassel is even remotely as good as Tom Brady.  Zippy.  But that team has such overwhelming talent at the other 10 positions that even a guy like Cassel can come in and have immediate success.  If a McNabb trade can help bring in that kind of talent to put around Kolb, there's at least a decent chance you're there in year two.

Removing the offensive coordinator.  I don't think Marty is a bad OC.  It's a little hard to tell where Reid's job ends and his begins, but for the most part, the schemes don't generally seem to be the problem.  With that said, the Eagles seem to need a guy who can tell Reid, "No, we're going to keep running the ball here no matter what.  It doesn't matter than you just started calling plays this series and got DeSean open deep (on a ball he then dropped), We Have To Run The Football."

You know me.  I'd give Mark Whipple a shot.

Changing/upgrading the skill position talent.  Westbrook is the man.  Curtis and Jackson can both be in a team's top three.  Kyle Eckel has shown me a lot this year as a #3 RB who can come in and bring the hammer.  Everything else should be up in the air.  And I mean everything.  If you bring in a third-round tight end, but say that Celek is going to be your starter, then you haven't done enough.  If Matt Schobel is on this roster next year, rather than a power run-blocking TE type, then you haven't done enough. 

If Correll Buckhalter -- who is a true Eagle and a guy who deserves nothing but our respect -- is the #2 running back next year, rather than an explosive, big-time stud college tailback, then you haven't done enough. 

And if you're still trying to convince us that the Eagles' receving corps is just fine as currently constructed because you like to "spread the ball around a lot," then you really, really haven't done enough.

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One last, quick note on the receiving corps.  I really thought Reggie Brown would respond yesterday by coming out and making an impact.  Not so much. 

Salary cap considerations aside, who would you rather see out there playing for the Eagles next year if the team can bring in the kind of uber-talent, looks like a future #1 WR, they need -- Reggie Brown or Hank Baskett and Jason Avant? 

Not a hard choice.  Give me the two guys who have been out there busting their tails all season, and who both bring something to the table other than just being pretty good across the board.