Bring On The Cardinals

How much fun was that?

Seriously, on the list of all-time most enjoyable Eagles victories, where did that one rank?  Not as good as the Falcons game that punched the Super Bowl ticket, I guess.  But off the top of my head, that might be the only one I'd put ahead of this. 

You old-timers would probably toss the victory over the Cowboys in the 1980 playoff game into that mix, but I was still crawling around the romper room back then, so I can't speak to it. 

That game was perfect. An NFC East opponent.  A dominating Eagles defensive effort.  McNabb playing one of his finest high-pressure games ever.  A close first half, but the Eagles (seemingly) in control most of that time.  Not one but two fantastic fourth-down stands. 

On the schadenfreude side, I've got Eli proving once again that last year was a fluke.  Antonio Pierce getting alternately toasted and then lit up by his own guy.  Tom Coughlin having one of his patented hissy fits.

Lovely.  And awesome.  And about 20 other words I probably shouldn't type here after the heat of the moment has passed.

- - - - - -

I don't want to get too over the top on this thing here.  And I definitely don't think this is what Reid had in mind when he booted McNabb to the bench in that Ravens game.

But right now McNabb looks exactly like the questing hero who has come back from a near-death experience with no more fear of ... anything.  I'm not just talking about how well he's playing.  He's had plenty of these streaks in the past.  Most of the folks who read this blog regularly understand just how good he is and what he means to this team.

But this is even a little different.  Talking trash to opposing fans?  Losing his head and picking up the phone on the sidelines? 

Losing his head -- period?

We know all about the slings and arrows.  Neither McNabb nor the people who write about him will ever let us forget them.  Right now, however, Don seems much more focused on taking arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them. 

- - - - - -

Gents (and a few ladies).  We're 60 minutes from the Super Bowl.

And right now we can watch one of life's great pleasures -- a playoff football game in the snow -- with an easy heart and unclouded mind.

What a day.  What a win. 

Comments

[ravi]

well said derek...i'd like to add, the interior of this defensive line has been playing at a ridiculous level. it's nice to see the dividends of those back-to-back first round picks on patterson and bunkley. and it was good to see JJ keeping the rotation going with clemons, laws, howard, and abiamiri...it paid off in the 4th quarter on those 4th down stops.

the giants clearly came into this game thinking they were gonna pound and bully us into submission. there was a lot of trash talking in the first quarter - it was great to that our D punched them right in the mouth and wasn't backing down....

[Bears Fan That Wants D Mc!!]

I had to comment on this game, even tho I'm principally a Bears fan...what I great game and beat down of the Giants!! For your team's sake, I hope Andy never makes the mistake of cutting Donovan loose, but if he ever does, I hope someone in Chicago signs him. Good luck next week- GO EAGLES!!

How did Sav play today?

[Derek]

And there's a quick kick for our Aussie friends :)

[Jason H]

Well said. This is an unbelievable run. It also has cemented Donovan's return. How could you possibly let him go at this point?

[Derek]

Sav started a little slow on his first couple punts, but then he turned things around. He kicked a really nice ball after the safety, and then made two great punts later.

Really, if the guy was wearing green, he did a pretty good job today.

[ravi]

5 nfc championship games in 10 years. tough to hate on andy right now....though he'd really cement our love if he finally turns one of these into a lombardi trophy!!

eagles are 3 point favorites at arizona next weekend. wow.

[Sundar]

Im in Colorado doing whatever I can to experience this in AZ!!!

[Coray S]

Just watched the game at Down the Hatch in the heart of midtown Manhattan. After the game, me and a buddy walked a mile up 6th ave, bedecked in Eagles green, arms raised in victory, singing the fight song the whole way. I can't remember being this ecstatic about a victory.

What a day.

[Ajay]

Actually, 5 Championship Games in 8 years...even more impressive.

[ravi]

ajay - was speaking about his tenure as a whole, but yes, you are correct.

i'm glad that we won't have to hear those idiots on the wip morning show claiming all week that mcnabb and this team have been mediocre since the superbowl...i think derek has done a good job chronicling over the last couple years how the front office has essentially rebuilt this team - under the radar - since 2004. save for dawkins and sheldon, every contributing face on this defense is different since the superbowl team. and there's no question in my mind that this defense is better....

but i guess the sportstalk haters can keep pointing out that we are terrible because we can't win games decided by less than 7 points. so sick of hearing that irrelevant, misleading, bullshit statistic...wow, my giddiness over this win has led to some serious rambling...

[bigmyc]

[Edited.]

On to Phoenix!

[GFF]

Ah, Derek, since the game seems to have brought out the mythopoeic in you (a quotation from Hamlet, mention of katabasis of the "questing hero", playoffs in the snow...), let's hope that Phoenix portends the ultimate resurrection of McNabb from a symbolic death at the hands of the Ravens.

[BrianS]

In the last 3 weeks the Eagles have won 2 playoff games and eliminated our two least favorite teams.

Awesome.

Who would have thought the Eagles could win with that little production from 36?

The numbers don't tell the story of Donovan McNabb today.

[cavortingEagle]

GFF beats me to the punch, therefore I can but echo his sentiment.

[Eric]

A point I've been thinking of the past couple of weeks BrianS. The belief for the longest time is if Westbrook struggles then this team is in trouble.

They've been winning games in spite of Westbrook's lack of consistent production.

[stf]

Yeah, bring the Cardinals and they're going to crush the low flying Eagles. The truth is Eagles suck big time and have no chance against Arizona. Fitzgerald is going to KILL the Eagles. Man, this team is soooo boring. You don't even deserve to play in the NFC final.

[Derek]

Wow, I just learned two things.

1) The Cardinals have boorish, nothing-better-to-do-than-troll-opponents-blogs fans just like other teams.

2) The Cardinals have fans.

[Ajay]

Derek - and earlier this year we learned that Arizona actually had a football team. Amazing!

[danny]

"The truth is Eagles suck big time and have no chance against Arizona."

Sounds like more analysis from the football outsiders guys.

Hehe.

[Andrew B]

Ravi:

The Eagles don't win close games because when we win, we win blowouts, and when we lose, its close.

So if you win big and lose small, and win more than you lose, doesn't that make you ... a really good team?

[BFH]

The Giants offense was really able to muster all of two field goals on this defense today. Going all out against the run was the right strategy, if for no other reason than Eli Manning is incapable of being effective in any kind of wind.

McNabb was absolutely phenomenal in the second half. That early second half pick did nothing to throw him off his game.

And kudos to Kevin Curtis for coming back and making some HUGE catches after that awful drop.

Freaking awesome.

[Eric]

Two good zings in a row.

[Andrew B]

Ajay:

"Derek - and earlier this year we learned that Arizona actually had a football team. Amazing!"

No, as Gregg Easterbrook says, the Arizona Cardinals are an unknown quantity that comes with the following on the label: "Warning, contains football like substance"

[Old Timer]

Since I was at Franklin Field in 1960, the best win I ever experienced was when Bednarik sat on Jim Taylor at the 8 yard line. Unless you win it all, there is no best win ever. It's just like celebrating a good sack, tackle or even TD. Unless your team wins the super bowl, what are you celebrating? We have the Cardinals next week to get into the super bowl. I'll celebrate if they hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The Giants are just another team along the way.

[Derek]

Thank you, Old Timer, for perfectly expressing what I think is the worst strain of Philly negativity in existence.

The Eagles are headed to the NFC Championship game when a few weeks ago they looked dead in the water. They just thoroughly dominated one of our most hated divisional rivals. And the whole team is playing the best football we've seen from this franchise in at least a couple years.

But we shouldn't celebrate any of that because the only thing worth being happy about is winning a championship?

What a joke.

[Soups]

I can't express how much I hate Troy Aikman. Listening to his sad, sullen commentary almost ruined the game for me. I have got to find an alternative. Unfortunately, the radio is a few seconds head of my cable provider (Comcast).

When I was watching the Arizona/Carolina game yesterday, all I kept thinking was how soft they played compared to NFC East teams -- especially us Eagles! We are much more physical.

I hope we don't look past Arizona. I think our defense can stop their run and then work on putting Warner on his butt.

And Fitzgerald isn't going to get arm-tackled by our DBs. No, sir.

[joey]

the eagles stink if they were any fatter they would be fat they will regret beating the giants u fattsos nippums

[BFH]

joey, that is my all time favorite comment.

[Rich]

Well put, Derek. And nice Hamlet reference. And I think you are dead on about McNabb's recent play. He's playing unbelievably loose, like he's gambling with the house money, which he sort of is, since the Ravens benching.

Old Timer, are be serious? I'm sure you are a joy to be around.

[Brandon]

When McNabb gets in a rhythm, it is so damn nice to watch. I love the feeling of watching him take his drop and just knowing he is going to fire one right into someone's chest. Like on that throw to Curtis where he look at the flat first, drawing the LB to Westbrook, and then hit Curtis (who then had a nice run after the catch down to about their 15 yard line), I just knew it was going to be a completion from the time he dropped back.

Can't wait to watch this team in Arizona, I'm just hoping our D continues to play with a chip on their shoulder.

[Eagles Fan in San Fran]

The Eagles are favored (by Las Vegas) to beat the Cards - and thus go to the SB.

Think about that: The EAGLES are favored to go to the Super Bowl.

After the disheartening Chicago loss, the Cincinnati debacle, the Ravens butt-whipping and the "half-yard short" game vs the Redskins.

No, no, no - we cannot and will not lose this next game. We've come too far and overcome way too much to fall short.

I don't know about the SB itself - Pitt or Baltimore, pick your poison - but I just know whoever it is, they're going to have to beat us come Feb 1.

Enjoy this day everyone, enjoy!

[BrianS]

I'm as "Superbowl or Bust" as they come. But a week before thanksgiving (and again after the Washington game) I left this team for dead and here they are in the conference championship.

This is so improbable it's impossible to not enjoy it.

[Coatesvillain]

Hats off to Andy and Marty for not only having a great gameplan offensively but actually having it be executed on gameday. Even when plays didn't work out I never found myself questioning what they were calling.

So many good things about the game, but I don't want to start rambling.

Go Eagles!

[shlynch]

Kiss our arse, Bill Simmons.

[bigmyc]

Yo, Derek, you edited my entirely relevant content but you let stf slam this team as a troll poster....what?

I would Email you, but I simply don't feel like going through the trouble of configuring Outlook on my computer.

New York Football Giants fan here. Derek, I want to thank you for a great blog for a football fan to be able to read.

I was really impressed how the Eagles turned their season around last year, and thought they would be the biggest problem for the Giants this year.

I have nothing but respect for Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, and the excellent coaching staff of the Eagles. I'd like to see the Eagles win it all since the Giants are out, because it would do so much for the franchise. I don't mean it as an insult, so sorry if it sounds that way.

[Derek]

Giants fan, no insult taken. Thanks for stopping by.

BM, I have different standards for Eagles fans and non-Eagles fans. The odds are pretty good that some Johnny-come-lately, bandwagon Cardinals troll won't be able to figure out how to find his way here again anyway, so it's not worth the time it takes to ban him.

[Sundar]

Cardinals remind me of a certain team in recent memory..let me see...who were they???

Let's see....just happy to be here, home field advantage, apathetic fans, warm weather climate, but play in a dome....

HMMMMMMM.......AH YES!

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays...More cowbell?

[Sundar]

p.s. Gotta love that McNabb trains in AZ and brought out several Eagles to train with him there this past summer.

[Kate]

Wow! What a turnaround from "Post-Mortem Live" right before the Thanksgiving game, which in my opinion was not only the turning point of the season for McNabb, but it was the turning point for the entire team! They all look like they're playing for each other and the team!

I'm so happy for Donovan McNabb in particular. Everyone, start writing fan letters, so this guy knows that even though the media hates him, the FANS support him through everything! He's OUR MAN!

FEAR the BEARDS!

First the Soul, then the Phillies, and now it'll be the Battle of the Turnpike in Tampa Bay! The final stretch in the road to the World Series championship was straight through Tampa and we're taking a return trip to Tampa in February!

Beat the Cards just like you did on Thanksgiving!

[bigmyc]

OK, makes sense.

..and it appears as though you picked up what I was throwing down.

[Justin]

>

>

Derek, I love your Eagles blog, but that was uncalled for. "Old Timer" wasn't an anti-McNabb nor -Reid troll blaming the opponent for an Eagles win, like we saw last week after the Vikings game. Old Timer's point -- even if "what are you celebrating?" was a bit harsh -- is a valid one. This season isn't over yet, and it's a bit odd to read and hear Negadelphia respond to this win like it's a Super Bowl victory.

This was a wonderful win for the Birds, and even a bad loss next week won't discredit an overall successful season and what happened in New Jersey today. But 2008-'09 isn't over yet -- this was hardly a "best win ever" for Philly, and the Giants are most definitely "just another team along the way." We've got at least one and, I hope, maybe two more games to go. If someone says something along the lines of, "Let's keep our eyes on the prize," it's hardly warranted to bash them for the "worst strain of Philly negativity in existence."

[john]

Way to go Eagles!!! I’m having real fun watching these playoffs upset. More importantly I’m watching with my cousins from Australia here in Malaysia, guess what??? It’s back to back punting victory to see both Graham and Rocca, facing off in next weeks Championship game.

I will admit that I have no regrets skipping a day from work just watch the match. It was worthwhile.

Aussie!!! Aussie!!!

John
http://mundoalbiceleste.blogspot.com

[Derek]

Sorry, Justin. You won't change my mind about this. Anyone who wants to poop all over a back-from-the-dead playoff win over the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants can go find someone else's parade to rain on.

This season has been over twice -- once after the Ravens game, and then again after the barfjob against Washington. And now we're supposed to calmly ho-hum away the fact that we're 60 minutes from the Super Bowl and just took down the hated Giants to boot?

No way. Being a sports fan is not supposed to be an actuarial exercise, where he who dies with the most championships wins. If it was, why even watch the games? Just check the standings at the end of each season and see how the portfolio is doing.

The Eagles are close, man. This thing is wide open. I'm not going to wait until Jeff Lurie is passing around the trophy to get excited.

[Tracer Bullet]

This game was tense as the Giants were one play away all afternoon, but as far as "best wins," I'll take the 2004 Divisional game against Green Bay. The Eagles were getting hammered in the first half and probably should have lost that game. I'll be seeing 4th-and-26 in my dreams until the day I die.

Humiliated the Cowboys. dominated the Giants. Sixty minutes away from the Super Bowl. I could just plotz.

[Thorin]

McNabb had one hell of a game despite his stats. I see some articles citing those 2 interceptions, but one was off a great defensive deflection and the other happened on 3rd and long outside of FG range and the Giants got the ball at their own 20. If everyone else is covered in that situation, that's the throw a smart QB makes: heave it out there to your playmaker and see if he can do something with it, and if the worst happens, it's as good as a punt.

[Colin]

Amazing game from the defense, the linebackers are taking big steps forward every week. Gocong in particular has played really well the past two weeks.

As well as McNabb played yesterday, I still feel like he hasn't played his absolute best in these playoffs yet. He has a 300 + yard, 3 touchdown game in him still.

I'm happy for Andy, and sorry I joined the doubters. Start building the man's statue right now.

[Andrew B]

The other McNabb interception was caused in part by McNabb being hit while he threw. It wasn't like he just chucked it out there with no interference.

[Derek]

Thorin, you're right, which doesn't stop our man Gonzo from making far too much of them.

TB -- that Packers game was sweet. I sometimes forget about that one because of what followed.