Can You Taste It?

I haven't felt like this since 2004.  That season was the last time Eagles fans could wake up in the morning knowing that no matter what happened from week to week, their team was going to be there, right at the end.

Philly fans take nothing for granted, obviously, but this Arizona match-up sets up really, really well.  You all know I spend every Monday obsessing about all the ways the Eagles could be exploited by their next opponent ... but that's not easy to do with this one.  A pass-happy team with a rattle-able QB and a weak secondary?  Man, that's sweet. 

Really, about the only thing you could hang your hat on is the extent to which Philly teams in general, and this Eagles team in particular, don't always do well with prosperity.  But that's just Negadelphia talking.

Arizona is obviously a good team, or they wouldn't have gotten this far.  For as much attention as the Eagles have been getting nationally, the Cardinals have looked pretty darn good the last two weeks.  And I wouldn't take too much away from that Thanksgiving game, when those guys were travelling on a short week after a bruising game against New York.  They'll be ready this time.

But so will our guys.  I'm confident of that.

- - - - - -

A few more reactions to the post-game discussions below, but first I want to re-post something I wrote in the comments.  It came in response to an "old timer" saying there's no reason to celebrate unless/until the Eagles win it all.  This pretty well sums up what I think about that approach to being a fan:

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.

- - - - - -

Westbrook, when reasonably healthy, never makes just a small contribution.  I was all ready to tear apart the idea that the Eagles won practically in spite of Westbrook, and then this morning I saw this article that did it for us.

But his mere presence, hobbled or not, played a major role in the Eagles' surprising second-half production against the Giants.

With the New York defense carefully monitoring Westbrook's movements out of the backfield, quarterback Donovan McNabb found himself with plenty of room to work in the middle of the field.

On one of the biggest completions of the game - a 15-yarder from McNabb to Kevin Curtis that gave the Eagles a first down on the Giants 14-yard line with 2:42 remaining in the third quarter - Westbrook played a pivotal role, curling out of the backfield and drawing double coverage from defensive end Justin Tuck and safety Michael Johnson to open up the middle of the field.

"We ran a wide route and then had a little spot route inside of Brian and it opened up," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "We ran it a couple of other times as well . . . Just the threat of Brian Westbrook being on the field certainly affects our opponent."

There's more in there, but that's the gist.  Westbrook is the Eagles' Plaxico Burress -- and I mean that in the nicest possible way.  He's the scheme breaker you have to go all out to stop, opening up the rest of the offense.  He's worth a touchdown a game just by being dressed.

That two-week Super Bowl layoff looks pretty good right now, doesn't it?  No, I'm not looking past the Cardinals.  (Much more importantly, I doubt the team is either.)  But if the Eagles can somehow get through this game, that's two weeks of rest and recuperation for injured guys like Westbrook and Runyan, and plenty of time to recharge the batteries for the old dudes like Thomas and Dawkins. 

I've never liked the two-week layoff before now.

Of course the defense is good.  There's a funny little line of argument going around right now amongst those who would sooner curse their own mothers than give Reid or McNabb any credit for this team's success.  The idea is, basically, that the offense still sucks but the defense has bailed them out for so many weeks in a row that this doesn't really say anything good about the offensive guys.

Well.  Considering the Eagles have carpetbombed the defensive side of the football the last three years with first- (Bunkley and Patterson), second- (Laws and Abiamiri) and third-round (Smith, Bradley, Gocong) draft picks, along with signing huge (Samuel), nice (Howard) and under-the-radar (Clemons) free agents, it's not all that surprising that that's the side of the ball that's finally showing some serious game-changing potential. 

RIP: The Idea That Eli Manning Is An Elite QB.  Eli Manning is the perfect counter-example to the idea that winning a Super Bowl somehow defines a quarterback as being qualitatively different and better than the other guys who haven't managed that trick. 

Eli is a fine QB when the seas are calm.  When he's backed up by a great defense, a superlative running game, and the premier bail-out target in the league, he can look pretty good.  But we saw yesterday once again that if the guy has to win the game, rather than just manage it, he's no better than average.

The wind conditions were tough, sure, but Donovan did just fine with them.  And the Eagles defense is pretty darn good, but did you notice the Eagles didn't sack Eli a single time?  More than that, they really didn't even get that much pressure on him.  The blitzes weren't getting home and the front four was generally getting stuffed by a solid offensive line well-versed in the Eagles' schemes.  And yet still Manning looked flustered much of the day. 

I will say, in Eli's defense, that without Plaxico and Shockey, his receiving corps is looking a little Eagles-esque right now.  But with that many guys selling out to stop the run all day, at some point Mr. Super Bowl Winning Quarterback needed to make a play.  He didn't. 

Here comes the bandwagon.  This cracked me up:

The Cardinals sold out the 71,000-seat facility through a combination of telephone and online sales, plus in-person purchases at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

When the Cardinals hosted the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the playoffs, they needed an extension from the NFL to sell their remaining tickets and ensure the game would be televised locally.

Finally, looking for some more good signs?  Check this out.  The house style over there can be a bit over-the-top, but 18 of 19 is a nice little stretch.

Comments

[Tracer Bullet]

I'll admit I wanted to give Big Red the shoe six weeks ago but I will give the devil his due. The game plans have worked well these past two weeks and McNabb, though not statistically dominant, has made big plays every time he's had to. Is there a better QB on 3rd-and-long than #5? On another note, the Eagles were second in the league this season (to the Giants, ironically enough) at scoring points at the end of the first half with 50. Not bad for a coach and QB who are supposedly bad at clock management and the two-minute drill.

[Paul]

I'm still not completely sold on AR has both head coach and head personnel decision maker, but I will say this: The benching of McNabb, although handled awkwardly (by not telling Donovan himself he was benched) MAY go down as one of the greatest coaching movies in Philadelphia sports history. He knows this team inside and out and might know McNabb better than his own wife, and because of that, he knows #5 plays better with a chip on his shoulder.

Speaking of McNabb, I think he played excellent against the Giants. His numbers don't show it but when he's converting 3rd and longs, this offense moves. The two interceptions were awkward and not nearly as dumb as Eli's two. The only negative I saw from him on Sunday was his inability (again) to throw the really short passes. But if McNabb doesn't escape that rush and hit Avant for that 3rd and 20 conversion, or throw a perfect pass on the slant to Curtis to convert that 3rd and long, I don't think the Eagles win yesterday. It wasn't the prettiest performance, but I will remember Sunday's as one of his best against a very good defense.

I just can't wait to see what he does against the Cards D, which in my opinion, isn't in the same league as the Giants or Vikings defense's.

[Derek]

The fact that the Eagles have responded so well to the depths of 5-5-1 answers the questions about Reid's ability to reach, coach and motivate this team. It doesn't mean those questions weren't valid in the first place.

Not that it matters now, but I agree on the coach/GM issue. In today's NFL, it seems like a disadvantage to have just one guy focused on two so very important positions.

If the rumblings we're hearing in the press are accurate, however, the Eagles _are_ looking to make a change on the personnel side. It may not mean anything, but all this smoke around Heckert suggests that while they think Andy is fine as the chief decision-maker, they're not so sure about his support staff.

[Thorin]

Yeah, but most of those questions were phrased in the form of demands, lit by torches and punctuated by pitchforks.

[Eric]

Derek, I assume the in spite of Westbrook part was in response to my comment. I guess I should have been more clear and stated that's a media opinion that Westbrook has to provide a statistically relevant game to be a factor. Thus, if he has a statistical downer, he's more so eliminated from the overall equation and this team stalls along with him.

I think we all agree his mere presence is enough. The same reason I stated a few weeks back on EMB when someone poo-pooed the fact that DeSean had 0 catches against the Giants Rd. 2. Westbrook specifically stated his mere presence allowed Westbrook to score on that 40 yard pass play.

[jet3to]

Donovan is no great talent,one speed above avg,i like his personality. he is a fun guy,even thogh he chokes in big games,picking the phone up on the giants sidelines was funny,they had the game in hand,and he apologized,maybe it is a sign that he is relaxing,this will help prevent the big choke

[Eric]

Second thing. I wish I had a blog. I really want to illustrate a point of how Eli is really just another Brad Johnson or Trent Dilfer.

[jet3to]

Pressure & Protection wins Super Bowls,you can make comparisons with another great gambling venue,HORSE RACING,it is all about who is HOT at the END,Horses have bounces[clonkers] so do FOOTBALL teams,the EAGLES are out of clonkers,they are fit,conditioned-now AR has to get them focused for another 2 games,this is where Samuels,Brown & Dawk have to gaurd the best recieving corp in football/pressure & protect

[jet3to]

Cards have the best recievers in football,Warner has a quick release,healthy E.James=potent OFFENSE,that depends on their o/line.Dont know anything about them,if they are only avg,then Bunkley & Patterson,have to plug-up the holes for EJames,Hightower,I hope Hightower is hurt & will not play,DEFENSIVELY they quietly led in takeaways.EAGLES got their hands full.At this point in time the EAGLES & CARDS are the 2 best teams in the NFC.Dont laugh it is true,I think the BIRDS can pull it off

[Derek]

Eric, it wasn't directed at you. I just read/watched/heard a lot of reporting yesterday that made it sound like Westbrook was a non-factor, when we all know he's the #1 factor at all times.

[Andrew2]

What shocked me most on Sunday was that Andy Reid made successful, offensive, halftime adjustments to his gameplan. This is the mark of great coaches -- Jim Johnson does it well, Joe Gibbs was the master of it in the day -- and until now I never thought Andy Reid was capable of it. If he can do that consistently, he can be my coach forever.

[BFH]

Off-topic, but was anyone able to refrain from cursing Aikman at least once or twice yesterday?

"Turnovers happen during the course of trying to win a football game."

He said that. After Eli's first pick. What the hell does that mean?

[Thorin]

Aikman was annoying yesterday, but I thought this was a nice dose of reality to the "turnovers, turnovers, turnovers" boilerplate that ever other analyst spews. He means sometimes people make too big a deal out of turnovers as being horrible plays. Which I think he's right on. They can absolutely be self destructive, but sometimes it's more that the other team made a play or it made sense at that moment to take that risk.

McNabb's 2 picks yesterday, for instance, weren't bad throws at all. The one was just a great defensive play and lucky bounce, the other was on 3rd and long out of FG range and the Giants got it at their own 20 (i.e. it was as good as a punt, and there was a lot of upside to the throw).

Eli's picks, however, were self-destructive. But that's why Donovan's a better QB. ;-)

[Jason H]

Looks like this is attracting some opposing trolls.

Good recap, Derek. I mentioned to my wife yesterday that I think I'm enjoying this run more than any since 2001, the first of the NFC Championship runs which was the last time the Eagles made a deep run without the burden of expectation. 2004 was great, but at that point the run was accompanied with the expected. This is the first time since '01 when victory each week was not expected. And after the disappointments of the last few seasons, this is an unexpected gift.

[bigmyc]

Thorin, that's what happens when issues with a passionate fan base go unresolved..For most, it's not like WE were trying to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Look it like it was the Philly fans and their version of benching ANDY. Perhaps, WE made a little difference, no? I mean, it's obvious that Andy hears just about everything the fans throw at him....why not?
I have noticed lately that he is a much different man these days, more jovial and social (I suppose winning can do that). But what really comes first. The winning or the opening up to those who REALLY make this team go? Why can't the Eagles fans have made a little difference here?

[BFH]

--He means sometimes people make too
--big a deal out of turnovers as being
--horrible plays.

OK, but umm... Eli's first pick WAS a horrible play.

If your interpretation is correct, and he means that sometimes turnovers are simply bad luck, then that's what he should say.

I guess I may be incapable of rationality with Aikman, it's what he's driven me to.

[Thorin]

Last year I said a few times how I missed the old Buddy Ryan years when it seemed like the Eagles were alway chasing a magic number to barely scrape into the playoffs every year. Next year, I'm gonna be careful what I wish for, even rhetorically.

[Derek]

Benching Andy. That's actually a pretty good line.

[Thorin]

Bigmyc, because the fans are going to run good people out of town. And we're going to make it harder to acquire good free agents, and eventually we're going to have an Eagles draft pick go all Eli Manning on us and look he just ate a turd when the fans in the draft stands are already booing him. I mean, we talk a lot about how McNabb sometimes does poorly under pressure, and then make this place into the worlds most stressful sports pressure cooker. If the goal is to win a championship, this is counterproductive.

Not to mention we're undercutting our own hall of famers. Ring or no, McNabb and Reid should have a shot to go in on their body of work right now, but there's a significant flow of national sports media types coming out of Philly where telling everyone why these guys suck is the way to the top.

[Thorin]

"If your interpretation is correct, and he means that sometimes turnovers are simply bad luck, then that's what he should say."

It was still a horrible play, that's absolutely true. But I liked Aikman's point that sometimes in trying to make a play, you have to risk putting the ball in a place where it could be a turnover. I think the reason he was saying it here was just to try not to start bashing QBs so early in the first quarter. But I thought it was interesting to hear that sometimes a turnover, even when it looks bad, is not a horrible play if you're trying to make a play and the risk is worth the potential reward. I also liked that it's so opposite of the morning show dogma we always get where everyone harps n turnovers, running the football and pressuring the QB over and over again like they're reading lines from some random quote generator.

[Eagles Fan in San Fran]

While everyone is (legitimately) focused on the D, here's something else to consider as a key to our resurrection:
Third-down conversions.

We're about 40% overall on the season BUT:
First 11 games: Down near 30%
Since then: Up near 50%
Yesterday: 50% (7 for 14), with none bigger than the 3-and-20 to Avant.

That's where the WRs (most notably Avant) have stepped up big-time and made a difference.

And speaking of WRs: Was Reggie Brown even activated for yesterday's game?

[bigmyc]

C'mon, Derek, you say that like it surprises you....you must admit, that mine is one of the more original viewpoints on this blog, agreeable or not.

But I'll accept your compliment anyhow.

[bigmyc]

Thorin, Andy and Donovan have not been getting it done lately...not remotely, especially when you factor in their personal ability levels (which the fans in Philly have always understood). I think that maybe you are confusing criticism with verbal abuse. Now, Philly is gonna have more than their fair share of loudmouth louts who berate with a trigger finger, but out-weighing those folks are the mainstay, loyal to a fault fans like you and me. Some criticize and some are more patient. I can't stand the cheerleader fan (who is none of the personality types that I have mentioned so far) because they think they know what's best and what's proper without having a stinking idea of what makes a football team tick....

So, while it looks like Andy and Donovan have reinvented themselves and thankfully, it is nothing that fans like myself haven't been waiting for seemingly forever. I still don't think I have been wrong for my strong admonishment of Andy's approach and Donovan's resolve.... I know I wasn't. This is now, not the middle of the season or even the Washington game (in which those negatives reared their heads again). So now we have watched the maturation of this Eagles season....and it couldn't have come a day later.

[BFH]

--So, while it looks like Andy and
--Donovan have reinvented themselves
--and thankfully, it is nothing that
--fans like myself haven't been waiting
--for seemingly forever. I still don't
--think I have been wrong for my strong
--admonishment of Andy's approach and
--Donovan's resolve.... I know I wasn't.

At some point you're going to tire of this, right? Please say yes.

[Eagles Fan in San Fran]

Hey, for once, looks like we won't have to worry about the opposing TE catching passes:
"Arizona Cardinals starting tight end Stephen Spach is out for the playoffs with a torn knee ligament."

And, yes, that is the same guy who played for us back in 2005. He hasn't played since, until being picked up by the Cards earlier this year and became their starter. Must be a good blocker, as he has a measley 2 catches in 9 games played.

The guy who couldn't beat out this bum and thus will take his place: former starter Leonard Pope, who has averaged about 1 catch for 10 yards per game over his 3 years with AZ.

Looks like maybe LJ should grab a housing magazine while he's in town this weekend - Phoenix may well be his new home next year.

[BrianS]

I've been pretty hard on Reid this year. (Yes, I am enjoying the taste of crow.)

But, doesn't seem like they have the l-word when they win, and don't when they lose?

I thought McNabb was way better yesterday than his numbers reflected. But, if the Giants came back to win, isn't one of the stories, "McNabb not good enough." Or, "One-dimensional offense dooms Eagles again."

Might not our interpretation of both the stats and the intangibles be extremely strongly influenced by the result of the game?

Derek posted a blog about this last season, I think. Critical reaction to McNabb in a loss against NYG vs. a win against Dallas in which his numbers were very similar.

[BFH]

>Derek posted a blog about this last season,
>I think. Critical reaction to McNabb in a
>loss against NYG vs. a win against Dallas in
>which his numbers were very similar.

This comes with being the quarterback, of course. But with the exception of the two abysmal games, this offense has been able to score points, right?

There were of course the terrible failures of Chicago, Giants game #1, and Washington -- but if the defense was playing as lights out then as they are now the Birds win those games.

[BFH]

One of the Football Outsiders' guys said this on the last day of the regular season: "It's as if all of the Eagles bad luck this season is reversing itself at once."

[bigmyc]

Well, Brian, all I can say to that is that it sounds like you a more accurately addressing the knee-jerkers. I texted, to some of my more football astute friends, in the fourth quarter that they should look at McNabb's stats and know that he played much better than that. I believe I am pretty good at calling a spade as such....that's all. Brian, you may have a point about that post that Derek put up last year, but it doesn't really apply to me.

[Arggggh. The Eagles are 60 minutes from the SB. Stop picking fights. -D]

Anyway, Brian, THAT has occured to me, but I still think that "good is as good does," regardless of the outcome of the score.

[Derek]

Leonard Pope is actually a little scary. We know Spach. He's a limited tools guy who doesn't make mistakes. Pope is a freakish athlete with (evidently) zero motor ... but those guys have a tendency to show up at random times.

[Soups]

I don't know about you guys, but I expected Carolina to blow past Arizona. I think the Eagles _should_ beat Arizona, but Arizona definitely _can_ beat us.

They have the kind of offense that can score 21+ points in one quarter... easy.

I'm going to choose to be positive. If the Eagles play to their potential, and the Cardinals play to their potential... the Eagles win by 14+.

I too was very critical of McNabb after the Bengals and Ravens. Was it warranted? Yes... he did get benched after all. I obviously wasn't the only person who felt he could be playing better than he was at the time. And he has.

I was also critical of Reid. And I'd love to see some stats on this but I swear that after the Ravens game, Reid and Marty have stuck with the run regardless of the fact that we weren't getting any yards from it.

The point of the run is to get yards AND to freeze the linebackers. Keeping the LBs honest means play action works, which means our offense doesn't become dead in the water. We saw it in the Vikes game and again in the Giants game.

Of all the things I am excited about, this is the biggest. Reid and Marty have finally bought into the idea that the Eagles offense can get consistent points -- even if only field goals -- throughout the game if we keep the run/pass ratio balanced.

Honestly, look how we stayed alive and got points in the Vikes and Giants game. Sure, we did eventually get key TDs in both games, but we stayed alive and active with the balanced offense.

Finally, I think Arizona is going to be "ready" and pumped, but I just don't see them matching the intensity that the Eagles can... no, that the Eagles WILL bring.

Go Eagles. If we play to our potential on offense, defense, and special teams, we can beat any of the other 3 teams standing even on their best days.

[Andrew B]

"On another note, the Eagles were second in the league this season (to the Giants, ironically enough) at scoring points at the end of the first half with 50. Not bad for a coach and QB who are supposedly bad at clock management and the two-minute drill."

Exactly. Reid and McNabb might be "bad" at the two-minute drill since they only average 3 points per game in the final two minutes of the first half, but everyone else is even worse.

That is like many things with Reid and his Eagles.

Reid is constantly critcized for not drafting and signing enough "good" players. Yet, Reid has sent more guys to more Pro Bowls than any other coach on a per year basis, he has twice as many ex-Eagles currently signed and playing elsewhere in the league as he has brought in ex-Other Teamers to play for the Eagles. If his drafting and GM skills suck, then everyone else in the NFL is even worse.

Reid is going to end up as anywhere from the 6th (108.5 wins) to 8th (106.5 wins) winningest coach from 1958 onwards in his first 10 seasons in the NFL. And remember he took over a team that went 6-9-1 and 3-13 the two years before his hire. The coaches ahead of him? George Seifert (123 wins), Paul Brown (114 wins), Joe Gibbs (113 wins), John Madden (112 wins), Don Shula (112 wins). Gibbs and Seifert are the only 16 game era guys ahead of him, while he will end up either right ahead of or right behind Holmgren (108 wins), Dungy (107 wins), and Ditka (107 wins). He's already passed Marv Levy (106 wins), Bill Cowher (105 wins), Bill Walsh (102 wins), Dennis Green (101 wins), Bill Parcells (100 wins), Bill Belichick (99 wins), Marty Schottenheimer (99 wins), Mike Shanahan (96 wins) and many others. If Andy Reid ends up winning more games than all but two modern era coaches in his first ten years (and Siefert got a huge assist from the 49ers stockpiling Young and others on the roster and the leagacy of Walsh), does he still need to be fired?

Other coaches get credit for winning with multiple QB's. Reid has won mostly with McNabb, but also with Feeley (6-3) and Garcia (5-3) and Detmer (2-0), failing only with the miserable McMahon (2-5). If Reid is 15-11 with guys who are essentially bench-warming scrubs, can't he get a little love for that?

[bigmyc]

Will you relax, Dman? I was simply clarifying the situation in direct response to his query. We are all very excited about what the Eagles have been able to accomplish in this late going....heck, it's all about momentum going into the playoffs and that Dallas game looks to be the defining high point of the regular season.

But, in regard to the statistical analysis vs. the outcome question of McNabb's performance, I feel that the answer lies in the timing of his good and bad plays, not the score or stats so much.

Now then, what about those Redbirds?

[Eagles Fan in San Fran]

Two interesting items today, especially when taken together:

1) From Phil Sheridan:
"There is something to the idea that McNabb has reacted to his Nov. 23 benching by playing with a renewed sense that he has something to prove.

But it also looks and feels as if Reid was affected just as deeply. When the coach felt he had to yank the single player most responsible for his success here, it must have forced a little soul-searching on Reid's part, too. Since then, the Eagles' offensive approach has been more balanced, the protection of the quarterback more of a priority than ever in Reid's tenure."

2) From BWest:
Westbrook also applauded the play-calling that kept giving him the ball even though he wasn't breaking any big runs. He said a "scaled-back" playbook has made Eagles offensive players perform with less caution.

"It's really almost made all the difference in the world," Westbrook said.

It does seem to me that, after the Kolb disaster in BALT, AR was finally out of convenient answers and thus was forced to actually take a hard look at himself and - in an Obama-inspired moment - actually embrace "change" (well, OK, nothing revolutionary here, but we'll take what we can get with AR).

And I think that the "simplifying the playbook" change is more significant than more balanced playcalling, especially in terms of cutting down the WR rotation to a reasonable size.

[Thorin]

Bigmyc, this team has one losing season in this millennium and is going to its 5th NFC championship in that span. Any definition that calls that "not getting it done" is absurd.

[bigmyc]

A little late with this but, I DID say, "lately"...as in, "since the Super Bowl."

Also, How many Lombardis has Andy and Donovan been priveledged to hoist?

[Thorin]

"Also, How many Lombardis has Andy and Donovan been priveledged to hoist?"

That's the absurd part. the idea that you can up and replace these guys with super bowl quality people. You have no idea how lucky we are to have been this good for this long. You can't fire guys like this and just go upgrade. Even if you bring in Manning or Brady you can't count on that as an upgrade--they might suck in this system with this talent. We're lucky we found a coach and QB this good in the first place. Finding a pair even better is like 100-1 odds.

[Thorin]

Have faith, we'll get our Lombardi.

[Eric]

Yep, I have at least another 60 years in my life. I'll see it some day.

[bigmyc]

Thorin, I have a clear idea how fortunate the Eagles fans are to have someone like these two figures. I guess I'm not willing to "settle" for almosts and "pretty goods"... [I'm going to have to hire a comments editor.]

It's easy to get up for your argument now that the Eagle Nation is bristling, but what do you say when Oakland doesn't win that game like was supposed to happen? Do you think that the breaking up of Schottenheimer and Kosar in Cleveland was a ridiculous event? What did either figure do after that? Most people who have an idea would say that Kosar was a very good QB and that Marty has been a very good coach...great. No Championships.

I think that it's absurd to think that there is NO other coach to coach the Birds and EVERY other QB who ever comes here is doomed to mediocrity under the shadow of McNabb...

Just take a look at Baltimore or Atlanta with their young QBs and new Head Coaches....but then again, I guess they don't know their place either.

[Eagles Fan in San Fran]

Derek,
Your fellow blogger at Bleed Eagles Green has an interesting piece comparing the 2004 SB team with this year's and saying one can make a reasonable argument this year's team is better overall.

What really struck me was the 2004 WR roster:
Greg Lewis, Billy McMullen, Freddie Mitchell, Terrell Owens, Todd Pinkston

So we won two playoff games to make the SB with FredEx and Stinkston as our starting WRs. That fact alone should qualify 5 for the HOF.

[JustABill]

Well, well...Donovan "I don't know the overtime rule" McNabb proves once again he cannot win the big game. All the Iggles sychophants can quote all the stats they want. They should ask Donovan "I don't know the overtime rule" McNabb--would you rather have stats or a Super Bowl ring?

Kurt Warner knows how to win the big game. He schooled Donovan "I don't know the overtime rule" McNabb on how it is done.

So you can post on your little blog that Eli Manning is a choke artist. The FACT is the Eli DID come through in the clutch--including the most incredible throw-catch in football history to David Tyree.

Donovan "I don't know the overtime rule" McChoke has NEVER come through when it mattered.

So how do you like you crow????