Iggles Blog - Philadelphia Eagles Blog

The Cowboys Are Fine

I don't really have anything good to offer up on the Eagles today -- things are still pretty quiet at the NovaCare complex -- but I do want to do my best to calm the wild overreaction to what's happening in Dallas these days.

No, the Cowboys don't look anything like the Championship-bound freight train they were at the beginning of the season.  There are any number of reasons for this -- coaching mistakes, injuries, a league suspension, loss of focus, whatever.  The biggest, though, is that this is simply the way the NFL works.  Teams get on a roll and look unbeatable for a few weeks, then a switch flips and suddenly they're back down with everyone else.  That's why it's so important to peak at the right time.  You can't win a championship in September.

Eagles fans should really understand this.  We've been through the swings many times the last few years, from the 0-2 start in 2003 to the brilliant lift-off, cratering, and then rebirth in 2006.  Heck, it's only taken us six games this year to squeeze in a boom-bust-hangonfordearlife swing. 

All of which isn't to say that we shouldn't enjoy what's happening down in Dallas right now.  We should relish it -- all the more so because of all the annoying chest-beating we saw from those fans the first month of the season.  

But we shouldn't expect it to last.  And it's waaaaay too early to be penning any obituaries.  The fact of the matter is that the Cowboys are one hell of a talented team.  Assuming they can get a little better injury luck from here on out, I'll be very, very surprised if the week 17 rematch doesn't come with some serious playoff implications for them. 

Hopefully for us as well.

Dallas Paper: Fire Wade Phillips

Hat tip to Les Bowen for not just providing a funny bye week home front story, but also a link to this article calling for Jerry Jones to fire Wade Phillips:

ST. LOUIS – It was right there in front of Jerry Jones' eyes. And he missed it.

There is no more shining example of how the radical move of an in-season head coaching change can work than the one being offered by the St. Louis Rams. Dead in the water at 0-4, the Rams fired Scott Linehan during their bye week and promoted Jim Haslett.  Last week's two-point win over Washington seemed a bit of a fluke, predicated as it was on gathering in three Redskins fumbles.  There was nothing remotely lucky about the Rams' thorough 34-14 destruction of the Cowboys at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.

What has been gathering steam for a month reached something of a crescendo as the Cowboys played by far their worst game of the Wade Phillips era. And frankly, it should be the last game of the Phillips era, but Jones made it clear afterward that there will be no coaching changes made.

"It really isn't about changes people-wise as much as it is changes within the people, within the coaches and players," Jones said. No, Jerry, it really is about changing the people. This team is 1-3 over the last four weeks, a win over winless Cincinnati the only highlight.

This Is Sweet

I don't care about either the source or the accuracy, I just know it's fun to read about the problems in Big D.

And check out the power rankings on page two.  Considering Dallas has a better record and beat us heads-up, that's just funny.

UPDATE: Wow, as noted in the comments, Romo is now out for a month:

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has a broken finger on his throwing hand and will be out as many as four weeks, sources tell SN's Clifton Brown.

Brad Johnson, a 17-year league veteran, is Romo's backup. Johnson has not played a game for Dallas this season.

I don't root for injuries.  That's uncool.  But this is certainly huge news for the Cowboys.

More Shocking News

Pacman Jones in trouble?  No way.

Cowboys cornerback Adam Jones placed his status with the NFL in jeopardy by getting involved in an altercation early Wednesday morning at a Dallas hotel.

According to Dallas police, Jones hit his bodyguard, Tommy Jones, at the Joule hotel. The bodyguard, police said, declined to press charges.

Deputy Chief Vince Golbeck, commander of the central patrol division, said officers were called to the Joule about 1:30 a.m. and were told there was a disturbance between Adam Jones and one of his security officers. Golbeck said officers believed Adam Jones was drinking and that he may have stayed at the hotel.

The thing is, if it's true that the bodyguard was the target, there's nooooo way this doesn't quickly get stamped out unless the guy decides it's time to cash in and sues.  Then maybe.  But not if he thinks there's more money from staying on the payroll.

ESPN adds this unsourced nugget:

The expectation is that Jones is likely to be called to New York to explain his conduct to Goodell, a source close to the player said. Jones' reinstatement is contingent upon his ability to conduct himself appropriately.

More interestingly, how on earth did the Cowboys slip this term into their deal with the Titans:

The Cowboys would give the Titans a sixth-round pick in next year's draft provided Jones doesn't get into any trouble during the season. But if the league finds that Jones violated the conduct policy and suspends him, the Cowboys would get a fifth-round pick from the Titans.

Seems like this should be a situation where if you bought it, you better not break it.

Aw Man, This Is Annoying

I really don't like Tony Romo.  Something about the guy just rubs me the wrong way. 

However, this is certainly some counter-evidence.  I particularly like the part where the guy tells Romo not to tell him how the game went since he'd taped it and hadn't watched it yet.

The only good thing is that by Monday night this story will have been so beaten into the ground that we'll all be sick of it and I can got back to disliking him again.

A Must Win Game ...

... for Dallas.

I'm not quite ready to close the book on the Rams game yet, but 1) there are two Monday night games tonight and 2) I'm contributing to the FO game charting project this year, which means I definitely have to wait until the game sheets go out Tuesday if I want to avoid re-watching the game twice. 

Not that this one would get worse under repeat viewing.  But I do have other things to do.  Occasionally.

And since it's Dallas week, no one really cares if we start looking ahead anyway. 

The opening lines are out for next week's game.  At +7 for the Eagles, Vegas certainly seems to think highly of the Cowboys.  Or rather, Vegas seems to think that everyone else thinks rather highly of the Cowboys. 

I don't just think it's the professional money men either.  There's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest the Cowboys' bandwagon hasn't been this full in a long, long time.  Just here on this blog, I might have gotten one comment from mouth-breathing, chest-beating Cowboys fans all last year.  Now it's running like one a day. 

The team itself also seems raaaaaaather confident as well.  (I covered this in detail a few weeks ago.  I'm not nauseating myself by doing it again.)  It's as if that whole organization, the local media ("Dallas Cowboys' greatest obstacles are history, high expectations"), its true fans, and all those wannabe front-runners across the nation believe Dallas' appearance in the NFC Championship Game is simply a matter of scheduling ("That third Sunday of January good for you?") rather that a goal to be achieved.

All of which makes next Monday's game very, very important for the Cowboys. 

After all, if the Eagles lose, what do we care?  It's a tough game against a divisional opponent on the road.  We may still be missing both starting wide receivers.  There are young players all over the lineup, many of whom won't be peaking for at least a couple more months.  Heck, the Eagles are supposed to lose this game.  As long as McNabb, Westbrook and Jack-- (ok, not quite yet) stay healthy, a loss in Dallas is in no way crushing.

But what if the Eagles don't lose?  What if the Cowboys go down in flames?  In their home opener.  On national television.  As prohibitive favorites.  Against a team that should only be getting better as the year goes on and -- unlike Dallas -- actually seems to know how to win in December and January (if not, perhaps, February).

Well folks, then you're going to see the Metroplex convulse in a massive avalanche of recriminations and finger-pointing.  Heck, if it's a really bad loss, we might even see the local economy dip a bit (watch for higher gas prices). 

That's when the Big D will make its triumphant 2008-2009 return.  Doubt.  Everyone in Dallas will feel it.  And -- having been there ourselves -- we know full well that it will take more than just a couple of months beating up on cupcakes to lock those bad boys away again.

After all, if you lose at home to the hated Philadelphia Eagles when they're not even at full strength, how's that playoff run gonna work out exactly?

Pride Goeth Before...

In all the years I've spent following football, I've never seen a situation like what we have right now in Dallas.  Not a game has been played and yet the entirety of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex -- along with all the poseur bandwagoners around the country -- are treating the regular season as a formality, the NFC playoffs as a coronation and the Super Bowl as perhaps the year's only challenge.

Spend even five minutes reading Cowboys message boards, media coverage or player interviews and tell me this isn't the cockiest team and fanbase you've ever seen.

It's unreal.

You may recall this exercise from a few weeks ago.  I wanted to compare the Eagles and Cowboys to see what we could find out from a position-by-position talent analysis.  It wasn't great news, but the thing about the Eagles' young players is that we don't yet know what their ceilings are.  (For example, I have a feeling that by the end of the season we won't be placing Bradie James above Stewart Bradley.)

That little analysis, which wasn't even that in-depth, was picked up by a rash of Cowboys message boards.  The comments on those board all read pretty much like this:

"Finally some Eagles fan recognizes the clear superiority of the beloved Dallas Cowboys.  It's just too bad that said Eagles fan doesn't understand just how superior they are.  By my super in-depth research in which I will type down both names and then say it's 'idiotic' to believe that so-and-so from the Cowboys isn't the best [so-and-so's position] in the league, Dallas is CLEARLY better at all 22 positions on the field."

Remind me never to say another kind word about the Cowboys ever again.

I just think it's funny that not seven months after a Super Bowl in which the lead-pipe lock of the century choked away its shot at immortality, people in Dallas -- and based on what I've read I'm lumping the players and media in with this too -- haven't learned the lesson that nothing in the NFL is ever guaranteed.

And so, as a public service for these individuals, please allow me to present 10 possible reasons why the Cowboys might not fulfill their destiny of becoming the greatest team of all time this year:

1.  Their schedule is really hard.  Dallas plays the fifth-toughest schedule this year according to Football Outsiders' projection system.  They start with games at Cleveland and then at home against Philadelphia on Monday night.  Say what you will about Andy Reid, but his teams always come to play in prime time.  These guys could -- emphasis on could -- be 0-2 to start the season.

2.  Bill Parcells has now been gone for two years.  Maybe it's true that Wade Phillips was the best thing that could have happened to the Cowboys last year.  After a few years of Parcells' relentless grind, Phillips' lighter hand might have helped.  The question now is if Phillips' laissez-faire approach will continue to work, or if we'll instead see signs that lack of discipline is starting to creep in. 

3.  This Jason Garrett situation is nuts.  Basically, the guy the owner thinks is his coach of forever is somehow still reporting to a guy no one in the country thinks is a competent head man.  Sure, it worked last year because the team played so well -- a common theme on a few of these -- but throw a little adversity in the mix and see if the waters stay this smooth.

4.  The league has had a year to catch up to Garrett's fastball.  Switching to the X's and O's for a minute, always remember that the other guys get paid too.  Those other guys have now spent a year breaking down that Cowboys' offense, looking for weaknesses, incorporating successful elements from other game plans and coming to a better understanding of what Garrett's teams are going to do.  He's still a good coach, but how many times have we seen the flavor-of-the-month coordinator suddenly look  a lot less brilliant the following season when everyone's on to his tricks?

5.  The rest of the coaching staff has been raided.  Jerry Jones has done a great job restocking the coach's lounge with big names, but you have to figure that Bill Parcells -- who had worked with these guys for years -- knew what he was doing when he was picking which guys he wanted to steal, right? 

6.  Tony Romo continues to screw around.  I think guys could get away with a certain lifestyle 30 years ago, when playing quarterback basically meant: "see receiver, hit receiver."  These days I'm not so sure.  And while you could argue that Romo seems like he's never had a problem performing on the field, how do we know that another couple hours of film study wouldn't have made the difference in some of those big games he hasn't won?

7.  From a character perspective, Tony Romo is the least of this team's concerns.  The last couple of seasons, the Cowboys have been the organization of last resort for seemingly all the league's malcontents.  At what point does a team achieve a critical mass of turditude?

8.  Terrell Owens hasn't changed.  Yeah, I know.  He has "perspective" now.  He's in a happy place with a happy quarterback and a happy new contract.  Never again will he be anything but a paragon of virtue.  Bull.  You think Randy Moss is no longer the type of guy to dog it in a bad situation simply because he played well when he was transferred to a good one?  Nope. That guy hasn't changed one bit.  It's just his environment that's changed.  We're seeing the same thing with TO.  He's fine right now, but if things go wrong on the field, he's not getting his catches, or the team starts to slip a little bit, we're going to see the same jackass we all know and hate reasserting himself.  And it won't be pretty.  For Dallas. 

9.  At some point the Cowboys are going to have a significant injury.  They've been lucky for awhile now.  This could be the year that luck runs out.

10.  Finally, it's just a little bit possible that these guys are all just a little too satisfied with themselves right now.  Tell me you would be surprised to read quotes like this next August:

After a season in which the Cowboys fell well short of preseason expectations, new head coach Jason Garrett thinks he knows what the problem was and how to fix it.

"I think the guys just got a little complacent last year," said Garrett.  "Everyone knows in the NFL that if you show up each week and you're not ready to give 100 percent, other teams are too good to let you get away with it."

Quarterback Tony Romo, who missed six weeks to receive treatment for a virulent strain of a previously unidentified STD, agreed with his coach.  "Last year the focus just wasn't there.  This year is totally different.  You can really feel in on the practice field and in meetings.  We're ready to play now."

People keep citing the number of "Pro Bowlers" on that roster as if a) that designation meant anything and b) it's not even a little bit possible that a rising tide lifted all boats last year.  If the players themselves start believing that hype, things could go downhill fast. 

Take away DeMarcus Ware for a couple weeks or watch Leonard Davis revert to his chronic underachieving ways or have teams realize that there are still plenty of ways to attack those two safeties, and then see how everyone else reacts.  Maybe -- just maybe -- some of these guys might not look as good if everything around them isn't all peaches and cream.

Word of the Day:  Hubris.  Always bites you in the end.

Stacking Up To The Cowboys

One of the concerns I think most fans share about the Eagles is whether or not the team has enough of the truly elite performers who seem to populate the rosters of Super Bowl winning teams.

Top to bottom, we know the roster is pretty solid, but bottom line, are there enough playmakers, studs, Pro Bowlers, whatever, to give this team a chance to go all the way.

I don't know.  No one does at this point, I think, because what makes this Eagles team different from the ones of a few years ago is just how young so much of the roster is.  There are a lot of guys -- productive players so far -- who are rounding into that phase of their careers where they may or may not make the leap from "established starter" to "all star performer." 

Now obviously, not everyone follows that path.  Some guys come in and dominate right away, due to truly superior athleticism.  Shawn Andrews is in that category.  But there are only so many of those guys available in the draft every year, and when you're typically picking in the bottom third of each round, you're not going to have chances at too many of them.

Which is why I thought it might be instructive to look at the Dallas Cowboys.  Unlike the Eagles, the Cowboys went through a number of lean years in the beginning of the decade.  All that prime drafting position seems to have paid off, with a roster that seems -- on the face of it -- to be pretty stacked with talent.

So let's compare the two teams and see what we can learn.  And I'll tell you right up front, I didn't do the analysis first and then this write-up.  I'm doing this on the fly.  So I have no idea what to expect.

Cowboys depth chart here.  Eagles here (but who needs it).  These are a little out of date so I'll also go by memory.  I also sanity checked my reads of the Cowboys' roster by checking out this Cowboys blog here.

- - - - - -

Offense first:

Quarterback -- Tony Romo vs. Donovan McNabb
I am reluctantly willing to concede that Romo looks like the real deal.  I think any quarterback could probably succeed behind that offensive line and with that array of playmakers, but the fact of the matter is that Romo does more than just succeed.  And for those who criticize his record in the playoffs, fine, but quarterbacks always get too much credit/blame in those situations and it's not uncommon for young players (and teams) to take a couple years to learn how to succeed in those situations.  McNabb is McNabb.  If I had to pick one of these guys to start a game tomorrow for the Eagles, it would be Donovan, but we all know what the question mark would then be.  Even. 

Running back -- Marion Barber vs. Brian Westbrook
It's hard to compare these guys because their styles are so different.  Barber catches more passes than you would think (44 last year).  Will he be able to play the same way (like a Mack truck) if he's asked to carry even more of the load?  The edge goes to Westbrook, who might have played as well as any back in the league last year, but for the role each plays within his own offense, the gap isn't as large as it would first seem.  Eagles.

Running back #2 -- Felix Jones vs. Booker/Buckhalter/Hunt
Jones is going to be scary for a few years.  With that offensive line, passing game and Barber softening up the defense in front of him, the guy is in the perfect situation.  (Remember when Westbrook was Duce's understudy?)  The Eagles' backups are all role players, not feature backs.  Big edge here to the Cowboys.  And I'm worried about it.

Wide Receiver #1 -- Terrell Owens vs. Kevin Curtis
Curtis is younger ... and that's about it.  Assuming TO stays healthy/sane, big edge to the Cowboys.

Wide Receiver #2 -- Patrick Crayton vs. Reggie Brown
You might be surprised to see how similar their statistics were last year (Crayton, Brown).  Neither guy is as good as Terry Glenn used to be.  Even.

Other Wide Receivers -- Sam Hurd, Terry Glenn vs. Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and DeSean Jackson
The Eagles have more depth and experience at this position, since the Cowboys seemed pretty focused on bringing in one of the big-name malcontents to put across from TO.  When that didn't work out, they didn't do much to buttress the position.  Assuming good health across the board, this isn't a big deal, but Dallas gets thin quickly if TO goes down.  Eagles.

Tight End -- Jason Witten vs. LJ Smith
Smith was drafted higher.  Last time he's come close to outperforming Witten.  Big edge to the Cowboys.

Left Tackle -- Flozell Adams vs. Tra Thomas
Two guys who have been around a long time but remain effective.  Closer than Dallas fans would realize, but slight edge to the Cowboys.

Left Guard -- Kyle Kosier vs. Todd Herremans
Kosier is the one guy on the Cowboys' line who doesn't have much of a reputation.  Herremans is a better player, with more upside, but this is a big year for him.  Eagles.

Center -- Andre Gurode vs. Jamaal Jackson
By reputation at least, Gurode is the far better player.  Jackson needs to find a playing weight somewhere below where he was last year.  Cowboys.

Right Guard -- Leonard Davis vs. Shawn Andrews
Davis is an imposing physical presence at guard.  We'll see how he handles the first real success of his career.  It's never been a talent question with that guy.  Andrews is inconsistent.  Don't know if it's been injuries or what, but he seems to have stretches where his play is more "good" than "dominating."  Andrews is clearly the pick, but just based on last year's play for both, it's closer than you'd think.  Eagles.

Right Tackle -- Marc Colombo vs. Jon Runyan
Colombo was a guy who couldn't stay healthy ... until the Cowboys signed him.  He's now played two full seasons without missing a start.  Colombo is kind of the Todd Herremans of the Dallas line in that many fans don't particularly mind him being out there, but are sort of rooting for a potentially more talented youngster to take his place.  Slightest of edges to the Eagles.

Fullback
Not a position that really matters to either team.

- - - - - -

Defense:

(Because the teams play different base defenses, they're not directly comparable in a few positions.  I'll try to handle on a case-by-case basis.)

Free Safety -- Ken Hamlin vs. Brian Dawkins
Hamlin is a fine player who is nowhere near as good as Brian Dawkins used to be.  The problem is that Brian Dawkins is also nowhere near as good as he used to be.  Screw it, though, I'm not burying the old warrior yet.  Eagles.

Strong Safety -- Roy "Please Don't Throw It To My Guy" Williams vs. Quintin Mikell
It's an ugly thing to see a professional athlete lose his confidence.  Unless he plays for the Cowboys, in which case it's up there with puppies, SEC women in sundresses and moonlight over the ocean.  With that said, I'm still not sold on Mikell as the answer for the Eagles.  If the Cowboys can figure out some way to protect Williams enough that he gets his mojo back, we're still looking at a pretty significant edge to the Cowboys.

Cornerback #1 -- Terence Newman vs. Asante Samuel
The only question with Samuel is how he makes the adjustment to a new contract, city and scheme.  Newman is a good cornerback (another one of those high Dallas picks) but he's not quite in the same league yet.  A little edge to the Eagles.

Cornerback #2 & #3 -- Anthony Henry / Pacman Jones vs. Lito Sheppard / Sheldon Brown
To avoid offending any of these four gentlemen, I'll just group them together.  This is one heck of a crapshoot.  You know what you're going to get from Henry and Brown -- solid play, not too many mistakes, nothing that kills you too much.  But the other two guys are all over the place.  Lito may or may not be healthy this season, he may or may not feel like wearing green and he may or may not continue to kill the Cowboys like he does every time we play them.  As for Pacman, who knows?  I happen to think his readjustment to the league is going to take a little while -- has he done anything but bounce from strip club to strip club the last 18 months? -- but after that, he's still a talented player.  Albeit one who is another parking ticket away from never playing in the NFL again.  Due to confusion, I'm calling this one Even.

ROLB / RDE -- DeMarcus Ware vs. Trent Cole
I know, I know, but how do you compare the teams otherwise?  The two players put up very similar numbers last year, but lt's be honest, as good as Trent Cole is, he's not DeMarcus Ware good.  It's like the difference between Randy Moss and Reggie Wayne.  Both are outstanding players, but one guy is historically great while the other is simply regular great.  Cowboys.

LOLB / LDE -- Greg Ellis / Marcus Spears vs. Chris Gocong / Juqua Parker (?)
This is an even harder position to handicap, since we don't know who the Eagles' starter will be by midseason.  Also, this pair of guys on each team sort of has the same responsibility.  This could look different by November (Anthony Spencer could be starting by then too), but right now it's Cowboys and Cowboys.

ILB / MLB -- Bradie James vs. Stewart Bradley
Bradley is an unknown.  James is not.  Cowboys.

ILB / WLB -- Zach Thomas vs. Omar Gaither
Maybe Thomas won't be able to stay healthy, but the thing about these heady veteran linebackers is that they seem to be able to squeeze out effectiveness long after they've passed their physical peak.  The question here is the same as in a few other places -- do we consider the potential for injury?  If not, you basically have a heady young guy with somewhat limited athleticism vs. an even headier old guy with even more limited athleticisim.  Again, assuming full seasons from both, you have to say Cowboys.

NT / DT -- Tank Johnson / Jay Ratliff vs. Brodrick Bunkley
Again, I know, but my reasoning is if Bunkley still hasn't learned how to use his hands to beat the blockers, then basically he's playing an NT position of clogging up the interior line.  Ratliff doesn't do much for me, but this could be the year Tank Johnson is finally all the way back and ready to start again (see why I'm skeptical about Pacman?).  If it's Ratliff still, edge to Bunkley.  If it's Johnson -- and I think it will be -- then it's edge to the Cowboys.

DE / DT -- Chris Canty vs. Mike Patterson
Canty had a good season last year, but so did a lot of these guys.  I'm not convinced they're all that good so much as it was a "rising tide lifts all boats" kind of year for the Cowboys.  Either way, Patterson is a stud.  Eagles.

- - - - - -

What did we find?  By my count, I've got the position battles as 11 to 8 in favor of the Cowboys, with three toss-ups.  The big difference comes on the defensive side, which I scored as 7 - 3 -1 in favor of Dallas.  That's concerning.

The size of the gaps matter too, though.  If we were scoring this as each position ranked between 1 and 10, I think we'd find that the Cowboys' lead gets even larger.  The Eagles eke out some wins, whereas the Cowboys have some serious whoopings (TE, WR#1, RB#2, a couple LB spots).

So does this mean we should give up all hope of taking back the division this year?  Of course not.  First of all, the more talented team doesn't always win.  Secondly, we didn't consider injuries in this analysis -- and the Cowboys seem perilously thin at a couple of key positions. 

Most importantly, though, this is a backwards-looking analysis.  We can make projection, but no one really has any idea how good Stewart Bradley or Chris Gocong are going to be this year, just as no one knew how good Tony Romo or Marc Colombo would be a couple years ago.  With so many of these guys hitting their prime about the same time, we could be seeing some major strides taken this year that completely reshuffle all these rankings by October.

In the meantime, though, it's fair to say that Dallas remains the team to beat in the division (sorry New York!). 

And that just makes everything more fun.

Oh It's On

I guarantee this'll get the blood pumping for ya:

Rookie first-round pick Mike Jenkins, a cornerback, waxed emphatic when asked about prospects for the Dallas defense.

"I feel like it can be one of the best defenses that ever played the game," he said. "We're filled with talent at each position, starters and backups."

Jenkins said he's sure Browns fans remember Bobby Carpenter, a former Ohio State star who for now is behind veteran Zach Thomas at one of the inside linebacker spots.

Carpenter, a No. 18 overall draft pick in 2006, a backup? That's depth...

Jerry Jones makes sure the world acknowledges his Cowboys, who sent 13 players to this year's Pro Bowl.

We'll let Calvin Hill tell us what 13 stuffed-ballot-box Pro Bowlers buys you in January:

"We thought we were ready to take that step last year," Hill said. "Hopefully the frustration of what happened in that playoff loss to the Giants will keep us focused all year.

Eagles Getting Some Love

Eagletarian lists some encouraging Vegas numbers for the Eagles.  There's plenty more of that out there.  Like this site with the Eagles having the sixth-best odds to win the Super Bowl.  And a couple of meaningless power rankings that have the Eagles in the league's top ten.

Obviously, we all have our eyes on something a lot bigger than "top ten," but this isn't shaping up to be a no-respect kind of offseason.

- - - - - -

Speaking of preseason odds, the NFC team with the best chance of winning it all right now is the Dallas Cowboys.  A few interesting articles here for people doing their opposition research:

• Terence Newman is old (but it doesn't matter)
• Roy Williams has pretty much worn out his welcome
• Zach Thomas is a consummate pro (but how's his head?)