Color Me Shocked

Eagles 33, Redskins 27, Monday, September 9, 2013 

Going into the game, there was no reason to think the Eagles could win. Sure RGIII is coming off a major injury, but the Skins are the defending NFC East champions opening the season at home against a division rival that went 4-12 last year.

Meanwhile, the Eagles have a new head coach,  new offensive and defensive coordinators, a new special teams coach, a new offense, a new 3-4 defensive scheme (with players acquired during a 4-3 era), and a bunch of new players, particularly on defense. 

So no way the Eagles win this one, right?

Not exactly.

Stud of the week: there are PLENTY of candidates, believe me (or believe Bleeding Green Nation)

but I think I have to go with Mychal Kendricks, who was *so* all over the field it seemed like there might have been two of him. Or more.

All the talk on SportsCenter and the NFL Network today has been about how fast the Eagles were on offense (well,  that and Ndamukong Suh's $100K fine). How fast were they? They were so fast for the first 3 quarters that Jon Gruden didn't have time to run his mouth, for which we should all be grateful.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles slowed down. Too much. And Chip Kelly knows it, based on today's interviews. So that's reassuring. Everyone still has something to learn.

In the meantime, Shady McCoy nearly had a career night and looked like he was a player in Madden most of the night, leaving the Redskins defense chasing his shadow and scratching their heads.

DeSean Jackson had a great night too, with over 100 yards and a TD.

Michael Vick looked solid and may have finally found the right offensive scheme. Two things that worried me: him clutching his groin after that 36 yard fourth quarter scramble and the fact that more than once, he was blocking for McCoy or Bryce Brown, which is ballsy and honorable and all that good stuff, and scares the shit out of me.

The defense looked much better than they were in the pre-season, at least until they started giving too much cushion in the fourth quarter. But they've actually learned to tackle! And all that blitzing felt like a return to the JJ years. Also, Patrick Chung really should have picked that final Leonard Hankerson TD. Gotta work on that, buddy.

Excitingly, we also saw outstanding special teams play. Donnie Jones punted well, and in many cases, the ball was coming down close to the goal line and the Eagles had a player behind the Redskins player to prevent the touchback and force either a fair catch or a catch and run. And when a Skins punt returner did run, everyone else was there to stop him cold. We even had a "do it again" 48-yarder from Alex Henery on a night when usually reliable Kai Forbath missed from 40.

Ultimately, the Eagles benefited from the element of surprise - and blazing speed - on a night when RGIII was rusty. Teams, and defensive coordinators, will figure this out eventually. And RGIII got better by the quarter. But for now, a victory feels awfully sweet.

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Rats Fleeing the Ship?

Eagles at Cowboys, Sunday, December 2, 2012

Only Jim Washburn got fired, so it's more like rats being thrown off a sinking ship. Of course, according to all the reports I'm reading, it was long overdue. Seems like Washburn was a complete asshole. Good riddance, but it's probably two years too late (yes, for those who are bad at math, that means I think he never should have been hired in the first place).

Stud of the week: Nick Foles, who had a good game. Finally. I don't know if he has what it takes to start in the NFL. Guess we'll be seeing his 2013 audition - for the Eagles or some other team - in the next month, particularly since Big Red named him the starting QB today. But he had a solid outing last night, and that's a start.

I also have to give a shout-out to my boy Jason Avant, back in the lineup after 3 weeks out with a bad hamstring, for making some typically excellent catches and even getting some YAC (not usually his strong suit). Alex Henery kicked his 4,537th field goal in a row (really 21, a team record. Damaris Johnson had a punt return TD. I think that might be the first of the 2012 season. We saw something heretofore unknown in the NFL: King Dunlap threw a few good blocks. Riley Cooper made another circus catch TD. Bryce Brown scored two TDs again and had I think 169 yards on the ground.

Actually, the entire offense played decently.
Well, other than when Bryce Brown fumbled and Morris Claiborne ran it back 50 yards for a TD.

Gotta learn how to hold onto the football, son.

And things are at such a sad pass that I didn't even yell at the TV when he did it. It was more like, "Well, I knew disaster was going to hit sooner or later." And sure enough, that was it. The Eagles, down 10 with under 4 minutes to play, never recovered, despite the Johnson return TD. 

Of course, they also scored 33 points, and it wasn't enough.

It's the D that killed us.

Well, that and Bryce Brown's fumble.

There aren't enough negative adjectives in all the languages in all the world (including the dead ones) to express how disgusted I am with the Eagles defense from last night. It's like they aren't even aware that they're playing defense in the NFL out there. I don't know what they do think they're doing, but whatever it is, it doesn't deserve to be on prime time TV. Or even cable access. At 2 am. It was a total, complete breakdown in all facets other than Brandon Graham's 1.5 sacks.

I am starting to come around to the position many of the Eagles bloggers have taken that this team lacks a culture of winning. Whether it's too many free agents who were middling to good players on bad teams, lack of locker room leadership, coaching issues, lack of focus, I don't know. But clearly, these guys don't know what to do to win. Hopefully it's something they can learn under a new regime, or it's probably fire sale time come January.

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2012 Week 3 Recap

Eagles at Cardinals, Sunday, September 23, 2012

Yikes.

Stud of the week: Uh...Alex Henery? Hey, at least he made both field goals and provided all the points the Eagles were able to muster. So yeah, I guess Henery wins by default. Chaz Henry had a pretty good day of punting, too. On the other hand, he was getting plenty of practice.

Given the problematic wins of the past two weeks, we all had to figure that things were going to go awry sooner or later. But I don't know that anyone expected them to go so spectacularly awry, and against the Cardinals.

Where to start? There's plenty of blame to go around.

Michael Vick. Yes, there were O-line problems with two new guys out there. And I'm guessing his receivers weren't getting open downfield. But he is holding the ball WAY too long. No one doubts his toughness, but he's not going to make it to the bye week at this point. And he constantly seems to run into the pressure rather than staying calm and, I don't know, maybe stepping up in the pocket. Is there going to be a QB controversy? After some of Andy Reid's remarks today, one might think so, but since I don't see any way Vick holds up with the pounding he's taking, it very well might end up as a forced option.

The O-line. See above. Y'all have 5 days to get better, because if you play like that during the game where the Eagles retire Wolverine's number, you're going to need to hire police protection to leave The Linc.

DeSean Jackson. Here's a tip: DO NOT get stopped on the two when your team is down by 17. NO MATTER WHAT. Also, here's another tip: it's a lot easier to make the argument that you were interfered with when you don't quit on the route and start waving your arms at the refs while the ball is still in the air, donkey.

The defense did OK - other than having no answer to Larry Fitzgerald, boneheading some penalties (what else is new?), and, of course, giving up 27 points. Then again, they played about 58 of the 60 minutes and were in some very tough field position situations, so I'm guessing they were mentally and physically tired.

And Andy Reid. 

How do you not have a better game plan to cover Larry Fitzgerald? I mean, he's only one of the best receivers in the entire league. It's not like you didn't know what was coming.

How do you, once again, run the ball pretty much not at all when your QB is struggling and no one is getting open downfield? Shouldn't that, by process of elimination, mean there's some room to run? And then they get to the 4th quarter, down by 21 points and decide to...start running the ball. Seriously. Little late, yo.

How do you burn a timeout at the beginning of the second quarter? How? Just how? If you recall, the Birds really needed that timeout at the end of the half...right before Vick was stripped of the ball and the Cardinals went ahead 24-0, instead of going into the locker room at 17-7.

It was actually at that point that I suggested to Chef Spouse that we might want to start watching a game that was actually, you know, good.

(Of course, some of the head-scratching moves weren't entirely Andy's fault).

(Also, Kevin Kolb is a game manager as a QB. The Cardinals, given what I've seen the past two weeks, may be a strong enough team outside the QB position that that's all they need.)

Jeff Lurie has basically put it out there that the Eagles make a deep playoff run this year or it's curtains for Big Red. I've been a huge supporter over the years, and if the Eagles win the Super Bowl this year, I'll gladly eat crow (I hear it will go well with the celebratory champagne), but maybe it's time for Andy to go.

Around the rest of the NFL:

If they don't get the real refs back soon, the 2012 season won't finish in time for the 2013 season to start. I'm not saying the games took too long, I'm just saying Chef Spouse had an 8 am meeting today in the Philly area (2 1/2 hour drive), and he drove there straight from the end of SNF and barely made it. Look, if you have to have a 10 minute conference after every single play in order to figure out where to spot the ball and what down it is, that's not good.

Giants over Panthers: OK, so I was a little wrong about my upset pick. The Giants dominated the Panthers as thoroughly as the Cardinals dominated the Birds, if not more so. That's saying something.

Bears over Rams: Even with Jay Cutler's emotional problems, the Rams weren't up to the challenge. Sam Bradford was brought back down to earth.

Bills over Browns: Did you notice that the Bills are tied with the Jets for first place in the division? OK, OK, it's only week 3, but still.

Cowboys over Buccaneers: The Cowboys won their home opener, but they did not exactly look dominant against the team that many of expected to be the dregs of the NFC South this year. Well, at least until the Saints fell apart.

Jaguars over Colts: What?!? Well, I'm sure that's what the Colts must've been saying after they went ahead with under a minute left, and lost anyway. Big day from MJD, too.

Jets over Dolphins: Who would've expected this game to go to OT? Of course, losing Revis Island didn't help the Jets. Also, could we please stop with the dumb timeouts trying to ice the kicker? All it does is give him a do-over. Thanks.

Vikings over 49ers: This is totally what I meant to make my upset pick! Can *I* get a do-over? Sorry, but this one is just shocking.

Chiefs over Saints: Hey Eagles fans, it could be worse. I'm having to talk my Saints friends down off the ledge at this point. This is shaping up to be one heavy-drinking season for members of the Who Dat Nation. Fortunately, New Orleanians' livers are up the challenge. Unlike their team.

Titans over Lions: Another shocking outcome. Did I mention that week 3 was also disastrous for my picks?

Bengals over Redskins: The Skins lose RGIII's home opener. And it wasn't his fault - he had a good game. Who manages to climb back from leading 24-7 and then giving it up? Right - Andy Dalton. And did you see Shanny get all up in the ref's face? And then he thinks he shouldn't be fined? Right. Hey, at least DC has the Nats. 

Falcons over Chargers: I had called the Chargers, but admitted I could see this one going either way. In actuality, the Falcons kicked the crap out of the Chargers, which I didn't expect.

Texans over Broncos: As I expected.  Now that Peyton doesn't enjoy a rock solid O-line anymore, funny how he looks mortal.

Raiders over Steelers: No wait! THIS is what I meant to make my upset pick! Really! On a serious note, how does Steeler Ryan Mundy get away with hitting Darrius Heyward-Bey so hard he knocks him out and sends him to the hospital with a neck injury and no penalty is even called?

Ravens over Patriots: There were some egregiously bad calls in this game, too, as Cris Collinsworth and Al Michaels kept reminding us, maybe even some that would've turned the game, but I can't complain about the Ravens getting a win against the Pats, who knocked them out in the AFC Championship game last year, and on a night when Torrey Smith was playing in memory of his brother, Tevin, who'd been killed in a motorcycle accident only that morning. Also, maybe now the Ravens will quit whining about how they didn't like the playcalling against the Birds last week.

The Seahawks are currently beating the Packers. What is going on with the NFC West these days? All these guys started eating their Wheaties or something?

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Eagles at Browns, Sunday, September 9, 2012

That was ugly as sin, but 1-0 is a lot better than 0-1. Just ask Giants fans.

And actually, it wasn't universally a mess. But we'll get to that in a minute.

This week's stud honors are shared by two guys:: DRC and Kurt Coleman, each of whom came down with two picks. On a day when the offense needed the defense to carry them, the D delivered. Big time. OK, sure, it was against a team that decided that drafting a 28 year old rookie was a smart move, but still. Great job, Kurt and Dominique.

On to the bad:

Alex Henery missed another field goal. In a game when points were inexplicably hard to come by. I don't care if he can hit from 55 if he can't hit from 40 when it counts. I miss Akers.

Vick was a hot mess. Those four picks could easily have been more like eight if the Browns defenders had better hands. And they weren't flukey, tipped bad luck passes that could happen to anyone. He was trying to force balls to guys who were double or even triple covered, while dancing around like his shoes were on fire. I'm not going to go all "PUT FOLES IN!" Yet.

And on a day when his QB was struggling and his star running back was ripping an average of 5+ yards a run, why oh why didn't Andy Reid call more run plays? I know, I know - haven't I been paying attention for the past 14 years? I have, of course, but hope springs eternal.

There were some bright spots as well. LeSean McCoy, aside from that extremely rare fumble, had a solid day. So did DeSean Jackson. The entire defense did well. Can I just tell you how much happier I am with our linebacker situation this year? A LOT. Of course, it also helped that Trent Richardson was more interested in hitting guys than looking for the hole. Chas Henry boomed some huge punts on a day when the Birds needed every bit of help they could possibly get.

But the brightest spot of all: even in the midst of a rapidly-escalating debacle, they pulled out a win. How many games like this did the Eagles NOT win last year? Michael Vick had a terrible day, they were sloppy as hell with the penalties, they committed FIVE turnovers - last year, this would've been a loss. They found a way to win. It wasn't nice, it wasn't pretty, it's certainly not going to stand against any team but the Cleveland Browns, but when the game was on the line and they needed one good drive, they did it. It never should've had to come down to whether or not they could be clutch, but they were.

In the rest of the matchups:

Can we all just agree that the replacement officials were terrible? The worst call I saw personally was when they accidentally awarded the Seahawks an extra time out that almost changed the outcome of that game. But I didn't watch every single game, so who knows? Maybe there was worse. NFL, pay up. Please.

Cowboys over Giants: OK, was it that both offenses were that bad or that both defenses were that good? Actually, it was that both o-lines were pretty awful, but the Cowboys' o-line was less awful.

Bears over Colts: Not surprising. Maybe Emo-QB will finally have a reason to smile.

Lions over Rams: All Matthew Stafford does is win. Well, after almost getting beat by the Rams. Still, clutch drive there at the end.

Texans over Dolphins: Another unsurprising outcome. With one notable exception, it was a pretty bad bay for rookie QBs. The Eagles had a lot of turnovers, too, but at least they weren't on back-to-back possessions.

Falcons over Chiefs: One of at least five games this week (with the MNF late game still to start) where the winning team scored 40+ points. Anybody other than me remember the days when 10-6 or 7-3 were common scores? I know they've changed the rules to promote scoring because, as Chef Spouse observed yesterday, 40-32 is way more exciting to watch than 16-10.

Vikings over Jaguars: First game with the new OT rules. Huge shout out to Adrian Peterson for rehabbing a torn ACL faster than pretty much anyone in history.

Redskins over Saints: The Saints haven't lost at home in like a million years (actual time: I think 4 seasons). RGIII clearly had the best rookie start of the week. I'm thinking that whole "the NFL put Sean Payton in a time out" this season is going to be a problem for them.

Jets over Bills: I think Mark Sanchez heard me talking smack about him and decided to prove me wrong. I wonder if that works in reverse? You know, if I praise someone to the skies, they'll screw up royally just to spite me? Because if that's the case, Tony Romo just became my best friend.

Patriots over Titans: Well sure, although who would've figured the Pats would completely shut down Chris Johnson? Then again, Jake Locker's rough day did help them figure out pretty quickly that there was only one guy they had to worry about on the Titans' offense.

Cardinals over Seahawks: And Kevin Kolb had one of his flashes of competence! And the egregiously bad officiating didn't change the outcome of the game! Actually, it might have been better if it had, since that would've probably made the NFL cave.

49ers over Packers: I have to give a shout out to my boy David Akers for tying the NFL field goal record with a 63 yarder as time ran out at the half that clearly shocked even him. And it was in Green Bay, not Denver, so he wasn't getting any help from the location. The 49ers are looking like the complete package this year - smothering D, solid special teams, an outstanding running game, and a QB who has someone to throw at. And a Harbaugh at head coach. They could be trouble.

Buccaneers over Panthers: Huh. Of course, it's pretty hard to win a game when you only rush for 10 yards. Total. As a team. Cam's good and all, but help a QB out, man!

Broncos over Steelers: OK, maybe I was wrong. Maybe Peyton has fully recovered. I was right about this, though: the Steelers are aging out.

Ravens over Bengals: It's Bungles time again! I only caught the second half, and the Bengals couldn't do anything right. Given the final score, I'm guessing that was the story of the first half, too. Andy Dalton spent the whole second half on his ass staring at the sky, when he wasn't getting picked off or watching Ray Rice run all over his defense when Joe Flacco wasn't picking them apart. Bad weekend for Ohio.

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2011 Week 17 Recap

Eagles v. Redskins, Sunday, January 1, 2012

The game may have been "meaningless," but it sure was nice to end the season with a win. Actually, 4 wins.

Stud of the week: other guys posted bigger numbers, but I have to give it to pint-sized Chad Hall, who scored his first NFL TD on Sunday, and did it by plowing over Perry Riley and DeAngelo Hall, who had him dead to rights stopped at the 1. Chad Hall is never going to be a starter - in Philly or anywhere else - because he's really not that good. But he plays every snap he gets with his whole heart, and you have to love him for that.

I also have to give a shout out to Jason Avant, Mr. Third Down, nearly all of whose receptions this season went for first downs. And to Alex Henery, who, thanks to Dan Bailey's miss last night, set the record for rookie kicking accuracy and single-season kicking accuracy, passing even the great David Akers (who can apparently also thrown TDs, as you'd know if you saw the 49ers game).

This was definitely a day, even a month, of "if only."

If only...the Eagles had taken better care of the ball.

If only...the defense had started to gel a little sooner.

If only...Mike Vick hadn't gotten hurt.

If only...Vince Young was a competent backup.

If only...Alex Henery had gotten over his rookie jitters by week 4.

If only...the team could've figured out how to win at home before week 15.

If only...the offense had figured out how to score some points in the 4th quarter before December. Or even realized that scoring in the fourth quarter might be important.

So now we look ahead to an extra-long offseason. For the other teams, and from the crucible of the Eagles' experiences this season:

If someone says: "Hey! I have a great idea! Even though there's going to be virtually no offseason this year, let's convert our offensive line coach into our defensive coordinator!" just say no.

As if 13 years of watching the LOLskins wasn't enough, we now have definitive proof that you cannot buy a bunch of high-priced free agents and expect them to magically morph into a team. Really. REALLY.

Win at home. If all else fails, win at home.

It's not as if there weren't bright spots: LeSean McCoy had an amazing year, and there's no reason it won't be the first of many. Howard Mudd revamped the o-line into a top-10 group. The defense was a sack machine this year, led by a nearly record season for Jason Babin, and supported by another excellent (partial) season from my boy Trent Cole. And a four game winning streak is not a bad way to go out. But 8-8 is 8-8, even if the team did go 5-1 in the division.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Dolphins over Jets: Told you so. Apparently, Rex Ryan was crying in the locker room. It's funnier when it's Tony Romo, but still - comedy gold!

Patriots over Bills: For the first 15 minutes, it looked like maybe the Bills would do the impossible and beat the Pats twice in one season. And then there was the rest of the game. Better luck next year, Bills.

Titans over Texans: The Titans did what they could to take care of business, but it wasn't enough. All they did was knock themselves down about 7 positions in the draft. Whoops. Meanwhile, the Texans are going into their first trip to the playoffs ICE cold. Early exit in 4...3....2....

Jaguars over Colts: And the winners of the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes are the Colts! Wonder what's going to happen with Peyton? In the press, he's been all: "I'm a great teammate who can work with and support anyone." To which I respond: "Has he not been paying any attention at all to himself for the past 10 years?"

Bears over Vikings: I was sure the Vikes were going to pull off another win. Except no. 3-13 gives them a good draft position, which they're going to need.

Saints over Panthers: You know how the Saints are unbeatable at home? Sucks to be the Lions.

49ers over Rams: The 49ers secure the bye, and David Akers throws the pass for what turns out to be the margin of victory. Didn't see either of those things happening back in August.

Packers over Lions: It was freezing cold and snowing at Lambeau, and it was a shoot-out anyway. I was stunned that the Lions couldn't pull it off, and that they allowed a record day with Aaron Rodgers on the bench. If the Super Bowl does come down to the Packers and Patriots, we could see the first Super Bowl with over 100 points scored.

Ravens over Bengals: The Bengals secured a playoff spot anyway, but going in losing 3 of their last 5 is not promising.

Steelers over Browns: The Steelers are literally limping into the playoffs as the 5th seed. Yeah, I know, Packers 2010, but things don't look promising for them, either. In other news, the NFC East is playing the AFC North next year. You know, the AFC North that's supplying three of the AFC playoff teams this year. Great.

Chiefs over Broncos: And the Broncos got in anyway. Don't worry - they won't go far. Much as I'd love to see BDawk get a ring before he retires, it's really not going to happen.

Cardinals over Seahawks: I have literally nothing to say about this. Other than to point out to the Redskins that Kevin Kolb might b available for 2012.

Chargers over Raiders: Did the Raiders not realize that their season was on the line? Sheesh!

Falcons over Buccaneers: Did you know that a bunch of Falcons players, coaches, and fans were whining about the Saints "letting" Drew Brees go for the single-season passing yards record last week since they were already up by so much. A few things occur to me. One, after watching my own team blow multiple fourth quarter leads this year, I think if you can score, you should score. Two, he was going for a major record, not just doing it to be mean. Three, even if he was just doing it to be mean, if you don't like it, stop him. If you can't stop him, quit yer bellyachin. Four, "waah waah poor lil us!" does not bode well for your playoff chances, Falcons.

Giants over Cowboys: I know, I know. If the Cowboys had won, the Eagles would've gotten a better draft position. And neither team would've been likely to get very far in the playoffs. But it's ALWAYS a good day when the Cowboys lose.

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2011 Week 16 Recap

Eagles at Cowboys, Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy holidays, y'all! Whatever you celebrate, and whoever you celebrate with, I hope you had a good time. I certainly did, watching the Eagles stomp the Cowboys for the second time this season.

Stud of the week: Alex Henery. On a day when David Akers set the single season field goal points record, Henery made his 14th straight and his first over 50 yards. I actually noted the Akers' record on Facebook and got "thank you" comments from a number of my 49ers-loving friends. I know, I know - who cares about a kicker? Well, I do. I was very fond of David Akers and very sorry to see him depart. I'm hoping that Henery can pick up where he left off. It seems unlikely that he'll be as good a final line of defense as our former Jiu-Jitsu trained kicker, although he did manage to slow down Dwayne Harris long enough for the cavalry to get there.

The Eagles blogging family has been fairly low-key about the win over the Cowboys. Sure, the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs by shortly after kick off, and sure, maybe the Cowboys didn't really care to win the game, since it comes down to next week's matchup against the Giants regardless. But I'm proud of our guys for not giving up and going out strong.

OK, sure, the Dolphins and Jets will be watching the playoffs from their couches too - hell, I think the Cowboys will as well, because my money's on the Giants to win next week - but again, they haven't given up.

To quote BGN: "too little, too late." And they're right. The Eagles blew games they should've won back when it mattered, giving up an epic number of fourth quarter leads and not even managing to pull off a divisional title in a sadly diminished NFC East. And even though the D has played MUCH better of late, Juan Castillo's job may still be on the line, particularly if Spags gets fired in St. Louis (which seems pretty likely to me).

On the other hand, our boys beat Dallas in THEIR house on Christmas Eve, and almost pitched a shut out to boot. Would I have preferred a different ending to the season? Hell yeah, but the team will go 8-8 and hopefully have something to build on for next year after they get rid of the dead weight (like Vince "Dream Team" Young - may he be traded to Vikings, who do need a QB - and Steve Smith).

Around the rest of the NFL....

 Colts over Texans: Damn, y'all! Ask the Colts about how well it works to go into the playoffs cold.

Ravens over Browns: Um, duh.

Bills over Broncos: Apparently, the Tebow magic is wearing off. Next week comes down to who wants it more in the West, with the Chiefs taking on the Broncos and fighting to maybe remove the  "interim" from interim head coach Romeo Crennel's title, and the Chargers, who have nothing to play for as far as I can tell (Norv Turner's O-U-T), facing the Raiders. Love to see the Raiders take the division back.

Panther over Buccaneers: And Cam Newton broke the rookie single season yardage record! Go Cam! The Panthers definitely have something to build on for next year. That switch to Ron Rivera's working out pretty well, too.

Bengals over Cardinals: Surely you've seen The Play, right? Wow. Bengals could still get to the playoffs, by the way. Ginger Power!



Raiders over Chiefs: I shouldn't have given up on the Raiders. They're not dead yet!

Pats over Dolphins: But just barely and after having gotten down by 17 points to a 5-9 team. If defense truly does win championships, the Pats won't be going very far this year.

Giants over Jets: Back at the beginning of the season, I called the Jets to win the AFC East. To quote myself, I put my money on "a quarterback who can manage the game." Over at the HuffPo, one of the commentors gave me shit for calling Sanchez "a quarterback who can manage the game." And he's right. That was giving Sanchez WAY too much credit. He's a punk, and so is Rex Ryan who, as far as I'm concerned, should never say another word in public ever again. Ah well, the Giants will win the division next week, and even though, at least from my experience at the new Meadowlands, their fans are a bunch of violent assholes, it's still better than the Cowboys. Also, the officiating was terrible, and it was nearly all terrible in favor of the Giants. Sour grapes? Maybe.

Steelers over Rams: Speaking of shut outs and Spags losing his job...

Titans over Jags: The Titans could still squeak into the playoffs, but pretty much all the scenarios require a Jets win, so...they're dead.

Vikings over Redskins: OK, I did not watch the game, but could someone please tell me how this happened? For chrissakes, Adrian Peterson wrecked his knee in the second quarter, Christian Ponder went down, too, and the Vikes still managed to put up 33 points. Could someone tell me how that happened? Seriously? I thought the Skins' strong suit was their defense. Anyone?

Lions over Chargers: The Lions are going to the playoffs for the first time since pretty much the invention of the non-leather helmet! Talk about over-delivering on their "Team of Destiny" status! Go Lions! Hang on to that fifth seed, though - you do NOT want to play your first playoff game in a zillion years against the Saints in the Superdome, trust me. Also, which is the biggest disappointment this year: Chargers, Eagles, or Jets? Discuss.

49ers over Seahawks: And David Akers matched and broke Neil Rackers' single-season field goal record, and then topped himself. OK, there is a down side to this: that many field goals means the 49ers are having trouble getting in the end zone. Still, they're 12-3 and have clinched the division, so it's not hurting them that bad. At least not as long as they can count on David Akers' left leg. He'll probably get a Pro Bowl bid - at least he should - but maybe he'll be too busy prepping for the Super Bowl to go to Hawaii?

Packers over Bears: I'm the 9,456,732nd person to observe this, but Aaron Rodgers is having one hell of a season, and it's a good thing, because the Packers' D is no great shakes, either. Hm...if defense really DOES win championships, maybe that "49ers in the Super Bowl" thing isn't as crazy as it sounds...

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2011 Week 9 Picks

This week, the Eagles will face the Bears on Monday Night Football. Two prime time games in a row! YAY, but also some of us have DAY JOBS y'all!

I have to admit, in the McNabb era, I tended to worry about night games. If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I have always been a huge Big5 fan. But DMac was often not as his best in the prime time games. Maybe it was the pressure. Maybe he's a morning person. I don't know. What I do know is that night games left me nervous.

Add to that Matt Forte. The Eagles have the #19 ranked run defense. Somehow, I think the #19 ranked run defense is going to have some problems with Matt Forte.

Add to that Devin Hester. And a rookie punter and place kicker, neither of which has been what I'd call "consistent" so far this year. We can all yell "DON'T KICK TO DEVIN HESTER!" all the live-long day to the TV, but I'm not confident of either Henry or Henery's ability not to do just that.

On the other hand, the offense seems to be coming together. Defensive coordinators can decide to take away the outside/big play receivers. Or they can decide to take away the short/across the middle plays. Or they can decide to shut down the Eagles run game. Or they can decide to try to keep Mike Vick in the pocket and/or harass him all day. They can't pick "all of the above," at least not with only 11 guys. And if the team can continue to limit turnovers on offense (knock wood), it's pretty damn hard to keep them from scoring.

Meanwhile, it seems like Juan Castillo might finally be learning his job. Or he's shuffled the guys into the right positions. Or everybody went to Remedial Tackling classes. Or all of the above.

I don't think it's going to be a waltz like last week's win over the Cowboys, but I do think the Eagles will pull this one out.

In the rest of the matchups:

Jets at Bills: Interesting AFC East matchup. The Jets are coming off their bye, which, at least in Bleeding Green Nation, always equals "win." The Bills are coming off spanking the Redskins, which to me, screams trap game. The entire league is topsy-turvy this year. Which to me says Bills.

Seahawks at Cowboys: The Cowboys better win this one at home, otherwise I'm pretty sure they should all plan to leave town. Immediately. Like 4:08 pm Sunday afternoon. Cowboys.

Browns at Texans: Gotta go with my Texans! Team of Destiny Emeritus!

Colts at Falcons: And the suck rolls on into Atlanta. Falcons.

Dolphins at Chiefs: After what both teams showed me last week, I have to go with the Chiefs. Which clearly means the Dolphins will finally pull it together, right?

Bucs at Saints: The Saints HAVE to be pissed after last week, and I can't see them dropping a divisional game at home, even with Sean Payton up in the press box. Saints.

49ers at Redskins: I'm officially on the bandwagon. Also, the Redskins have literally run out of offensive players. 49ers.

Broncos at Raiders: That bye week came just in time, but in the battle of Tim Tebow and Carson Palmer, I have to go with "which team has a better ground game?" That would be the Raiders.

Bengals at Titans: The Bengals, under rookie QB (and fellow ginger) Andy Dalton are surging. The Titans are right in there, too, for AFC South. This is a tough call, as neither offense is exactly lighting it up. I think I'm going to have to go with the #4 ranked Bengals defense.

Rams at Cardinals: Ugh. Look away! Cards? Rams? Who cares? If forced to pick - which I am, by the office pool - I'll go with Rams. Under protest. That this game is even being broadcast.

Giants at Patriots: Hm, speaking of teams that have to be pissed after last week..yeah, Giants, to quote Inside the Iggles, "good luck with that." Pats.

Packers at Chargers: Is it even fair to make other teams play the Pack this year? Do the Chargers have a prayer? No to both. Packers.

Ravens at Steelers: I can't see the Steelers losing to the Ravens twice in one season, particularly not at home. Steelers.

On bye: Last week! Jaguars, Lions, Panthers, Vikings

Edited to add: NOT last week. What's with the skip week on byes, NFL?

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2011 Week 4 Recap

Eagles v. 49ers, Sunday, October 2, 2011

In attendance: Life-long Eagles Fan Mom, Chef Spouse, You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad, and about 50 of their closest friends and our assorted relatives. (We were up in PA celebrating a milestone birthday for my pops and warming their newly renovated kitchen.)

Menu: all kinds of yummy goodness cooked by Life-long Eagles Fan Mom, birthday cake, and something else...what was it?...oh yeah: don't forget the tears, recriminations, and bile.

Stud of the Week: well, of course, it was Mike Vick, who had a career day for all the good it did. Given the way this season is going, I'm thinking of renaming this feature Goat of the Week, only there are WAY too many candidates.

It probably comes as no surprise to hear that many people who know me casually are aware that I love the NFL. One of the first questions I always get is about fantasy football. The thing is, I don't play fantasy football. Why? Because I'm much more interested in team chemistry and how players function as a team than in people's individual stats.

I'm sure you can see where this is going.

Week 4 passing leader: Mike Vick. Number 2 in receiving yards: DeSean Jackson. Jason Babin had three sacks. Jason Avant had at least one circus catch. Tight end Clay Harbor had a great day, too.

That does not a team make.

For years, we've all mocked lil' Danny Snyder and the LOLSkins for putting together a fantasy football team and thinking it was the same thing as a functioning football team. Now that the shoe's on the other foot, I think we can all say it's damned uncomfortable.

How does a team this talented blow their third second half lead in as many weeks? 

Even with the re-jiggered linebackers, the Eagles still can't stop the run. Worse? They have (purportedly) three of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and they can't stop the pass, either. Was it just me or did Asante Samuel quit on the play on the 49ers last TD? You know - the one that won the game? And I'm thinking about putting Nnamdi Asomugha's picture on the side of a milk carton because I have no idea where in the hell he's gone. 

While the defense deserves the heat they're taking, the offense isn't blameless. For the second? third? year running, this team is terrible in the red zone. What was Ronnie Brown thinking? Even worse, it appears to have been a designed play. DUMBEST. PLAY. EVER. Have the coaches turned the creation of plays over to a bunch of sugared-up Pop Warner 6 year olds? The team seriously has NO WAY to power it in from the one? NO WAY? That seems like a rather urgent problem to address.

How does the team put up nine MILLION yards of offense and only score THREE points in the ENTIRE SECOND HALF?

Watching Maclin's fumble right before the two minute warning was pretty much the equivalent of ripping out my still-beating heart, stomping on it, and then turning it over to a Cowboys fan, but honestly, prior to that when Alex Henery missed that second field goal, I knew in my gut the team was going down.

Speaking of missed field goals, it was a terrible day for both teams' kickers. Chef Spouse has a theory that The Linc was so confused at seeing Akers there in red and gold, the stadium itself was literally rejecting field goals. I do not know, but I do know that missing two field goals from inside the 40 is ridiculous.

You know how when you're watching a game, you'll sometimes get that feeling that a big comeback is starting? Your team is down, but you just know, you KNOW, that they're going to pull it out? Why does it feel like the Eagles are never that team? They're always the team that is come-back-ed upon.

What it comes down to is that the Eagles have a bunch of guys to whom they paid a bunch of money running around on the field wearing the same uniforms, but they aren't a team.

And then the Phillies lost, y'all. Damn. At least the Cowboys blew an even bigger lead than the Eagles - it should divert a little of the national media attention.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Bears over Panthers: Well, sure, but Cam Newton had another solid performance and the Panthers actually had a chance to win it. Also, special teams coaches? Write this down in pen: do NOT kick it to Devin Hester. Also, keep an eye on Matt Forte.

Bengals over Bills: Trap game. Letdown after the big win over the Pats last week. Ouch.

Titans over Browns: Looks like the Titans weren't as wrecked by the loss of Kenny Britt as I thought they would be.

Lions over Cowboys:  I'm not certain, but I think Tony Romo may have thrown more TDs for the Lions thean he did for the Cowboys.  To quote the SportsBlog Nation recaps: "Calvin Johnson will drink your milkshake." Yes, he will. He'll even have seconds. The Lions are 4-0 y'all. Team of Destiny! Also, Tony Romo doesn't need a coach - he needs a psychiatrist. 

Texans over Steelers: The final score makes the game look much closer than it actually was. Is it time to start asking how good Mike Tomlin is? Or did he Gruden his way to greatness?

Saints over Jags: Duh.

Chiefs over Vikings: Oh my God, I hate to see McNabb going down like this.

Redskins over Rams: Again, duh. How much do I hate that the Redskins are leading the NFC East? I live in DC. You guess.

Giants over Cardinals: Calls like the "Victor Cruz gave himself up" BS make me wonder if the games are fixed. Seriously.

Falcons over Seahawks: Barely. What was with the second half rallies this week? Man! On the one hand, it's not easy to win at Qwest Field. On the other hand, it's the Seahawks. THE SEAHAWKS.

Packers over Broncos: Again with the Duh. The Packers are scary good this year. Repeat? Maybe.

Pats over Raiders: Well, yes.

Chargers over Dolphins: Again, duh.

Ravens over Jets: It was either Al or Cris, but I think it was Al, who remarked that you had a better chance of scoring while on defense on Sunday night. He's not wrong.

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