End of an Era

Eagles at Giants, Sunday, December 30, 2012 

This Sunday featured many exciting games with playoff implications. Sadly, the Eagles game was not one of them. The 42-7 rout was a microcosm of everything that's been wrong with the Eagles in 2012. And that's all I have to say about that.

Well, other than to point out to the gloating Giants fans: I realize that the last time you saw the Eagles in 2012 was when we beat you on Sunday Night Football at the end of September, so you might not know. But hanging 42 points on this team is nothing to be proud of. Pissing on Andy Reid's grave - which is what you're doing now - just shows a complete lack of class. And 9-7 and 4-12 will look pretty much the same next week, when both teams are watching the playoffs from their man caves. Only the Eagles scored a higher draft pick.

Now that I have that off my chest, I want to talk about Andy Reid a little.

I am, as my bio states, a life-long Eagles fan. My earliest football memory was when Dick Vermeil came to Philly. I was 5. I have fond memories of Sunday afternoons in front of the TV, hoagies in hand, cheering for Jaws, Wilbert Montgomery, Harold Carmichael, Mike Quick, Herm Edwards,
the Minister of Defense Reggie White, and later on, under Buddy Ryan, Randall Scramble, Cris Cater, Andre Waters, Jerome Brown, and Seth Joyner. By that point, I was in college and used to go over to the only all-male dorm on campus every weekend to watch the games, which were on in the lounges.

And then I graduated and moved out of state for grad school. This was way before the Sunday Ticket era, and I went to grad school at a college football mad university in a town with no pro team nearby. On the upside, I missed part of the Rich Kotite and pretty much all of the Ray Rhodes years. On the downside, I lost touch with my beloved Eagles.

And then I moved to the home city of a divisional rival. And Jeff Lurie hired this unknown quarterbacks coach from Green Bay named Andy Reid, who proceeded to draft this guy out of Syracuse (not exactly a football powerhouse) Donovan McNabb.

And then: Duce Staley. Brian Westbrook. Brian Dawkins. Hugh Douglas. John Runyan, David Akers. Jeremiah Trotter. Troy Vincent. Darwin Walker. Tre Thomas. Lito Sheppard. Sheldon Brown. 

And then the rest followed: five playoff appearances in a row. Four NFC championship games in a row. The Super Bowl loss to those big cheaters, the Patriots. The 2005 disaster year. The miraculous run into the playoffs under Jeff Garcia in 2006, after McNabb went down with the sports hernia. Then McNabb down again in 2007 with the ACL tear. Then the equally miraculous run back to the NFC Championship game in 2008. Playoffs again in 2009 and 2010.

Even though - and it's a big "but" - the Eagles never brought home the Lombardi trophy, Andy Reid brought this team and this city the most sustained period of success we've ever seen. He changed expectations for all of us. He gave me back my fandom.

I hope he takes a little time off. After the past two years, which have been extremely difficult both personally and professionally, I think he needs it. After that? I wish him nothing but success wherever he goes. Godspeed, Big Red. Unless you goes to Dallas, in which case all bets are off.

I will pick the playoff matchups and recap the playoff games, even though the Eagles are out, so I'll share my thoughts about the 12 teams when I pick Wildcard Weekend. I *will* say this now: at the beginning of the season, I was thinking 49ers/Texans Super Bowl. Not anymore.

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2012 Week 17 Picks

This is it - the final week of the 2012 regular season.

I have plenty of complaints with the NFL (I hate Thursday night football, I wish Joe Buck and Troy Aikman would go do something - anything - else, some of the rules make no goddamn sense, and they often don't seem to be applied equally, at least not if your name is Manning or Brady), but one thing I LOVE is that the final Sunday is *just* Sunday, it's all divisional and lots of playoff scenarios are on the line, at least for the NFC. (Things are pretty settled in the AFC.)

Meanwhile, the Eagles limp to the finish (both figuratively and literally), facing the Giants in New Jersey. And the Giants don't really have much to play for, either. Don't get me wrong - they aren't mathematically eliminated, and the G-men are going to win Sunday. But it is highly unlikely that the Cowboys, Bears, and Vikings will ALL lose.

Also, I'm expecting Andy Reid to be let go first thing Monday morning. You definitely did not read that here first - EVERYONE expects Andy Reid to be let go first thing Monday morning.

Moving on:

Buccaneers at Falcons: The Falcons have nothing to play for, and I'm guessing they'll rest their starters as a result, despite recent (Colts) evidence of what a mistake that usually is. I see the Bucs winning this one.

Jets at Bills: Rex Ryan's last game at the Jets head coach? Maybe. The Jets should be able to win this one, but with the QB mess (Sanchez is benched! No, he's the starting QB!), I figure morale is at an all-time low for Gang Green, and the Bills will sneak a win. Not that it really matters.

Ravens at Bengals: I don't think either team can improve their seeding with a win - Bengals will b #6, Ravens will be #4 - and honestly, although I'm sure no one wants to play the Pats right now, facing a divisional rival two weeks in a row is even worse. With both teams likely to rest some starters and not really be that invested in the outcome, I'm going with the Bengals at home.

Bears at Lions: I know I keep picking the Lions and they keep losing. I know the Bears are fighting for a playoff spot. I'm feeling Lions, but...gotta go Bears.

Texans at Colts: The Texans have stumbled a bit of late, but the bye and possibly homefield are on the line. They'll find a way to win, even against a highly motivated Colts team at home. I think.

Panthers at Saints: Nothing to play for but pride, but the Saints don't lose at home.

Browns at Steelers: Same and same.

Jaguars at Titans: Bleh. Also, Titans. Not that ANYONE will be watching this game.

Chief at Broncos: Broncos, definitely, who also still have a shot at both the bye and homefield.

Packers at Vikings: This is going to be a great game, I think. The Pack needs the win for the bye. The Vikings need the win for a wildcard spot, and all they have to do to get it *is* win. Logically, the Pack should win, but I think the Vikes will dig deep and surprise them.

Dolphins at Patriots: Patriots.

Raiders at Chargers: The Chargers will probably win at home, but it won't change the fact that Norv is going to be be fired on Monday, too.

Rams at Seahawks: Should've listened to myself last week and NOT picked against the Seahawks at home. Not making that mistake again. Seahawks.

Cardinals at 49ers: 49ers who, if I'm right about the Pack losing, will snake that bye week right out from under Green Bay.

Redskins at Cowboys: It's for all the NFC East marbles, and the Redskins GOT this one. The Cowboys will choke. Glad Monday's a day off, because this should be a great game that I'm going to stay up to see the end of and will probably be too hyped to sleep after.

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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 17 Picks

This is it - the end of the road. Well, at least for some teams, two of which will be facing off at the Linc this week, as the Redskins travel to Philly to close out the season.

The other day, the Washington Post sports section did a "the last time the Redskins and Eagles played on New Year's Day" feature. They made a HUGE deal about the fact that the Redskins won, 31-20. Do you remember when it was? Does Jan. 1, 2006 ring a bell? You remember - the final game in the disaster season, when literally every player on the entire team was injured at one point or another, and Mike McMahon was under center?

Yep, that's how bad things are in DC - the local sports writers have to relive the glory days of 5 years ago, when the Redskins first team was able to take out the Eagles practice squad.

Things are going to go a little different this time, bitches.

Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups - things get tough to pick as teams consider resting their starters. But do they tell US who they'll be resting? Nooooo, of course not!

Jets at Dolphins: Dolphins. Because I think the Jets are mess, and I figure if they can't beat the Giants for us, they don't deserve to win another game.

Panthers at Saints: The Saints are in the running for the first round bye, and they should be able to handle the Panthers in their own house. But they need the 49ers to lose to the Rams, too, which ain't gonna happen.

49ers at Rams: 49ers. See above.

Titans at Texans: The Titans need a miracle to make the postseason. The only thing they can control is beating the Texans. And although Wade Phillips will be be back, the Texans have nothing much to play for, seeing as they've already won the division and can't get the bye. I think the Titans will do what they can and win this game, but I don't think the rest of the cards are going to fall the right way for them.

Lions at Packers: I'm going with the Lions. I think they'll want it more (I cannot overstress how important holding on to the 5th seed will be), and, with nothing more to gain, I think the Pack will rest some of their dinged up starters.

Bears at Vikings: aka the Pee Wee Bowl. The Bears have lost their last five. The Vikings have lost four of their last five, and the one win was over the Redskins. Neither team has anything to play for at this point, other than maybe draft position. I'm going with Vikings, just because they're at home.

Colts at Jaguars: The Colts better watch it, or they'll play themselves right out of the Luck sweepstakes. Jaguars.

Bills at Patriots: It's probably too much to ask the Bills to beat the Pats twice in one season. Patriots.

Seahawks at Cardinals: Man, have the Cards disappointed this season, particularly Kevin Kolb. Guess we know now why Andy Reid didn't mind letting him go. Seahawks.

Chargers at Raiders: Back on the "which team has something to play for?" theme, I'm going with the Raiders.

Chiefs at Broncos: Chiefs. And not just because I want the Raiders to win the division. I think Tebow's luck has run out, at least on the 2011 season. During the offseason, he might want to look into actually learning how to play his position.

Buccaneers at Falcons: The Falcons, of course, ALSO don't want the #6 seed in the NFC. Particularly after last Monday night. And they'll win this game, but it won't be enough.

Ravens at Bengals: Both of these teams really want this game, too. The Bengals need it to make the playoffs, and the Ravens need it to hold off the Steelers, who will DEFINITELY win their game. Ravens.

Steelers at Browns: See above. Steelers.

Cowboys at Giants: Giants. And not just because I don't want the Cowboys to win the division. I genuinely believe the Giants are the better team. I also genuinely believe that whichever team wins this game will go down in the first game of the playoffs, because the NFC East is just not very good this year. But Giants fans will at least get one week to dream.

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2010 Week 17 Recap

Eagles v. Cowboys, Sunday, January 2, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, the triumphant return of Ex-Navy Cheesehead, Chef Spouse and me

Menu: brats, saurkraut, homemade soft pretzels, brussels spouts - have to ensure good luck in the New Year, after all!

Stud of the Week: Chad Hall. Pipsqueak had a great day, even scoring his first TD in the NFL. He even managed to jump up into the stands with a little bit of a boost from his team mates. Feel good story for sure.

So the Cowboys' entire first team (other than QB Stephen McGee) managed to beat the Eagles' practice squad, plus some guys they signed in the parking lot during pre-game tailgating. I think maybe one or two starters were out there, only by virtue of having no one else left to back them up. And the Cowboys won by one point. Uh...congratulations? I guess?

Remember how at the beginning of the season a bunch of people (including me) thought the Cowboys were going to dominate? Talk about going out with a whimper. The practice squad seriously gave the Cowboys a run for their money, and had it not been for the DeMarcus Ware TD off the Anthony Spencer forced fumble that came about because K2 was holding the ball out on a tray for him, we would've won. There was a fair amount of "Good job...uh....who IS that guy?" going on in my living room.

Anywho, on to the Packers! And let's hope Vick doesn't go down, because Kolb did not look brilliant. Somebody tell Clay Matthews the game is on Saturday, OK? At Lambeau?

Around the rest of the NFL...

Pats over Dolphins: Seriously, why would you play your starters?

Jets over Bills: The Jets didn't need their starters to whip up on a bad team. Just sayin'.

Ravens over Bengals: Think TO will be playing anywhere next year? He seems to think so, but homie is mostly delusional, so that's not reliable.

Steelers over Browns: And Eric Mangini's been fired. How many does that make this season? 4?

Raiders over Chiefs: The Chiefs weren't going to do better than the #4 seed. And apparently, the Raiders might get a new QB next year: Donovan McNabb. He and Jason Campbell are bros, so that should work out. And they can both kick back and talk about how glad they are to be the hell out of DC.

Lions over Vikings: Next year, Lions. Next year.

Falcons over Panthers: So during the 4 pm games, we were talking about who we'd want the Eagles to face in wildcard weekend. "Can I pick the Panthers? I want the Panthers." Yeah, no.

Bucs over Saints: Well, the Bucs did what was in their power to try to get to the playoffs. It wasn't enough. Odd loss, though.

Texans over Jags: Yeah, the Jags gave up.

Giants over Redskins: Whatevs. They'll both be watching the playoffs from their rec rooms, accompanied by umbrella drinks.

Chargers over Broncos: Same as above.

49ers over Cards: Wow. The 49ers kicked the Cards' asses. What lit a fire under them all of a sudden? Head coach gets fired, all of s sudden no one is safe?

Packers over Bears: I think this is a good thing for the Eagles. I definitely didn't want to see the Giants again this year, and it does lend a nice symmetry to the season, with the Packers coming back to the Linc next week. Hopefully with a different outcome.

Colts over Titans: Raise your hand if you think the Colts are going down to the Jets wildcard weekend. Me. I have my hand raised.

Seahawks over Rams: OH. MY. GOD. The West was won by a 7-9 team. I think the Seahawks should voluntarily cede their playoff spot to a better team. The fact that the 11-5 Saints have to travel to Seattle to play a 7-9 team is just NOT acceptable.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, January 2, 2011

Happy New Year, football fans! In a year that we all thought would be about rebuilding, the Eagles won the NFC East (again) and are going to the playoffs as the #3 seed.  Time to celebrate, because they aren't going to beat the Cowboys on Sunday, what with the almost certain resting the starters and all that.

1 pm: Panthers/Falcons and Bucs/Saints

4 pm: Eagles/Cowboys, Giants/Redskins and Bears/Packers (No, we do not currently have the capacity to watch 3 games at once. But we'll figure it out.)

8 pm: Rams at Seahawks

Menu: I just asked Chef Spouse and (I quote) "I still haven't thought about Food Lab: Hors D'Oeuvres (our planned New Year's Eve afternoon activity). I have NO idea." But I'm planning to make some homemade pretzels, since I haven't done that yet this year. So maybe brats? It is traditional in my family to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's to ensure good luck. And January 2 is practically New Year's...

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2010 Week 17 Picks

Our game is meaningless - AR's going to rest the starters. It kills me, but the Cowboys will win this game. They have players fighting for their jobs, and an interim head coach fighting for his.

Dolphins at Pats: This game is meaningless for the Pats, but they're going to win anyway.

Bills at Jets: Bills. Rex Ryan has said Mark Sanchez is unlikely to play. Guess the Jets are happy with the seeding.

Bengals at Ravens: Ravens. The Ravens could actually still win the division if the Steelers lose (which they won't, but the Ravens have to go all out regardless, since they're both playing at 1).

Bucs at Saints: Saints need this one, and they'll get it.

Panthers at Falcons: Same as above.

Vikings at Lions: Another one of the meaningless games. Vikings. Think Leslie Frazier will be the head coach next year? Think Joe Webb will start at QB? This game might provide some clues.

Raiders at Chiefs: The Chiefs are also still playing for position, although it's only 3 versus 4, but I think they'll win.

Steelers at Browns: The Steelers need this win to win the division, and I think they'll get it.

Jags at Texans: The Jags need this win to stay in contention for the division. But David Garrard and MJD are both out, so it seems like the Jags are conceding surrender. Not that it really matters, because the division is the Colts' to lose, and they won't. Texans. Speaking of...

Titans at Colts: Colts. They're not gonna miss the playoffs for the first time this, uh, millennium.

Cards at 49ers: Good luck to...who is the 49ers interim coach anyway? Is this the most coaches that have ever been fired during the season? Because it seems like it might be. Anyway, I think the 49ers will win. Noth that it really matters.

Bears at Packers: The Bears are a good team. The Packers are a good team. The Bears do not need this game. The Packers do. You know what that means - Packers.

Chargers at Broncos: The Chargers will win, but it will be cold comfort, since they'll miss the playoffs this year.

Giants at Redskins: The math indicates that the Giants will win. And Chef Spouse thinks I'm crazy. But I think we broke the Giants on December 19. Redskins.

Rams at Seahawks: Rams. I love me some Spags, and this is the only way to save the West from the ignominy of being won by a team under .500.

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2009 Week 17 Recap

Eagles at Cowboys, Sunday, January 3, 2010

In attendance: Chef Spouse, Shoegal, Ex-Navy Cheesehead. And sweet, sweet booze. Thank God.

Menu: ham, scalloped potatoes, veg casserole. And did I mention the booze?

Stud of the week: Am I allowed to pick no one? Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom pointed out that the only good thing the Philly sportscasters could say about the game was: "Sav Rocca wasn't bad." Oy. Also, Asante Samuel tipped a pass that Joselio Hanson came down with. We did nothing with it but waste a timeout lining up for a punt, but it was pretty much the only highlight of the game.

As You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad pointed out, we should probably issue an APB for the Eagles. Who were those guys in the green jerseys yesterday, and what did they do with our team?

We literally could not do a single thing right. The line couldn't protect McNabb. When they did, receivers couldn't get open. When they did, McNabb couldn't get the ball to them. When he did, they couldn't catch it. When they did, they couldn't move the chains.

For chrissakes, Andy Reid decided to go for the 53 yard field goal rather than going for it on 4-2 on the Cowboys 35. And Akers MISSED.

Maclin ran the wrong route at least twice on key plays. "5 and Dime" turned into "keep the change" as McNabb did the impossible, overthrowing Peanut. Twice. We had ONE red zone possession. In the ENTIRE game. And a bad Nick Cole snap led to a fumble that poor O-line play didn't even allow Big5 time to pick up.

And why weren't we blitzing more? Our D let us get way too far behind in the first half. Then we dumped the run entirely and everyone tried to do too much every single offensive play in the second half. There was no "Catch ball --> secure ball --> try to get some YAC --> try to move the sticks." No, it became, "I HAVE TO SCORE A TD ALL BY MYSELF RIGHT NOW ON THIS PLAY NOWNOWNOW!" for everyone.

Did they not understand that we were supposed to WIN THIS week so we could REST NEXT week? Did the Cowboys training staff sneakily mix up our Gatorade with vodka rather than water? I'm not usually one to blame the coaches - it's the players who are on the field needing to, you know, MAKE PLAYS - but when the ENTIRE team shows up completely unready to play, that's on the coaches. Who have 6 days to pull their heads out of their asses and figure this thing out.

Now, instead of getting to chill while watching the Vikings beat the Cowboys over mai tais in the Akers' rumpus room, we have to go BACK to Dallas and do it ourselves.

At least we don't have to worry that the Cowboys have already seen all our good stuff, since they've seen NONE of our good stuff. Hell, we could complete a screen pass for 5 yards, and the Cowboys would be like, "Where did THAT come from?" Ah well, as Chef Spouse pointed out, at least none of our guys cried.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Bills over Colts. Told you. Also, how awesome was it to watch Blizzard Bowl 2010? Also, Peyton Manning's looked like he's snacking on ground glass on the sidelines the past two weeks. Sure, 16-0 was meaningless. RIIIIIIGHT. The Colts are going down in the first playoff game - as usual. You read it here first.

Panthers over Saints. OK, they didn't play their starters, and the Cowboys are tougher than we thought (thinking back to their first lost game). I still think the Saints peaked too early and will also lose their first playoff game. Which means it's really a bugger that we're not sitting at #2 and looking ahead to hosting the NFC Championship Game in an outdoor stadium in the northeast in January as God intended.

Browns over Jags. Man, it's too bad I skipped the office football pool this week - I was on a roll. Well, other than that whole Eagles/Cowboys debacle.

Texans over Pats. The big news from this game, other than the Texans having their first winning season EVER, is that the Pats have likely lost Wes Welker for the playoffs. Yeah, they weren't going to the show this year anyway.

Vikings over Giants. Life-Long Eagles Fan asked me today, "What do you think happened to the Giants this year?" Two things: no Plax and no Spags. And Bill Sheridan's already been fired.

49ers over Rams. "And with the #1 pick in the 2010 NFL draft, the St. Louse Rams choose..." Well, since they need EVERYTHING, really anyone would be a good choice. But if it were up to me, I'd take Ndamukong Suh.

Falcons over Bucs. The Falcons just pulled off their first back-to-back winning seasons EVER. Ponder that for a minute if you need something to talk you down off the ledge after 24-0.

Steelers over Dolphins. Well, it's a good thing the Dolphins are out of the playoffs because they are completely out of quarterbacks. Good timing, I guess.

Bears over Lions. Oh yeah, Jay Cutler can kick ass. When it doesn't matter. Whose decision was it to get him again? GM Jerry Angelo? Black Monday's usually for coaches, but....

Chiefs over Broncos. How the hell do you roll over for the CHIEFS at HOME with the playoffs on the line? Also, Brandon Marshall's probably gone.

Ravens over Raiders. When it became clear that there was no way we had any chance of getting our shit together, I tried to convince Chef Spouse to switch us over to this game, which was close and hard fought and also had playoff implications. I was unsuccessful and had to suffer through our ENTIRE game. What good is the Sunday Ticket if I can't use it to avoid having to watch a 3 hour train wreck?

Titans over Seahawks. The only interesting thing about this game is that Chris Johnson went over 2,000 yards for the season, becoming only the 6th player in history to do so.

Chargers over Redskins. Even without their starters. Ouch.

Packers over Cardinals. Yeesh.

Jets over Bengals. Another shut out leading to another wildcard weekend rematch. And even though the Bengals starters played, I'm still pissed that the Jets were even in consideration because the Colts took last week off. It's totally unfair. I hope the Bengals kill 'em next week.

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2009 Week 17 Picks

Win and in. Well, actually, we're already *in* but the seeding is still open. And there are other ways to the #2 seed. But the simplest way, the one I like best, is win it & get it.

I'm not saying that it's going to be easy to beat the Cowboys. Not by a long shot. They seem to have mastered their December woes, pulling off decisive wins over the Saints and Redskins in the last two weeks. Tony Romo is settling down behind the biggest offensive line in football. Their offense is clicking well behind Romo-favorite targets Jason Witten and Miles Austin. On the other side of the ball, Jay Ratliff is a big threat up the middle, and we just lost our center for the season. That neck injury doesn't seem to be bothering DeMarcus Ware too much, either.

On the other hand, we're playing pretty well too, with a 6 game winning streak. And most of them have been close games (OK, we *made* some of them close games when they didn't have to be). Which, you'll notice, we've learned how to win, even though we have a bumper crop of rookies and sophomores on our team. That's good practice for the playoffs, since you don't get a whole lot of blow outs once the crap teams are out of the picture.

If our O-line can protect McNabb - or he can scramble - well enough to allow some big pass plays to develop (because there are just too many options to cover if Big5 can avoid pressure for a few seconds)...

If we can open up some holes and get some good running out of Weaver, Westbrook, and McCoy...

If our D can force a few turnovers...

If special teams has at least an average day...

If we can go hard for all 4 quarters....

It's ours. The win, the #2 seed, the bye, the home game. It's ours.

And even if it's not, it's not disaster, as it's damn hard to beat a team THREE times in one season.

My prediction? An Eagles win, and potentially a heart attack for me while watching.

Need more convincing? Here's what Tommy has to say:

Make things simple if you want. We've won more games on the year. We've got a longer winning streak. We're the number three scoring team in the league. We have an elite offensive and STs weapon in DeSean Jackson. We have a QB who tends to win in December and January. We have a good FG kicker. We have a coach who knows how to win.

We're the better team right now.

Colts/Bills - Well, I *would* pick the Colts, but those punkasses are all resting, so I'm picking the Bills. So there.

Saints/Panthers - Looking at the way these two teams have played in the last two weeks, I'm doing something crazy and picking the Panthers. I know, I know - a month ago, unthinkable. Now? The Vikings and Giants are not exactly slouch teams, and the wins were decisive. Apparently, Julius Peppers has been eating his Wheaties, and the Panthers should have been starting Matt Moore all season.

Jaguars/Browns - Speaking of crazy picks and playing better and all that stuff, I'm going with the Browns. Yeah, the Jags are still technically in the playoff picture, but they'd need an even bigger miracle than we got at the end of last season to make it in. And the Browns have won three in a row. OK, two of those wins were over the Chiefs and Raiders, but they also beat the Steelers. I think they can close with a win and just maybe save Eric Mangini's job in the process, if Holmgren Claus is feeling generous.

Patriots/Texans - The Team of Destiny is also still technically in the playoff running and could spoil the Pats chances at the #3 seed with a win. Of course, the Pats may actually prefer the #4 seed so they can avoid the Chargers for as long as possible. To me, that adds up to a Texans win.

Giants/Vikings - The wheels are coming off BOTH these teams buses. Still, the Vikings know that their only hope of jumping back into the #2 seed and getting the bye week is to win - and hope. And they're playing at home, which means no cold breezes for the old man. I think that adds up to a Vikings win.

49ers/Rams - If they're smart, the Rams will drop this game on purpose to secure the #1 pick in the 2010 draft. 49ers.

Falcons/Bucs - Falcons. Or Bucs. Who cares? Oh all right - Falcons it is.

Steelers/Dolphins - This is going to be an ugly game. Both teams desperately need the win and a LOT of help to sneak into the playoffs. Fact 1: the Steelers are the defending champs. Fact 2: Polamalu's supposed to be back. Result? Steelers win. But it will be a close game.

Bears/Lions - Jay Cutler actually played pretty decently on Monday night. It doesn't matter at this point (well, at least not for the Bears), but he was not bad. Can he keep it up for two games? Nah. But it won't matter - he could hand the ball to the Lions every other play and the Bears should still be able to pull off the win.

Broncos/Chiefs - Even though the Broncos are currently sitting in the #5 spot, they don't own it. Again, they need a win and help to hang on to a wildcard spot. All they can *do* to help themselves is win, which they should do handily.

Ravens/Raiders - The Ravens should also win. And I need a super computer to help me figure out what the AFC playoff picture would look like if my week 17 predictions all turn out to be true.

Titans/Seahawks - Titans. Not that it matters.

Redskins/Chargers - Chargers. Also not that it matters.

Packers/Cardinals - This is another BIG game that could go either way with both teams with a lot on the line. I think the Packers win (I'd be sure of it if they were playing in Green Bay), and I think the two teams will face each other again next week with, I suspect, a different outcome.

Bengals/Jets - The Bengals will know before the game starts whether or not they have a chance to jump into the #3 seed. But Marvin Lewis and Ocho Cinco have promised that, no matter what, they're not resting. I think it would be totally unfair if the Jets leaped into the playoffs because their last two opponents didn't bother to bring their A games. But that may be exactly what happens. Why is this game the 8 pm game and not our game again? Yes, I know the Jets control their destiny for the final wildcard spot, but that's only because the Colts punked out last week. I hope the Bengals whup them but good.

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Sunday Schedule: January 3, 2010

This is it! Last week of the regular season. Not the last week of *our* season, of course - we're going to the playoffs, as we have 8 of the last 10 years. By the way, we're tied with the Colts for most playoff appearances in the last 10 years. Even the mighty Pats are only on #7 this year. And the Colts have lost their first playoff game 4 times. We've NEVER lost our first playoff game in that stretch. Yeah, yeah, I know they have a Super Bowl. We will, too, some day (maybe this year). I'm just saying that December and January are great times to be an Eagles fan.

BTW, all the games are on Sunday this week. Big day for lots of teams, with the NFC seeding still completely up in the air, and the AFC wildcard still completely up in the air.

1 pm: Giants/Vikings
4 pm: Eagles/Cowboys
8 pm: Jets/Bengals

You know what's awesome? All 3 games have major playoff implications.

Menu: Chef Spouse checked what we made last year when we whupped the Cowboys on the final day of the regular season. Turns out we had leftover bouef bourgignon, and we can't do that this year, because we eated it already. So he's thinking ham and scalloped potatoes. Bring something to go with. And look for ribs (his second choice, but we don't have time to make them this weekend) to make an appearance during the playoffs.

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