2011 Week 8 Recap

Eagles v. Cowboys, Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Halloween! Of course, this week's recap will be the annual trick-or-treat edition, as I write in my witch costume jumping up to answer the doorbell while waiting for MNF to start.

In attendance: Just Shoegal, Chef Spouse and me - SNF games are tough on people who have to go to work in the morning.

Menu: homemade butternut squash ravioli with butter sage sauce, salad, yummy treats from Shoegal

Stud: Shady McCoy, of course, who pretty much OWNS this category this year. I've already asked Santa to bring me his jersey for Christmas. Could he be any more awesome? I don't think so. To recap: 185 yards on the ground on 30 carries and two TDs, plus another 15 yards through the air. The second coming of BWest? You know it.

Since we're all thinking it, I'll go ahead and say it: "Where the HELL have these guys been for the past 6 weeks?" I'm glad they finally decided to show up, but seriously, I was expecting them in week 2, not week 8. Better late than never.

OK, sure, a bunch of new guys on the field and pretty much an entirely new coaching staff are going to take come time to gel. Seven weeks, to be precise.

Are the Eagles becoming a team that can run the ball and shut teams down on defense? Because that would be an interesting switch to the Andy Reid playbook. The thing I loved most last night was seeing the long drives sustained by nice runs and short passes over the middle. Dictionary west coast offense. Those were some BIG holes the offensive line was creating. Andy Reid could have run through those holes himself. Hell, he probably could've driven the team bus through them. What made it even sweeter is that the Cowboys came in with one of the top ranked run defenses in the league.

Clearly Rob Ryan game planned to take away DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and in that, he was pretty successful. Maclin and DJax had 3 catches each, for 54 and 31 yards respectively. The thing is, if you're going to put all your guys on those two, that leaves Jason "Hands" Avant, Brent Celek and Clay Harbor to run free in the middle of the field. Now throwing across the middle is not the easiest thing for the relatively short (at 6 feet on the nose) Mike Vick. Then again, the o-line gave him such a nice clean pocket all night long, he could drop back as far as he needed to.

And on D, it seems like I may owe Juan Castillo an apology. It wasn't showy - it wasn't like there were a zillion picks and sacks (1 and 4) - but the Cowboys were just totally out of sorts all night long. They only had 12 first downs, and, if I recall correctly, only THREE in the entire first half. The Eagles D was getting off the field and only made one mistake all night long (Kurt Coleman got a little over excited), allowing the only Cowboys' score, in scut time (aka "the entire 4th quarter").

Oh, and did I mention? No turnovers. THAT was a treat. Big time.

THIS is what we were expecting 6 weeks ago. Hopefully, the guys can keep it up. Because the team that played LAST night looks pretty damn unstoppable.

Around the rest of the league:

Ravens over Cardinals: The Cardinals jumped out to a treat of an early lead, but the Ravens had a trick for them, to the tune of 24 (?) unanswered points, to win the game.

Vikings over Panthers: Cam Newton sure is a treat (on the eyes, too), but those tricky Vikings forced two fumbles, got a great day out of Adrian Peterson, and, ultimately, got a treat of a field goal out of the aptly-named Ryan Longwell to sneak a 3 point win.

Texans over Jags: No tricks here, only another treat of a day from Arian Foster.

Giants over Dolphins: The Dolphins almost tricked the Giants into a trap game, but ultimately, the Giants pulled out a win. No treats here - sooner or later (probably sooner) Tony Sparano is going to be fired.

Rams over Saints: Raise your hand if you picked this one. (crickets) The Rams treated their fans to a fantastic end to a fantastic week. Not only did the Rams get their first win, it was over the mighty Saints not some sad-sack team like the Colts. It's a great week to be a sports fan in the S-T-L.

Titans over Colts: I wonder if the Colts are being tricky to Suck for Luck? It's a treat to see the AFC South up for grabs this year.

Bills over Redskins: OMG, someone needs to talk Redskins fans down off the ledge. The Bills are a treat this year, as was Ryan Fitzpatrick's contract extension, and they sure tricked Mike and Kyle Shanahan, shut out for the first time EVER. Guess "The System" isn't looking so tricky these days, is it, Shanny?

Lions over Broncos: Told you the Lions would pull it back together! Tim Tebow might not be quite the treat Broncos think he is, but the Lions D had a treat or two of their own ready to go, registering seven sacks.

Steelers over Pats: The Steelers, who looked pretty soft early on, seem to be returning to their usual tricky form. It was a real treat to watch them frustrate Tom Brady all afternoon. And that tricky Troy Polamalu managed a real treat of a play in punching the Brady fumble into the endzone for a safety.

Bengals over Seahawks: Andy Dalton looks a treat in Cincy, and the Seahawks...well, people in Seattle should wish this is a trick. Congratulations to Marvin Lewis, now the winningest coach in Bengals history

49ers over Browns:  Was Alex Smith just tricking us all this time, or did he just need Jim Harbaugh to treat us to some good play? Of course, Frank Gore's treat of 134 yards and a TD didn't hurt.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 30, 2011

It's COWBOYS week, y'all. OK, maybe it doesn't have quite the same zing as it used to - our Eagles are used to winning and to dominating the NFC East, and it's been a long time since the Cowboys have been good, but hey - they did knock our boys out of the playoffs in 2009. Which, by the way, is the only playoff game they've won since 1996. HA!

Anyway, it's a prime time matchup, which is awesome other than the whole getting up Monday morning thing.

It will be a full day of football as usual, of course, with the following up for the early games:

1 pm: likely Dolphins/Giants, and wow, the 1 pm games are likely to suck

4 pm: Redskins/Bills (I'll be ducking out for a dance practice, but Chef Spouse is around for the duration)

For the menu, Chef Spouse is thinking fresh pasta, since we have a bunch of winter squash from the CSA to cook down anyway. If I get my act together, I'll make us some baguettes, too, and we'll probably have salad. Bring something to go with.

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2011 Week 8 Picks

The Cowboys are coming to town!

OK, I know - the rivalry is not what it once was. The Eagles have mostly owned the NFC East for the past 10+ years, and the Cowboys have one precisely one playoff game since 1996. Yes, that win knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs in the first round for the first time under Andy Reid in 2009 and thank you for bringing up such a painful memory.

Anyway, at this point the Eagles are seriously shaky. Then again, so are the Cowboys. Actually, I'm starting to think the entire league is shaky, other than maybe the Packers and the Pats. The Cowboys never know which Tony Romo they're getting from one week to the next - hell, from one play to the next. Then again, Eagles fans have NO idea what team is going to show up from one quarter to the next. The team that puts up points with ease or the team that can't find the endzone with both hands, a map, a flashlight, a GPS, and a sherpa? The team that relentlessly pressures the QB and stuffs the run, or the team that lets themselves get gashed for yards practically every play, on the ground and in the air? I swear, the team is schizophrenic so far this year, and they're going to make their fans (aka "us") completely nuts if they don't cut this shit out.

On the other hand, even at 2-4, the Eagles are far from out of it in the NFC East. And although Andy has trouble closing, he definitely has a track record of getting the team to step up at critical times. Like now. When they need to win, a LOT, to stay in consideration for a post-season.

In the end, I have to go with the fact that Andy Reid owns the game after the bye week and pick the Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups:

Saints at Rams: Saints. This is your official freebie pick of the week.

Jaguars at Texans: Texans. I think. After watching the Jags dismantle the Ravens last week...yeah, but both teams were incredibly sloppy, only the Jags were slightly less so. And Arian Foster! OK, I'm sure. Texans.

Dolphins at Giants: Giants. OK, you get two freebies this week.

Cardinals at Ravens: Even after that mess on Monday Night Football - as one of my friends called it on Facebook: "unwatchable" - I don't see the Ravens dropping a home game to the Cards. No way. Ravens.

Colts at Titans: Titans. Hm, OK, THREE freebie picks.

Vikings at Panthers: This is an interesting matchup with two high draft pick rookie QBs facing off, but I have to go with experience (relatively speaking) and pick Cam and his Panthers.

Lions at Broncos: The Lions will get back on track this week. Or at least they better, because the NFC North is tough this year, and if they drop too many more games, they'll be out.

Redskins at Bills: Bills. And I'm not just picking against the Redskins because they're in my division. The Bills are actually pretty damn good this year. The Redskins, in what's become a continuing theme for them, are not.

Bengals at Seahawks: Bengals. Did you realize that the Bengals are 4-2? OK, they haven't exactly been playing the Packers, Saints, and Pats every week, but still. Guess they aren't missing Carson Palmer too much. Wonder if the Raiders can get a refund?

Pats at Steelers: This should be a helluva good game. I don't know if the Steelers can shut down the Pats high powered offense, and I also don't think they can keep up in a shoot-out. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. Pats.

Browns at 49ers: 49ers. Jim Harbaugh is working the Harbaugh magic out there in Frisco, I'm telling you!

Chargers at Chiefs: Chargers. Oy. Am I really picking the team that lost to the Jets over the team that beat the Raiders? I guess so. I hope Philip Rivers took some time to get his head straight this week.

On bye: Bears, Buccaneers, Falcons, Jets, Packers, Raiders

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2011 Week 7 Recap

Mini-recaps this week, since I was busy cooking and didn't follow the games too closely.

Panthers over Redskins: The deal with Mike Shanahan is supposed to be that he has this system, and as long as you follow The System, the particular players don't really matter. After all, he's won all those Super Bowls, right? So he must know? I'm just spit balling here, but I'm thinking that John Elway had something to do with it. Just theorizing, but maybe they won all those Super Bowls BECAUSE of John Elway and IN SPITE OF the Shanahan system. And John Beck is no John Elway.

Browns over Seahawks: SNOOZE. 6-3, and that was with two field goals blocked. You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad has a tradition of taking a Sunday afternoon nap, and I'm betting that even the people who were AT THE STADIUM were asleep by the second half.

Falcons over Lions: Oh Lions, don't crap out on me already! It's not even November! At least Stafford is still vertical. Sort of.

Broncos over Dolphins: Giving up 15 points in about two minutes? The Fins deserved to lose. I'd guess that Tony Sparano would be fired during the bye week, but that ship has already sailed this season for the Fins. Has a head coach ever been fired without benefit of a bye week to bring someone else in? We could see history this year.

Jets over Chargers: Another end of game collapse! And I thought for sure the Chargers would get over the East Coast thing this week. Also, the Jets still have (at least) nine games to go this season. Little tip from me to their opponents? Double Plax in the end zone. Long time Eagles fan here. Trust me on this one.

Bears over Bucs: Just when I start thinking the Buccaneers might be getting something going (see last week and the win over the Saints), they blow it. This is what parity looks like.

Texans over Titans: So, apparently, Arian Foster's feeling a little better. You know, just a little. To the tune of 234 yards. Yowza.

Steelers over Cardinals: Duh.

Chiefs over Raiders: Last night on Football Night in America, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison were debating who there is to like in the AFC West. They couldn't figure it out, and neither can I. The Chargers fall apart to the Jets. The Raiders stink it up against the Chiefs. Who are now 3-3. Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer were Bad and Worse. Broncos? Yeah, not Broncos. What a mess. Who knew Jason Campbell was so critical?

Cowboys over Rams: Again with the duh.

Packers over Vikings: The only surprise was that the game was as close as it was. Guess the Pack can't totally dominate every single team every single week. I'm smelling a repeat.

Saints over Colts: Speaking of total domination...Chef Spouse has recently been making the argument that Peyton Manning should win MVP again this year. If we're judging by the player whose team can't live without him, Chef Spouse has a point. Boardwalk Empire was really great last night, by the way. The first season was a little slow - they were clearly setting up characters and story lines - but this season has been outstanding. I really love the Richard Harrow character and hope that something nice happens for him. I also love Margaret Schroeder. I think if Nucky can just see it, she could be a tremendous genuine partner for him. Why I am writing about this? Because I quit watching at halftime in favor of Boardwalk Empire. It was that pathetic. I seriously don't know why Jim Caldwell still has a job.

Oh - and Food Lab: Corn Tortillas was great. You can check the blog later this evening to read all about it.

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2011 Week 7 Picks

The Eagles are on bye this week, but with the Cowboys coming up on Sunday Night Football next week, they better not be resting on their laurels - or anything else - after the hopefully season-saving win over the Redskins last week. The defense still needs work, the offense still needs to learn how to score points in more than two quarters per game, and I won't feel fully comfortable about special teams until Alex Henery kicks at least one game winner from 40+. Short version: there's a lot of work to be done.

Anyway, other teams are still playing this week, and here's who I think is going to win:

Chargers at Jets: I know the Chargers have had trouble coming east historically and the weather's starting to turn chilly and all that, but they're a MUCH better team than the Jets, at least so far this year. This game shouldn't be a problem for them. Chargers.

Seahawks at Browns: Don't let that win over the Giants fool you - the Seahawks are still not very good. The Browns aren't great, either, but I think they'll get this one by virtue of home field.

Falcons at Lions: Lions. Yep, you read that right. Have I mentioned lately that I'm totally on their bandwagon? Hell, at this point, I'm riding shotgun.

Bears v. Buccaneers: I think these London games are idiotic. There's this thing? Called TV? And people in the UK have it, too? So if they're really interested in American football, they can, you know, WATCH it? Without sending teams the whole way across the Atlantic. Oy. Also, Bucs.

Broncos at Dolphins: aka, Bad at Worse. Avert your eyes. Dolphins. Which, if I'm right, will put the Colts up (down?) by one game in the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes.

Redskins at Panthers: Regardless of which QB starts for the Redskins, this should be a blow out in their favor. Notice I said "should be." If it's not, forget calling for Rex Grossman's head - Redskins fans will be calling for Shanny's head. Which is exactly what's going to happen. Panthers.

Texans at Titans: Texans. Another bandwagon where I'm riding shotgun.

Steelers at Cardinals: Will Kevin Kolb ever pull it together? Well, not this week. Steelers.

Chiefs at Raiders: Even without Jason Campbell, I think the Raiders will be able to stretch the Al Davis Memorial Winning Streak to 3. Hope Carson Palmer's happy now. At least he gets his first start with his new team facing an opponent many college and even some high school teams could probably whup.

Packers at Vikings: Man, the Vikes just cannot catch a break. Oh right, they play in the NFC North. Sorry Christian Ponder, but your first pro start is going to be a disaster. Hand off to Adrian Peterson and hold on to your knickers. Packers.

Rams at Cowboys:  Even if Tony Romo melts down again and/or Jason Garrett doesn't trust him to do anything right, it shouldn't matter. The Rams are a hot mess, and there's enough film on AJ Feeley that they won't even get the "surprise QB" bump some teams occasionally get to enjoy. Cowboys.

Colts at Saints: Coach Payton should be back on the sideline (or at least the press box) in his cast/brace, but it won't matter - even I could coach the Saints to a win over the Colts at this point. Saints.

Ravens at Jaguars: I don't read The Onion much anymore, but I do follow them on Twitter. They tweeted something really funny recently to the effect that the sole message on the Jags fan board was from this guy looking for directions to the stadium. That pretty much sums it up. Ravens.

Joining the Eagles on bye: 49ers, Bengals, Bills, Giants, Patriots

Also, this is the ONLY place to get my picks this week. Some commenters on my syndication sites were kind of being jerks, and I do this for fun, so if it's not fun...well, you do the math. You guys, my loyal readers, are special. XOXOX.

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Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 23, 2011

We're closed again this week, because we're taking advantage of the bye week to do a long-delayed Food Lab. We'll return next week for the big Eagles/Cowboys matchup on Sunday Night Football on October 30 (costumes encouraged).

In the meantime, here's what we'll be watching while we're labbing:

1 pm: Redskins at Panthers

4 pm: Rams at Cowboys

(Both games are likely to be blowouts in favor of the NFC East team, but gotta keep an eye on the division regardless.)

SNF: Colts at Saints (hm - or maybe we'll just watch Boardwalk Empire in real time)

MNF: Ravens at Jaguars (seriously, even in the offseason, who thought that would be an interesting game?)

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2011 Week 6 Recap

Eagles at Redskins, Sunday, October 16, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, Chef Spouse - small group, thank goodness, since we didn't get home from a week in Seattle until after 10 pm Saturday night

Menu: 'cue from Inspire. Sadly, it was not. Inspired. Also sadly, the really good 'cue place in our neighborhood, Kenny's, isn't open on Sundays. And Steelers Transplant still lives in Tampa, which means we don't get his amazing 'cue either. No 'cue - what's a gal to do?

Stud of the week: Kurt Coleman, I'm looking at you! Kurt had a huge day, particularly given the fact that he wasn't even a starter until, I think, this week, replacing the truly awful Jarrad Page. Kurt hauled in three of Sexy Rexy's four picks, batted down some additional passes, and was in on about a million tackles. Way to ensure that starting position STAYS yours. Gotta give a shout-out to Brent Celek, too. Nice circus catch, buddy.

First, I have to get one thing off my chest:

WHY CAN'T THE EAGLES PLAY FOUR FREAKIN' QUARTERS OF COMPLETE FOOTBALL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL?

Sigh.

A win's a win, and the Eagles desperately needed this one, but the fact that the offense scored all their points before the half and almost let the Redskins and their backup (new starting?) QB John Beck back in does not make me happy.

You know how, for the past four weeks, it's felt like the Eagles couldn't catch a break no matter what? Every batted pass resulted in a pick, guys who normally protect the rock gave it up, if the first level of the D missed a tackle there was NO ONE to clean it up, even the kicker was missing short field goals?

I guess someone paid a curandera to come smudge the locker room with sage or something, because damn, did the team's luck turn.

Of course, it also helped that Rex Grossman remembered that he's, well, Rex Grossman. You aren't going to turn the ball over that much and still win. Trust me - after the last four weeks, I know. Oh God, do I know.

Other things that helped:

The defense showed up ready to ball. I called the Skins to win this game in part because I wasn't seeing much in the way of results from all the defensive tweaking. I figured the team needed the two weeks of the upcoming bye in order to, oh, I don't know, scrap the entire defensive coaching staff and scheme and start over. Silly me. I still don't think Juan Castillo is going to work out long term as the DC, but at least the players seem to have remembered how to tackle and get to the ball and stop drives in the red zone and get the hell off the field on 3rd down. Maybe they were all threatened with being traded to the Rams. Whatever it was, it worked.

Shady McCoy had another huge game. Mike Shanahan's right: he IS the best back in the NFL.

Brent Celek remembered how to play football (see above).

Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant remembered how to HOLD ON TO THE BALL.

To quote Bleeding Green Nation, Nnamdi Asomugha channeled Sheldon Brown, laid the wood we're used to seeing from a midnight green #24, and broke Chris Cooley's hand in the process. Not that I'm ever happy about injuries, but Cooley does run his mouth. A lot. A LOT.

The coaches actually planned the game relatively well. Yes, we all know Andy Reid is addicted to the big play. But this week, he must've been wearing some kind of patch or chewing some special gum, because he and Marty dialed up running plays and short drops with quick passes to keep Mike Vick from getting killed. And thank goodness, because Vince Young did not impress with his two plays from scrimmage.  (Oh, and by the way? Andy was right to challenge that spot at the end of the game, and the zebras were BLIND in calling Shady short. BLIND.) And they didn't get cute in the red zone, and look what happened: two TDs and two field goals.

Mike Vick didn't have a huge day, and you know what? That's fine by me. Last year's MNF show aside, if he throws for a jillion yards, it generally means that the Eagles are in BIG trouble.

A lot of the DC sports press today has been all about, "if only a few plays had gone the other way..." Yeah, tell me about it. In case you haven't noticed, the Eagles weren't blown out once in those four losses. So I feel you, Redskins fans, I do, but I'm glad YOU'RE the ones wailing about "if only!" this Monday.

In the end, the guys finally played like they cared. And, at least yesterday, that was enough.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Falcons over Panthers: Did you see Cam Newton bust out the Deion Sanders TD dance? Funny stuff. What's not funny is being 1-5 (so glad the Eagles are not in that camp today).

Bengals over Colts: How many ways are there to say, "The Colts suck without Peyton Manning"? Because I'd got 11 more weeks to go and I'm already running low on alternatives.

49ers over the Lions: OK, the Lions are for real, as I've been pointing out for the last five weeks. Apparently, the 49ers are, too. I've heard the 49ers are also really, really grateful for David Akers. You're welcome, and you can send the gifts of high-end small batch and single barrel bourbons to me. I'll be sure Howie Roseman gets them, I swear. Also, throw down between the coaches? LOVE!

Packers over Rams: Well, sure. Sam Bradford is hurt and AJ Feeley's their new starting QB. Spags, Feeley - it's like old home week.

Giants over Bills: Really, Bills? Really? After last week, you couldn't take care of the Giants for us? Thanks for nothing. My only hope is that none of the NFC East teams can play at all consistently this year, and the Giants ALWAYS fall apart in December.

Steelers over Jaguars: I'm pretty sure the Steelers should be really worried that they only beat the Jags by 4. They should also be really worried that Troy Polamalu might have a concussion.

Ravens over Texans: The Ravens are also for real. You know, just in case you weren't sure.

Raiders over Browns: Poor Jason Campbell just can't catch a break. He finally gets a little stability and starts winning some games, and the next thing you know: broken collarbone, Heal up quick, Jason. The West is wide open. Also, nice win on the day the team was honoring Al Davis. Who was a nut job, make no mistake, but also highly influential, both for the Raiders and the entire NFL.

Patriots over Cowboys: Pop quiz: you give the ball back to Tom Brady, Pats down by 3, with just over two minutes left. What do YOU think is going to happen, dumb ass? Sloppy game on both sides, but how does that game turn out any other way than it did? Seriously?

Buccaneers over Saints: The worst injury of the day was to Sean Payton, who took a major hit to the knee from one of his own players on the sidelines and couldn't even finish coaching the game (I think he had surgery today). Well, that and the injury to the Saints' pride in losing to the Bucs.

Bears over Vikings: First of all, say it with me, "Do NOT kick to Devin Hester. EVER." Jeez, people, get with the program! And McNabb got benched for Christian Ponder. Given the fact that his receivers dropped EVERYTHING, including passes that hit them between the numbers and on the hands, and the fact that the Vikings' O-line is TERRIBLE, I don't think that ass-whuppin' was Big 5's fault. I also think this might be the end of the line for him. NFL Network calling?

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