December 9th: Scottie Pippen's jersey was retired and sent to the rafters during halftime of the Bulls/Lakers game. I watched the ceremony online the following day... kudos to Doug Collins for well-done videotaped congrats. Thumbs down to Phil "I remember the migraines against Detroit" Jackson and Michael "Scottie always had my back" Jordan for their sloppy live efforts, but it was cool that everyone showed up.

December 11th: I missed the Eagles game but it sounds like they gave the Giants all they could handle. In other NFL action, the Bengals' lackluster performance against the Browns ended my Fantasy Football season. (P.S. Don't Forget - The Eagles took Freddie Mitchell 10 picks before the Bengals took Chad Johnson in the 2001 NFL Draft.) So long FFL 2005, I won't miss you!

December 12th: State Fair Corn Dogs... I'll vouch for that.

December 14th: Goodtime Ice is off to another great start against Upper Echelon in the Blades Of Steel Fantasy Hockey League. Could I have possibly assembled the most dominant fantasy hockey team ever? Furthermore, is there anything less impressive than assembling the most dominant fantasy hockey team ever?

December 15th: Randal's 180 in the final hour of The Apprentice not only jilted Rebecca, but the entire 4th season of the show. Trump wanted to hire them both... since when does Trump not do what Trump wants to do? Oh yeah, that's right, he had good reason... it's The Apprentice, not The Apprenti!

December 16th: Sign me up for The Colbert Report's "The Campaign Against Humbuggery: The War on Holiday". Its time to take a stand, and stop dragging "Holiday" through the mud.

December 17th: Whitey drops 53 points in 40 minutes in our final church league game of 2005. We were shorthanded and had to go with 4 players against 5, but the Energizer bunny just kept plugging away and lighting up the scoreboard. If I would have glanced at that very scoreboard once in awhile, we might have won the game... but that's a different story.

December 18th: Birds Win! Birds Win! Once again I missed the game, but it was nice to hear that the Eagles triumphed in a rematch of the 2001 NFC Championship game. RB Ryan Moats had the highlight run, but you still have to consider that he gained 19 yards total on his 11 other carries. In other NFL news, says here that "Rex Grossman's rescue effort elevated him back to starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears". Hmmm... Rex entered the game with a 6-3 Chicago lead and the Bears won 16-3. Nice work, uhhh, Rex?

Labels: Eagles '05, Pip, tv, vouchers

Oh the Green Bay Coaching Tree!!! The most painful side-effect of last night's horrible loss to the Seahawks wasn't the 3 turnovers returned for touchdowns. It wasn't the fact that the nearly non-existent Eagles playoff hopes were slashed. It wasn't even Koy Detmer's lack of pocket presence.

No, it was the multiple means by which the MNF crew presented the Green Bay Coaching Tree. First they told us about it as an "oh by the way" kind of thing. Then they broke out the '92 staff photo where Dick Jauron is not looking at the camera. (Didn't notice that on the initial shot, don't worry, we'll scale up his headshot and put it in a call-out box.)

The beat goes on... the next step was some game footage from a Packer sideline where Andy Reid assumed responsibility for a Brett Favre mistake. Apparently he made those when he was young. Finally, the graphics team got in on the act by creating an actual family tree style layout of the coaches. If think if you went to www.greenbaypackerscoachingtree.com, that would be the sitemap page.

Anyway, back to the game.

The good: The offensive line seemed to do a pretty good job. Not many great running lanes, but they gave most plays a chance and the Eagles did sustain some drives early.

The bad: Mike McMahon had a tough game, throwing one pick due to a poor, effortless route, and one by staring down his receiver. I thought he got a quick hook though. Koy Detmer just doesn't appear to have a lot going for him at the QB spot. I can't imagine Reid giving Koy the nod next week.

The ugly: Many Philly players seemed to have been exposed last night. WR Greg Lewis was called out by John Madden and didn't really do anything right. RB Ryan Moats didn't break a tackle all night long. The linebackers couldn't cover the TE when the game still mattered, and Jeremiah Trotter made 2 critical end zone mistakes on the Seahawks first score. Heck, even the old punter Sean Landeta looked like he was kicking bricks out there.

By the way, www.greenbaypackerscoachingtree.com is available. Hmmm...

Labels: Eagles '05

One thing's for sure... as bad as things seem for the Philadelphia Eagles, things are a great deal worse for former NFC standout Green Bay Packers. The Pack proved to be just the opponent the Eagles needed to break out of their 4-game losing funk. Once again, Brett Favre got it done during crunchtime, finding Eagles "receivers" twice on the final drive during last Sunday's 19-14 Philadelphia win. (Says here that Favre likes black jersey's too.)

The win makes for an interesting Monday Night Football match-up against the NFC-leading Seattle Seahawks. If the Eagles can find a way to win at home tonight, they would keep their slimmer-than-Pinkston playoff hopes alive. A 6-6 record would mean that the Eagles would be only one game behind many of the top wild card contenders, including Dallas, Minnesota and Atlanta. If these teams, and/or the Giants falter down the stretch, the Birds might still be alive.

After tonight's game, the Eagles face only one more team with a winning record - the Giants. If Philly runs the table and Dallas wins only 2 more games and NY wins only 1 more game, the Eagles would win the NFC East. Unlikely? Probably. But anything can happen.

Remaining schedules after tonight's Eagles/Seahawks matchup...
Eagles: vs. Giants, at Rams, at Cardinals, vs. Redskins
Cowboys: vs. Chiefs, at Redskins, at Panthers, vs. Rams
Giants: at Eagles, vs. Chiefs, at Redskins, at Raiders

Labels: Eagles '05

The Mike McMahon era is officially underway. Unfortunately, ol' #4's offense was complemented as well by the Eagles sporadic, ineffective defense as ol' #5's offense.

The Eagles D opened their week 11 showdown by keeping a potent NY Giants offense in check. But in the second half, while Mike McMahon was getting the Birds offense fired up, the defense allowed the G-Men to score easily and often. Their second half performance was so sour that even Troy Aikman noted how poorly they were playing. Funny the things you notice when Donovan and T.O. aren't on the field.

Looking at the positives:

• Rookie DE Trent Cole has been the Eagles most impressive defender as of late, making up for an otherwise ordinary rookie class.
• WR Billy McMullen is proving that he belongs on the field. He only had one catch for five yards but it was an impressive first down snare that was all hands.
• Mike McMahon played pretty well. Outside of Michael Vick, he is instantly the league's most dangerous running quarterback. Looks like the offense should be able to continue to play well enough to win games.

After losing consecutive games they could have won against division opponents, this flock of Birds clearly isn't of the same caliber as Philly's 2000-2004 teams. The Eagles won't make the playoffs this season and Donovan won't be back on the field in '05. Hopefully, this is just a bump in the road.


For further proof of how hard the Eagles have fallen, first this email from Jim:

Philadelphia (PA) - A seven-year-old boy was at the center of a Philadelphia Pa courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the degree possible.

The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him.

After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Philadelphia Eagles, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

And then there's this link from Mark:

Eagles Cartoon

Labels: Eagles '05

Whaaa?? Nice toss Donovan.

But there's still time to march down and kick a field goal. McMahon throws a floater toward the 20-ish yard line that finds its way into Reggie Brown's hands. And then bounces off Reggie Brown's hands. Rookie!

Looking back, what stands out most was the excruciating 15-20 minute lull in emotion during the 3rd and 4th quarters. It was like the game was over and the teams were using the extra time to just run their stuff. Then with about 5 minutes remaining in the game, with the right string of breaks, the Cowboys realized they might still be in the thing. Turns out they were.

The latest news is that Donovan McNabb could be done for the season. Part of me feels like it would be a shame for ol' number 5 to have that loss hang over his head until next September. But another part of me figures an extended break is just what McNabb needs.

Random Thought on the Media: Notice how Brian Westbrook's signature on a new contract changed him from an underpaid superstar running back to an overpaid glorified 3rd down back?

Labels: Eagles '05

Well, week 9's loss to the Redskins marked a return to normalcy in the football world. The Eagles D gave up 32 points less than the previous week and played an average game. The 500-pound gorilla has finally disappeared from the Eagles offensive lineup and old #5 returned to his jovial self, even smiling and joking after throwing a 4th down interception that sealed the loss.


So that brings us to the following question heading into this week's MNF matchup with the Cowboys: Will the Eagles be able to turn things around and still make the playoffs?

I think the Eagles will have to win 6 of their final 8 games to have a shot, and 7 of their final 8 to ensure a birth. Reid/McNabb-led teams have finished the past 5 seasons on these kinds of streaks, but they started their runs with a great deal less pressure and uncertainty than they face this season. The Eagles were up against similar early season circumstances of pressure and scrutiny in 2003 and turned around a 2-3 start, but the NFC East division was undoubtedly much weaker that season.

Whether or not the Eagles finish on a hot-streak or not is irrelevant to this fan. They rid themselves of an embarassment and will be much more fun to root for in the coming weeks. The season will be entertaining as the beauty of the football games themselves will finally prevail over the three-ring circus.

This article makes a nice final word on the whole T.O. mess. I hope.

Labels: Eagles '05

Do I have to? I mean, how else can a 49-21 blow-out loss be analyzed? The defense has just been awful. Forget trying to make sense of it. Instead, take a closer look at the number 49:

2004: Eagles hang 49 on the Cowboys in week 10
2003: 49ers foil the Birds' possible 11 game season closing winning streak with a week 15 upset
2002: Koy Detmer and AJ Feely provide quality relief in their first effort in replacing an injured Donovan McNabb with a week 12 MNF win over the 49ers
2001: The Eagles needed 1 more point in their week 9 romp over the Vikings to hit the 49 point mark
2000: Pickle juice got us 41 in week 1 vs. Dallas, which turned out to be the season-high in points scored or allowed in one game
1996: The Ty Detmer led Eagles look sluggish in a 14-0 loss to the 49ers in a Wild Card Playoff game
1994: We say hello to Cahlie Garner in a week 4 blowout victory over the 49ers
1993: The Rich Kotite era ends with a 3 point win over the 49ers in week 18
1983: No doubt Jaworski and Quick contributed heavily in the Eagles season opening win over the 49ers
1981: The Eagles are a field goal better than 49 in a week 10 win over division rival St. Louis Cardinals
1972: The last time the Eagles gave up 49 or more points, in a 62-10 week 11 loss to the Giants

Labels: Eagles '05

Coach Reid is now 7-0 in games played following the Eagles bye-week. The 7th wasn't easy...

The Birds snuck by the Chargers yesterday thanks to an improbable special teams play. So improbable in fact that it was the Eagles first blocked field goal to be returned for a touchdown in team history. That's 72 years worth of history.

My immediate reaction was to compare this play to the improbable punt return for a touchdown by Brian Westbrook against the Giants 2 seasons ago. That return came with the sputtering Eagles down 10-7 with under 1 minute remaining in the game. The unexpected early season twist turned the Eagles year around and led them to the NFC championship.

Let's hope this win, lucky number 7, has the same effect on the Birds.

Labels: Eagles '05

I think I've finally rebounded enough to make a post.

Sunday's four o'clock hour was one of the most gut-wrenching sixty minutes ever. The Braves blew a five run lead in the eighth and ninth innings of what turned out to be the longest playoff game ever. They let a guy who barely hits more homeruns than Rafael Belliard tie the thing up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Then, after about nine innings of painful, non-clutch baseball, another Belliard-like Houston batsman ended the game with a solo shot.

While all of this nonsense was going on, the Eagles superb defense was getting torched by a couple of old Patriots, Drew Bledsoe and Terry Glenn. First of all, a sitting duck QB like Bledsoe is exactly the type of passer the Eagles defense usually preys on. And secondly, Glenn shouldn't have been a problem since coordinator Jim Johnson was focusing on him as the most likely threat on the Cowboys offense. Well, so much for all of that. Bledsoe had all day to throw the ball and the Eagles defensive back "Lockdown Lito" Sheppard struggled to keep up with Glenn early in man coverage. A blowout ensued.

The way I see it, the defense should be the constant with the Birds, so I pin this one entirely on them. The offense is going to go through peaks and valleys through the course of just about every game. #5's bunch ranks highly in both yards per game, as well as three and outs. The key is having the defense show up and provide routine stops to allow the offense to find its groove.

And the Aikman quote of the game (a paraphrase in my memory at this point)...

"The Eagles are really struggling on both sides of the ball and on defense."

I don't know, something like that. Everything sounded stupid during that four o'clock hour.

Labels: Eagles '05

Despite Troy Aikman's numerous replays of missed opportunities for "wide open" touchdowns, the Eagles were able to muster 24 consecutive points during an exciting comeback victory over the Chiefs. Seriously Aikman, I've never seen so many "if Donovan McNabb would've been looking down the field, the Eagles would have had a sure touchdown" replays in my life.

Anyway, the defense locked things down after a poor first quarter and gave the offense time to get into a groove. A few timely turnovers really helped the Birds comeback happen pretty easily. The Larry Johnson fumble was the biggest play of the game - it seemed like the Chiefs offense self-destructed following that letdown.

So here we are - 25% of the way through the season meaning the Eagles are on pace to win 12 games. They're going to have to pick it up a bit, because 12 victories doesn't guarantee you a division title. Since 1990, 10 teams have finished in 2nd place in their division with 12 wins. But did you know, the first team to win 12 games and not win their division was the 1980 Dallas Cowboys? They finished 2nd to the Super Bowl bound Eagles. That stat's for you, Aikman!

Labels: Eagles '05

Its strange to think that the storyline of a potentially significant injury to Donovan McNabb would take a back seat to a kicker's pulled hammy, but most of my thoughts on the Eagles week 3 win over the Raiders focus on David Akers. Why would they send him out there this week after what happened last week? Why not just make him sit out a few games and have him back healthy possibly following the bye week? Instead, he was out there to open the game, only to tweak his injury on the (official) opening kick-off. Field goal and PAT options became limited. Kick-offs were short. Still, the fact that Akers hobbled out there to kick the game-winner was an exciting conclusion to a game that was closer than it had to be.

Labels: Eagles '05

There wasn't much reason to be concerned about the Eagles after their week 1 loss, and likewise there isn't much reason to be excited about the Eagles in their week 2 win. Donovan played pitch and catch with T.O. and the guys all game long against San Fran's "B Team". Strange that they'd bench their good players against the defending NFC champs, but hey, Mike Nolan's in charge.

Anyway, the highlight was definitely backup linebacker Mark Simoneau's (mispronounced badly by Terry Bradshaw during the halftime highlights) extra point kick. Right down the middle. Eagle fans have never been so excited about something Mark Simoneau has done on the field. Well, we did kind of like it when he gave Hugh Douglas his old number back last season.

So this week's game is against the Raiders (1:00, CBS). We'll get to see who's clown is the clowniest! As long as ol' number 5 is on target, the Birds should be in good shape.

Labels: Eagles '05

I might as well weigh-in on the Eagles first game of the season...

As Ric Flair says, "to be the man, you gotta beat the man."

Someone please tell Jim Mora, Jr. and his Falcons team and fans that in the NFL, that really applies only in the postseason. If you're a contending NFL team, one that made it to your conference's finals a season ago, playing on your home turf and pull out a 4 point victory in September, do you seriously run around and go crazy like you just won the Super Bowl?

As for those 10 point scoring Eagles, I really feel that the loss rests on Donovan's shoulders (and bruised sternum). He was inaccurate, throwing high, most of the night. Also, his reluctance to tuck the ball and run was obvious - he probably left a few first downs on the field by not taking off. I think if Donovan completes a few of those wild passes and scrambles a bit more, the Eagles offense could have mustered another 10 or so points.

The skirmish before the game generated some excitement. The Eagles defense seemed to take a hit when it was announced that Jeremiah Trotter was ejected from the game well before it began. Well, this stellar D held up pretty well by forcing turnovers and applying pressure on Michael Pick, I mean Vick. Their run defense was probably a little more inconsistent without Trotter, but allowing 14 points has to be considered a success.

In the end, an early loss will just make the next few weeks a bit more entertaining in that there is a little more uncertainty hanging over the Eagles. They are the only team in their division who lost in week 1, so there could actually be an NFC East race for a month or so.

Labels: Eagles '05