Philly Can't Even Hold on to Wingbowl!

Earlier today - in a mirroring of the football times - a 99-lb Virginian female, Sonya Thomas, stole away this year's Wing Title from Philly's local El Wingador (Great Coverage on Philly.com). Not only do Philly fans have to deal with the Eagle loss, but now they've gotta set their hearts on taking back this prized posession next year. Angelo has clearly demonstrated that he's no true Philly fan in recruiting all these outsiders with the express purpose of dethroning four-peat champion, El Wingador.... all at the same time he was trying to get back on the Eagle wagon that he jumped off of back in September.

Why doesn't AR ever sign up for Wing Bowl?

A Still Depressed and Down,
Big Daddy B

A Pair of Weekend Wins

The Flyers played back to back games this weekend and pulled out a pair of wins, giving them five wins in their last six. On Saturdays the boys faced off against the Buffallo Sabers, and won with a score of 2-1. Both goals were scored by the All-Star bound Jeremy Roenick including one that came off a gorgeous pass from Mark Recchi.

On Sunday the boys faced the rapidly sinking Washington Capitals. The Caps are currently in the midst of an everything must go fire sale in efforts to cut their payroll in half. Rumours are that Gonchar, Lang, Bondra, and Kolzig are all priced to move. Rumours also have it that there were some talks of some of those players becoming Flyers but those talk broke down when the Caps kept trying to push the way-overpriced Jagr on us. The battered Caps and their backup goalie, Rastislav Stana, were no match for the Flyers 'Zues line. Zues' line with Recchi and LeClair scored a point or more off of all four goals. The Zuesman, who name has been cirrculating in the trade rumour mill, had a goal and an asist. Each of his winger had a goal and three assists. That means a total of ten points for that line. So to those of you saying that Zues is on the trade block, forget it! Zues is a clutch player, while he may not score the most goals, he does score KEY goals!

Lindros Still Scared

The official word was that the Big E was suffering from a bout with the Flu, but here in Philly we all know the truth. He scared of his former team. He thinks that Clark still has a reward out for whomever can give him his eight career concussion. Eric Lindros' absence gave Hitch the chance to move Primeau from a checking role with Brashear to more of a scoring role with Kapinen and Gagne the result was a 4-2 win for the flyers. The Captain got two assists making it his first multi-pint game of the year. And his wingers, Gange and Kapinen, each got a goal. Mark Recchi and John LeClair each got a goal. Robert Esche played well and seems to be fine as our starting goalie, however the rumor mill keep running. The latest round of rumors feature names like Gonchar and Kolzig. We'll see the trade deadline is still a while away.

The game was costly to the Rangers. A team who is already decimated with injuries now lost their starting goaltender after LeClair collided with him late in the second period. Dunham finished the second period but did not return for the third. ESPN Recap.

T.O., yes or no?

In yesterday's Inquirer, Steve Smith reported some quotes by Terrell Owens:

"I'd definitely love to come to Philly," Owens told me yesterday. "Those guys have gotten to the NFC championship game three years in a row. Absolutely no disrespect to the players they have, but there's something out there they need to get them over the hump. I definitely believe I'm that missing piece."

Of course this is Owens trying to boost his asking price as he plays one team off the other. Smith appears oblivious to this ploy though.

I think the Eagles will actually make an offer to Owens but not with any seriousness but merely to dupe the fans and placate their anger. Eagles fans are getting desperate. They can't stand players with attitudes like Owens but after watching another execrable performance by Thrash and Pinkston they're willing to overlook this. A more realistic receiver to go after though is the Seahawks' Darrell Jackson. He's 25, Owens turned 30 in December, supposedly he's tough, and most important to the Eagles, he'll be cheaper. Either way, the Eagles must do something at this position. It's actually gotten worse, not better.

Paul Domowitch has a laundry list of other things the Eagles need to do as well.

Flyers Acquire Timander, Blueshirts Are Coming, And Chris Wants A Rematch

Now that half of the Flyers defensemen are sidelinded with injuries, they made another move to get a defensive bandage. Bobby traded a seventh-round pick in the 2004 draft for the 29-year-old Timander who has 12 goals and 53 assists in 385 career games. Flyers acquire Timander.

Tonight the Flyers will face off with their arch nemesis Eric Lindros and the New York Rangers in a rare nationally televised game on ESPN! ESPN is advertising new technologies for this game including a slew of new cameras, a referee helmet cam and microphones on the refs. Now we'll be able to actually hear the refs not make a call. Flyers Rangers Preview.

Flyers super fan Christopher Falcone wants a rematch with Tie Domi. This role model for Philly fans everywhere says he wants to settle his lawsuit in a mano-a-mano duel with Tie Domi for charity. Flyers fans everywhere will never forget the day that Tie Domi squirted one of our own with a water bottle. Maybe that's acceptable behavior in Toronto but that's a no-no in the City of Brotherly Love. Now, I'm no lawyer but I think Chris might fair better in the courtroom than a boxing ring, but if Chris can get Tie to agree than I'd be happy to pay money to see that! Although I don't think I should hold my breath:

"He can have a charity boxing match by himself," Domi said. "I'm not interested."

Not interested or scared?Rematch

Flyers lose

Flyers lost in two ways last night, on the scoreboard and in their defensive ranks, again. Vandermeer, AHL leader in penalty minutes, separated his shoulder in the first period on the same day the Flyers completed an emergency trade to get a defenseman to replace all the other injured ones. On the ice the Flyers were outplayed and looked bad and basically erased the memories of beating Toronto last weekend and instead revitalized the memories of the weeks before. Gave up a couple more power play goals too by leaving Zednik alone for shots at empty nets. Gagne scored a shut out ending goal with a minute left for whatever that's worth.

Flyers Trade Williams for Markov

After losing three defensemen to injuries in one week, Bobby Clarke decided to move young forward Justin Williams to the Carolina Hurricanes in favor of defenseman Danny Markov. Markov will certainly fill the void left by Desjardin, and with the return of Claude LaPointe and the recent acquisition of Mike Comrie, Clarke felt that Williams was expendable. It's a shame to see Williams go, but Markov will be a big help. Clark's own words:

"Markov is a top four defenseman and with our injuries on defense, we needed to get another defenseman," ... "The only way that we were able to do that was to give up a good player. We think it is a deal that will help us. We didn't want to give up Justin, but we just didn't have any choice."

NHL.com Article.

Flyers Sweep Toronto in Home at Home Series

Maybe it was the return of Captain Keith Primeau or maybe it was the stellar goaltending of Robert Esche, but the Flyers managed to regain control of their team and end a six game loosing streak. Primeau wasted no time scoring 3:25 into the game. He would be followed by goals from Amonte and Sharp. After the three quick goals (only 11:25 into the game) Steady Eddie would get pulled in favor of Trevor Kidd. Later on in the game Kidd would let up a goal to John LeClair but the spotlight was clearly on Robert Esche who blocked everything except for one nice goal by Joe Nieuwendyk.

On to Round Two: In the second game Esche took his play up one notch and earned himself a shut out on 34 shots. The scoring opened with a rare goal from bruiser Todd Fedoruk. In the second period Handzus would get a pair of goals and Roenick would also tally one for the team. Roenick fresh off a one game suspension played like a man possessed. Philadelphia is now a perfect 3-0 against the Maple Leafs this season, outscoring them by a total of 15-2 in the process.

The good news is the team is tied with Toronto for the top spot in the East. The even better news is that a solid 2 game performance from Esche may be enough to solidify his spot as a starting goaltender. The bad news is the second game cost us a veteran defenseman as Eric Desjardin will be out for eight weeks with a broken forearm, this coming right after loosing rookie D-man Dennis Sidenberg to broken leg on tuesday.

Next game tuesday night Montreal Canadiens, look for John LeClair to score a hat trick.

Another Opportunity in the Tank

Not sure how anyone can sit down and invest another minute into yet another season that ends like that. Kinda brings me back 15 yrs, as the Flyers had my heart and took a dagger to it rather ruthlessly, leaving very little left. If the 2001 Eagles' season was somewhat parallel to the Flyers valiant loss to the Oilers in 86-87, last year like the first round 85-86 loss to the Rangers, then this year is a bit like watching Dale Hunter end it all. It hurts most, because the Eagles just plain old beat themselves. Maybe these next few minutes will be somewhat therapeutic for the writer.

Here are a few reflections on yesterday's debacle:

• The Eagles' offensive performance nicely integrated a running attack into the game plan. However, four turnovers, all interceptions (and TWO IN THE RED ZONE) enabled by our receivers, who also managed to drop close to ten balls, and an overall -4 in the turnover department can't win a playoff game for any team. For once, the Eagles' statistics matched up fairly well against the opponent; yet, this time we lost, because of that one gaping shortcoming in ball protection. I would've never expected that.
• The Eagles' defense came up stronger than I thought against the Panthers total running and passing offense. However, mistakes really got the better of the Eagles' defense, who normally cough up total yards but make key stops. Dawkins' (and BT's) complete misplay of the Delwhom TD pass stands out most, since the multiple non tackles on Foster's TD run were committed on first down and goal. Stop one of those touchdowns and it was a one score, less desperate game.
• The non-call against the Panthers for Favors' completely avoidable seconds late driving of McNabb into the ground was ridiculous. Even if he was not down yet and it wasn't late, there was no need for a defensive player to hit the quarterback on the ground rather than touch him. While Freddie can claim we don't need fate, because we have #5... when Five isn't on the field, fate was the only thing that could have saved us. To allow an action that changes the entire game for the Eagles go completely unchecked is pathetic.
• Is Freddie our best receiver? He certainly has arguably the best hands on the team and catches some nice ones. Thrash should be dropped or demoted to only kick returns, although I'll still retain hope that Pinkston's late season improvement is more indicative of his abilities.
• Lastly, although this is not a season to really rip McNabb, he's gotta spend some time learning how to recognize and read a blitz. Teams that have blitzed the Eagles have successfully sacked McNabb AND shut him down. This problem needs to be addressed across the team, starting at the QB position.

Now was that therapeutic? No, not at all. At the very least, Philly fans, the blog will continue forward with that ever pressing question: Will we ever win? For, the clock is certainly rolling backwards, despite the Flyers' weekend home and home sweep of the Leafs. When will we ever win? I don't know.

A Disappointed and Broken-Hearted Big Daddy B

Eagles-Carolina Preview

This weekend's NFC Championship game carries with it an odd mix of excitement and vanilla-ness. Whether it is because the Eagles have been here for now the third year in a row or the Panthers are not an historical rival of the Eagles (with only three non-playoff games ever played between the two, dating back to 1996), it just is not something that's worth a lot of pre-game hype. Clearly, Eagles fans are fired up and ready to get on with the show (geez, how long is it until gametime, late Sunday?), but the opponent hardly adds fuel to the fire, so to speak. To the fan, the Panthers are just another team on the field that the Eagles have to beat to move on - they're somewhat accidental to the situation.

Nevertheless, the players and coaches are gameplanning around the Carolina team, looking for a winning strategy that hopefully does not include 4th and 26. Despite the dullness of the matchup, Carolina must be respected. Even with the likely absence of Stephen Davis, the Carolina running game of backup DeShaun Foster must be respected. He will post a 100+ yard game against the weak Eagles run defense (while Reese and Simoneau are sure to get man-handled again, I sure hope M. Lewis rebounds from a pretty poor game Sunday... he's my boy!). However, Foster's presence means better red zone performance for the Eagles defense against an already weak red zone offense of the Panthers. In fact, this stat will be a significant factor when it is bolstered by a Foster drive-haulting fumble (or two?).

The Eagles must also establish a backfield running game of their own this weekend. The Panthers defense is faster than the Packers and will do a much better job of containing McNabb (they may even spy him). And, if we don't get a respectable run game going early it is going to be hard to expose the iffy Panther secondary. The Panthers will then blitz often and give McNabb less time to find an open reciever (we all know the Eagles receivers had a hard time in man coverage getting open last week with lots of pass protection).

The biggest factor for the Eagles will be the performance of their offensive line. Although they gave up 8 sacks last week, they played very well against a large and physical Packer line. In the first three quarters they picked up most of the blitzes and McNabb had 4-5 seconds to throw the ball away on most plays (all three of his sacks were avoidable in those first three quarters). Trouble came later in the game (5 4Q/OT sacks) after the line tired and the Packers started blitzing more frequently. McNabb will have to read some of these blitzes better (audible a screen?) against an even better and better coached defensive line of the Panthers. [On the opposite side of the ball, I expect JJ to pressure and be aggressive against newbie Delwhom?]

Don't fear this one Eagles fans. This team is not star-shocked to be here this year and they aren't over-confident. There are also some key free agent players, who know this could very well be their last game in green in the city of Philadelphia. And with the entire team aware that they may never get another opportunity like this one, expect Reid to have them well ready to win. McNabb will play more consistently and the Eagles will by halftime control the tempo (but not the clock) of a close game that they then command at the end of the game.

Fly Eagles Fly!
Big Daddy B

Roenick Suspended for One Game

Jeremey Roenick was suspended for one game for throwing a waterbottle at the Ref the other night. Because he is a "repeat offender" it will cost him a mere $91,463.41! Ouch! I now know why we don't see this more often. It still dosen't compare to when Roger Neilson threw a stick at the ref. Get the full scoop here.

2 Players Ejected in 6-2 Loss in Buffalo

If getting worse before getting better is the common practice, the Philadelphia Flyers are due for a very successful run in the near future.-Sabers.com

The game started off good, Johnson scored 2:43 into the game. However eight seconds later Chris Drury tied the game, on a decent wrist shot. Hackett probably could have stopped the shot had he not been asleep in the net. I watched the replay, he didn't even flinch until the lights and the siren came on. Perhaps he wasn't asleep maybe he was just saving his energy for a more challenging shot. Maybe he was afraid he let up another big rebound so instead I'll just let it go in. Maybe he took one too many pucks to the dome and just can't think any more. Anyway the result was an astonishing 19 saves on 26 shots. Go Hackett! No Really, GO! Get out of town, LEAVE!

The game was 2-2 going into the third period. Early in the third Handzus got called for cross-checking J.P. Dumont. Then immediately afterwards Theiren would get called for spearing. After looking at the replay, all I saw was Theiren going for the puck! But the referee saw enough for a game misconduct. The resulting powerplay would seal the fate of the Flyers.

There was a nice fight early in the game between Fedoruk and Andrew Peters. But the entertainment came from a fight between Roenick and the referee Blain Angus. After taking two sticks to the face Roenick was upset at the obvious non-call. With a bloody mouth Roenick told off Blain Angus and then threw a water bottle at him, earning himself a gross misconduct and an automatic ejection, as well as the respect of fans everywhere. There would be one more fight near the end involving Gagne and Jochen Hecht. History is told by the winners.

Eagles favored, of course

01/18 6:45 PM ET BetWWTS Bet365 Intertops Skybook WSEX Carolina Philadelphia 36.5 -4.5 36 -4 36 -5 36 -4.5 36.5 -4

•Matchup

Flyers Drop Another Stink Bomb

The worst team in the league, The Pittsburgh Penguins (11-25-5-3), beat the Philadelphia Flyers (20-9-10-5) last night. The Flyers managed to score one goal on 34 shots! In the last four games the Flyers have had 5 goals out of 154 shots! That gives their opposing goalies a combined save percentage of .968! Good goaltending or bad shooting? Hitch had this to say:

"We're in a tough state right now. We're not scoring goals, and so you're really on a fine line when you're scoring one goal in your own building."

Even if the rumours are true and we are about to get a different goalie. You still need to score goals to win a game. You also need good special teams. Both Penguins goals came on the power play. You need to score on the power play, the Flyers were 0 for 4! And when you given the golden oppritunity of a five on three (for 1:47) you need to take advantage of it.
The Flyers will get one more chance tonight against the Buffalo Sabers to pull out of their slump, before facing Toronto in a "Playoff Preview" home at home series this Friday and Saturday.

"We have to stick together as a group. We just have to remain close when things go bad,' said Jeremy Roenick. 'When things are south, it's gets really hard to stop the ball from rolling."

As a fan it gets really hard to watch the games too, JR! Maybe you should spend a little less time doing Toyota commercials and a little more time at practice.

Where's the comments?

This site uses BlogSpeak for the comments service. The guy that runs it seems pretty cool and isn't out to get rich. But that being said it is a free service and this is the message currently running on his site:

BlogSpeak is currently down because the bastards that host it decided to suspend my account. I do not know as of yet when this situation will be resolved. If you don't want any JavaScript errors on your pages, take the code off for the time being. Thanks for your patience.

UPDATE: I hooked up Haloscan's comment service for now. When BlogSpeak manages to come back online they'll appear too following articles and I'll retire Haloscan.

Deal for Hasek?

From the Inquirer. The Toronto Sun's site has no search feature otherwise I'd link to their story, but all should know that it is the Weekly World News of hockey trades.

The Toronto Sun reported that the Flyers are actively pursuing another goalie and predicted that injury-plagued Dominik Hasek or Nikolai Khabibulin could be a Flyer by the trade deadline in March. Hasek's groin pull is not healing, which is why he might be available from Detroit. The Tampa Bay Lightning might not be inclined to pay Khabibulin $6.5 million next season. General manager Bob Clarke denied making any inquiries...

Pass Happy Andy & Hot McNabb Return to NFC Championship

Andy Reid continued to show confidence throughout the game in his franchise player, Donovan McNabb. Unlike last big playoff games, where McNabb has not come up so big, Reid's patience paid off and McNabb recovered from a slow start to lead the Birds to victory... a hallmark quality that McNabb has been delivering on this season, as he's a winner.

As the following chart shows, the Eagles offensive balance has been growing more and more imbalanced, since returning to the run against Buffalo.


If you take away McNabb's 11 rushing attempts vs. GRB today (most of which were designed pass plays - what the heck was that late option call?), the latest game is right down there with the Eagles' rutt earlier this year and late last year, where they hardly ran the ball at all - and lost. Should this be a concern for Eagle fans (as it pretty much killed us in last year's NFC Championship game and was a major cause of the team's slow start this year)? Or are we just riding the McNabb train to and through Houston? Clearly, without Westbrook we're stuck with more passing than running, but I'd like to see a bit more running than 20 percent.

Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Big Daddy B

Andy Reid Best for Phily

After watching Martz coach the Rams today, a Philly fan has to count his blessings and be thankful that we have Andy Reid at the helm going into tomorrow's game. Not only does Martz blow the last drive of regulation (where a 1st down spike could've been followed by two shots at the endzone) but he had to settle for a handful of field goals and only a single touchdown. Add that to the coaching woes of the league's many other teams, and Reid deserves a patt on the back for what he's squeezed out of this mostly starless squad.

Go get 'em tomorrow, Big Red!

Fly, Eagles, Fly!
Big Daddy B

Eagles slightly favored by ESPNers

Joe Theismann	Merril Hoge	Sean Salisbury	Mark Schlereth
Eagles	Packers	Packers	Eagles
Mike Golic	Eric Allen	Ron Jaworski	C. Mortensen
Eagles	Eagles	Eagles	Packers

All round 2 picks here.

This Has Got To Be A Joke

Another game with the Flyers shooting 49 times and they lose. And, another game where Hack-man gives up 4 goals on 19 stinkin' shots. I mean, I knew he wasn't Stanley Cup material, but is he that bad? At this rate, BDB might not even come back in May to watch the playoffs/finals.

Coach Hitch had this to say:
"Pretty disappointing. We have to find ways to win these games. We had a lot of quality chances, we did a lot of things right. You have to bear down to win these types of games.''

Games "like this" are easily won by the team that outshoots 49-19. Tighter games are won with fine goaltending, especially in the playoffs. Someone tell me this is all a big joke.

Fly, Eagles, Fly!

Flyers Wrap Up Road Trip With Another Tie

In a rarely televised public tv game, the Flyers played to a 1-1 tie against the Sabres. Big Daddy B excitedly turned on the tv just after the two goals were scored and was bored after about 2 minutes and 37 seconds. Thankful that he didn't watch the scoreless rest of the game, BDB was mildly excited when he found that Esche posted the highest save percentage by a Flyer goalie in the last several games: 19/20. However, the Flyers continue to post lots of shots (45) with few goals.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, the old Bouche put up his fourth consecutive shutout for the Coyotes, and at 265 straight minutes of shutout hockey is closing in on the all-time record of 309, set by Bill Durnan in 1949.

BDB is gonna crawl back into his Eagles hole at least until February, as this hockey thing is just a snoozer. I might even start my own site, willhockeyeverbeexcitingagain.blogspot.com. I'll be sure to invite everyone here if I do.

Eagles-Packers Playoff Preview

Andy Reid's #1 seeded 12-4 Eagles open up their fourth consecutive playoff series this Sunday against the storied three time Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Having won the NFC East three straight seasons, the Eagles enter this year's playoffs against the last team to have won their division that many consecutive times ('95-97). With temperatures forecasted near freezing with a gentle wind, this weekend's game is sure to be a dandy (aside from the tv folks having to listen to Chris Collingsworth).

The 4-3 playoff tested Reidian Eagles will have their hands full against their toughest matched team from this year's playoff pool. Green Bay's excellent run offense (3rd in NFL) will face off against Philadelphia's wearied run defense (22nd), while the Eagles' red hot pass offense will confront the Pack's poor pass defense (23rd). The Eagles offense must get out to an early start (10-0 when scoring in first quarter) to keep the 12th man on fire and with a lead minimize Green's impact as the game progresses.

Fellow Eagle fans, this game could be won or lost on the front lines. The Eagles were dominated on both sides of the ball in November by two superior lines. They were unable to get much of any run game (~3.1 yds/carry) going against Grady Jackson and company, while McNabb was hurried often (although sacked only once). McNabb's recent great numbers have been due in part to good pass protection. This trend must continue on Sunday, where any more than two sacks could spell trouble for the most critical part (passing) of the Eagles' offense that has averaged less than two sacks per game in the last eight. And, with an Emmons-less set of linebackers, the defensive line must close some of the running gaps to less than three yards wide. Look for JJ to plug the run with the help of punishing tacklers Lewis and Dawkins until Favre can beat the corners in man coverage. Green Bay's three tight end set is simply too much for our injured D-line.

Unlike November's matchup in Lambeau, Green Bay will protect the ball better and score more touchdowns. In fact, over the last two months of football, the Packers have averaged 0.5 fumbles/game vs. 1.6 prior to that. And, Brett Favre is much healthier and has proven over his career that he - aside from three mulligan games this year - is one of the least intercepted quarterbacks to have played the game (top 30 of 140 with 15k or more career passing yards). The Eagles will be required to win the stingy turnover battle this weekend, which has yielded a perfect 7-0 record for the Eagles this year (and an overall nearly 0.800 winning percentage for the league's turnover winners). McNabb must not throw an interception and Mahe would better call for a fair catch on every punt than drop the ball a single time.

Special teams will be the final critical factor on Sunday. With the best overall special teams in the league, the Eagles certainly get the slight advantage here (even without Westbrook). However, field goals will be the most important of the special teams - a category in which both GRB and PHI have solid kickers. While Big Daddy does not think this will be a field goal bonanza, he does think the game will come down to a field goal difference in score. In the last 8 games against Green Bay (dating back to 1992), 5 of the games have been decided by three or less points (several coming down to missed field goal attempts). Big Daddy is demanding a Pro-Bowl worthy performance by Akers in Sunday's game.

Eagle fans, thwart all memories of last year's game against the other Bay team. Put your faith in Andy Reid this weekend. The guy is a winner and has shown improvement in every aspect of his game over the past five years. His one area of remaining concern - ability to change the game plan on the fly - won't be a factor this weekend. Pass-happy Andy will not require change when McNabb brings his A-game. Expect Reid - the best head coach in Eagle history - to outduel one of Green Bay's top coaches of all-time (in fact, the only one who has coached the Pack to 40 wins in only 4 seasons) and McNabb to take the crown from Favre. For, it's on to Houston, Eagle fans!

Other Notables to Consider (if you're not out of breathe by now):

1. Don't fear the injuries this weekend. The Eagles played essentially without Westbrook in the November MNF matchup, who was coming off an injury and only carried five times for 1 total yards (no receptions). Also the Eagles did not have Dawkins or Bobby Taylor in the first matchup. Those two will cover the adjustemnts required to compensate for Emmons's absence.
2. Don't fear Favre's "extra fire of destiny." Many of his recent numbers have been against mediocre cover cornerbacks, where the Raiders and Seahawks lost a bunch of jump balls. The Eagles' corners (even Lito if necessary) will step up here.
   
3. In the last matchup with Green Bay, the Packers did not even get in the Eagles Red Zone. Additionally, the Eagles' red zone offense is third in the NFC. They will score points!!!
4. Even though the Packers came out of last week with no injuries, the Eagles had rest. Not only are the Eagles 6-0 after a bye week under Reid (with one of those in the playoffs last year), but we all know the statistics since 1990, when the NFL went to the 12 playoff team format: NFC #1 seeds are undefeated after the first round bye and only two times have the two NFC bye teams failed to advance to the championship game.
5. Finally, don't get all freaked out about the aura of "The Packers." While the overall series is 11-22, the Eagles did capture their 1960 NFL Championship from the pack in Lambeau and have dominated the Packers in Philly since 1962, winning all five contests. And, since my birth, the Eagles have a winning record against the Packers at 9-6 (7-3 in seasons where the Eagles were 0.500 or better).

Eagles favored by more than I thought they'd be

01/11 4:45 PM ET BetWWTS Bet365 Intertops Skybook WSEX Green Bay Philadelphia 42.5 -5 42.5 -5 OFF 42 5 42 -5.5

•Matchup

Here's opening odds and current odds for the teams remaining to win the Super Bowl:

Carolina - opening 75/1 and current 65/1
St. Louis - opening 6/1 and current 16/2
Tennessee - opening 18/1 and current 15/1
New England - opening 20/1 and current 10/1
Indianapolis - opening 18/1 and current 18/1
Kansas City - opening 28/1 and current 16/1
Green Bay - opening 10/1 and current 10/1
Philadelphia - opening 9/2 and current 7/1

Tug McGraw, 1944 - 2004

If only the players were as tuff

Flyers Color analyst Gary Dornhoefer did not work the Florida game Friday because he was suffering from kidney stones. He was hospitalized twice on the road trip and is expected to be hospitalized in Philadelphia this week. He worked on the telecast of the game in Tampa Bay but was in severe pain. "I've never had pain like this before, nothing in my career - not even my knees compares to this," Dornhoefer said. "They say it's like having a baby. Well, I'll never have a baby." He suffered the attack while playing golf in Fort Lauderdale, and, trouper that he is, finished the round after vomiting between holes. "For $245 greens fees, you bet I finished," he said.