Super Bowl train derailed

Just like last year when the Eagles could have beaten Dallass to secure the 2nd seed but played a terrible game and lost, the Eagles played another terrible game, but at home this time to an totally inferior opponent that was starting a 3rd string quarterback and a ton of other back-ups. The Eagles defense was its usual pathetic self, but the somnambulance of the offense was unexpected. The completely unbalanced run to pass play calling ratio wasn't unexpected, but on a night when Vick was playing his worst game of the year and getting pounded on every play maybe feeding the ball to McCoy and the forgotten Jerome Harrison might have been a good idea. But these obvious football innovations apparently were overlooked in the 9 days the Eagles brain trust had to prepare, and the offense only put up 14 points and the Eagles lost 24-14.

Other notes:

• Sit the starters vs. Dallass. That has to be the bye now especially with the short week.
• Reid: "Absolutely pathetic job on my part getting my team ready to play... Terrible, terrible job."
• Eagles offense has only played 8 good minutes of football in the last 2 games.
• Vick started to revert to old-school Vick in this game and that isn't a good sign.
• Another ton of penalties put the Eagles over 1,000 yards for the year.
• Give me a break with Joe Webb, NBC.
• Breakout game for Celek! He did drop a ball that killed a drive early in the game though...
• Patterson still sucks, but those were ticky-tack interference call and personal foul penalties on him.
• DeSean Jackson was weak.
• Andy Reid won a challenge!

Since next weekend means nothing now, what is everyone doing?

The day after Christmas and all through the house...

12/26 8:25 PM ET	Opening	betED	5Dimes	SPORTSBETTING	Logans
Minnesota @ Philadelphia	36.5 0	43 -15	43.5 -15.5	43 -14.5	43.5 -14.5

Matchup

Bonus Question: What is more anticipated, Christmas morning by children or another Favre hagiography on national TV by football fans?

Giant choke

Unbelievable. For the majority of the game the offense was terrible and the defense was brutal. It also didn't help that the refs gifted the Giants 14 points and Reid was clueless with the challenges. But it didn't matter because the Eagles scored 28 points in the last 7+ minutes of the game, the last 7 coming on a miracle DeSean Jackson punt return with only 12 seconds to go. Then the Giants were forced to sit on the sidelines for another 5 minutes as the refs made the Eagles kick the meaningless extra point with no time on the clock. Awesome.

How did the Eagles do it? Brilliant Andy Reid second half adjustments? Giants relaxing, thinking they had won? Eagles playing better? Christmas miracles?

In the first half the offense was playing passively, had no urgency and Vick was checking down on every play. There were also drops and bad offensive line play. They only managed 3 points. On the other side of the ball the defense couldn't get off the field. It was the usual 1 or 2 good plays then a bunch of bad plays, usually on 3rd and long. The Giants converted on 3rd and 11, 6, 8, 6, and 12 and scored 24 points. Of course the last 7 were after the refs ruled a Maclin drop a fumble and the replay unbelievably upheld the bad call on the field.

The second half didn't improve that much for the offense but the defense started to hold the Giants and even had a couple of 3 and outs. Then the defense even got a break when Manningham fumbled the ball for no reason at all and the first Christmas miracle of the game occurred - the ball landed in bounds and in the scramble to recover it the Eagles didn't knock it out of bounds. A few plays later the Giants left Maclin wide open on a blown coverage and Vick hit him for a TD to make it 24-10.

The Eagles got the ball back after the defense held again. Vick hit Jackson who stumbled and hit the ground and fumbled after a 30+ yard catch. Problem was he was touched by a Giants defender on his way to the ground and it should not have been ruled a fumble. Inexplicably Reid did not challenge. The Giants took their second turnover, that really wasn't, and drove for a TD that I thought was the final nail in the coffin, but I was wrong.

The next time the Eagles got the ball it took them 2 plays and only 40 seconds or so to get the deficit back to 14. Vick hit Celek with a great pass for a 65 yard double-clutch catch and run as the Giants safety stupidly tried to pick it instead of tackle Celek. Maclin made a great block to help Celek get in.

After the TD, Akers and the Eagles executed a perfect onsides kick and the Giants weren't ready. Note that Reid usually kicks the ball deep there so the Giants were just going by the trends. The Eagles also smartly did not put their "hands" team on the field and lined up like normal for another bit of trickery.

After the successful recovery, Vick ripped off a 35 yard run to the 9 after a blown sack by the Giants and a few plays later Vick went in untouched on a QB draw on 3rd and goal. The Eagles were only down by 7 with 5:32 left.

The Giants responded with a bit of a drive to run time off the clock and make the Eagles burn all their timeouts. But eventually they were forced to punt when the Eagles blitzed on a third down and Manning threw incomplete and nicely stopped the clock. The Giants punt gave the Eagles the ball on the 12 with 3:08 left.

The drive started poorly but on third down Vick ran 33 yards down the sidelines and out of bounds at the 45. A few plays later Vick ran for another 22 yards down to the Giants 20. Then a pass to Celek to the 13 followed by a TD pass to Maclin tied the game.

The Giants still had all their timeouts and 1:13 left on the clock. The defense could still blow it. Instead Manning threw 2 incomplete passes and on third down the Eagles sacked him for the first time in the game since Fokou got him the Giants first series - another Christmas miracle in my book. Twelve seconds remained.

Then the Christmas miracle of Christmas miracles occurred. The Giants punter line drived his kick right to Jackson. He muffed it though, went backwards with the ball after picking it up which caused the kick coverage to go too deep. He then zipped right up the middle with his blazing speed, made a quick turn to his right, got a huge block by Avant and raced to the goal line, and just to infuriate me, ran parallel to it for 2 seconds before finally crossing it to win the game. Just like the Westbrook return back in the day, papers were slammed to the ground as the return went by the Giants sideline. It was beautiful. Jackson blew it though in his postgame comments by not saying, "Merry Christmas, Philadelphia."

Other notes:

• I wonder if New York is getting used to getting slapped around by Philadelphia yet.
• In the first quarter Eagles blew 2 turnovers - Coleman's dropped interception and botched punt muff fumble recovery.
• On Giants first TD why wasn't the Giants offensive lineman called for holding and then a block in the back or unnecessary roughness? How about a push off on Manningham?
• Mikell made a nice interception that led to the Eagles only points of the first half. He's getting good at those acrobatic grabs.
• What is the purpose of #2 Son bringing a 32" flatscreen to the counter where Shaq is working?
• Patterson should buy DeSean a Rolex otherwise he would be the main topic of conversation this week, as in, "Patterson sucks."
• Two weeks in a row the refs and replay have given the Eagles opposition free points right before the half. If Maclin traps that ball underneath him all the Giants would be waving incomplete and replay would have overruled the "catch." Ridiculous call.
• Brent Celek had a huge TD play, but he also killed 2 drives with penalties.
• Maclin has to go get that underthrown bomb and not wait for it.
• Akers is playing great.
• LeSean is playing great. Went over 1000 yards rushing for the year and almost has 90 receptions. Also great on blitz pickups, especially on Maclin's tying touchdown.
• Reid only challenges when he's going to lose, but great second half otherwise, especially the onsides kick call.
• Didja know DeSean Jackson is the first player in history to win a game on a last play of the game punt return?
• Coughlin is a chump for showing up the punter like that as if he was the one responsible for blowing the game. He blew the kick only.
• Did anyone on the Giants ask DeSean for his autograph after the game?
• This season has probably had the most great and exciting games I can remember thanks to all the come from behind victories. Good job Eagles.

Giant game

12/19 1:00 PM ET	Opening	betED	5Dimes	SPORTSBETTING	Logans
Philadelphia @ N.Y. Giants	46 -2.5	46 -3	46 -2.5	46 -3	46 -3

Matchup

Bonus Question: What will Eli do this game to screw it up?

Best Philly Sports Moments of 2010

It's never too early to start thinking about the year in review. And, honestly, I'm not sure I previously could have come up with 5 top PHILLY sports moments. But, this year had quite a few. This yahoo article starts us up with 5 and got me thinking:

* Flyers' historic 0-3 playoff comeback (including also being down 0-3 in Game 7). This happened AFTER squeaking into the playoffs in the first place, and resulted in a pretty nice run at the Cup in general.
* Halladay playoff No-Hitter.
* Richards conference finals short-handed goal.
* Halladay perfect game.
* 76ers get 2nd overall pick.

As of now, I can't personally include that short-handed goal OR the Sixers' pick. My quick-recall top Philly moments:
* Halladay playoff No-Hitter
* Vick's performance against Washington (honorable alternate Eagle moment: McNabb trade, signifying a new era, an era that we didn't expect to start this fast).
* Halladay perfect game.
* Flyers' playoff run, especially the 0-3 comeback.
* The Cliff Lee signing.

How about yours? (No cheating, don't post six!) I'm interested in what I missed.

As far as lows go,Losing game 5 to the SF Giants was pretty low, 3 losses in a single season to the Cowboys was pretty low when it was completed in the playoffs in early 2010, and that Flyers' game 6 loss hurt but not nearly as badly as they over-achieved in the first place.

Cliff Lee's back and the NL's in trouble

Despite being discarded in a bad trade before this past season following a lights-out 2009 playoff performance, Cliff Lee has accepted a deal to rejoin the Phillies. And he's taking a fair bit less than he could making elsewhere, to boot.

Even in a post-Jayson Werth salary world, it's hard to believe the Phillies made this happen.

This thing came out of left field (baseball metaphor!), and I'm still seeing varying reports of Lee making from $100 million to $120 million over five years from the Phils. But however it comes out, Lee will be giving up several million per year to pitch in Philly instead of the Bronx or Texas. And maybe even more beyond the five years.

Obviously this goes beyond wanting to win — Lee could certainly win with the Yankees and Texas. He must have sincerely liked playing here, was sincerely heart-broken when he was moved, and maybe appreciated how pissed the fans were with his being traded.

Considering how much payroll the team will be putting out, I have to figure Joe Blanton will be traded (even if they have to suck up some of his salary). This CSN Philly article suggests Raul Ibanez might be moved too, which makes the outfield sort of suspect if it happens depending on how they replace him.

But should I even be thinking about the offense at this point when it looks like the rotation will consist of Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Oswalt?

Probably not. None of the other NL teams are, certainly.

A Philly team not pocketing savings when a free agent leaves town? Four of the best pitchers in the game on one staff? A GM correcting a mistake in the most direct way possible?

These are crazy times we live in, folks.

Dallass sucks

I feel like I should enjoy this 30-27 win over Dallass, who sucks, more than I am. The Eagles did go to Dallass and win a very important game, made bigger by Green Bay and Chicago both losing, but it wasn't a satisfying win to me. Maybe because I am old school (or just old), but all the big pass plays were less enjoyable than the final drive that put away the game. And the bend and then break defense is just aggravating to no end, not to mention all the first downs they gift via penalties. I love a defense that crushes their enemies, sees them driven before them, and I can hear the lamentations of their fans. This defense doesn't scare the Carolina Panthers.

The offense was frustrating this game as well. They had big plays, but no little plays. They weren't consistent and almost all their points came off those big plays, not steady drives – they couldn't convert on third down. Of course Reid was passing too much, but then he got smart in the second half. Another Christmas miracle - a halftime adjustment for the better. And the final all running play drive, featuring LeSean McCoy gashing the Cowboys play after play, was a thing of beauty. That was satisfying.

Other notes:

• Dallass sucks
• You'd think teams would catch on and plan to defend DeSean Jackson on the Eagles first offensive play of the game.
• Once again a network gave us plenty of Jerry Jones reaction shots when Dallass did something good but were denied his Skeletoresque visage when they were blowing the game.
• Bradley injury was sick and very Koy Detmeresque.
• Vick was not as accurate this game, seemed slower in his decision making, and the pick he threw when he was trying to hit Celek was pretty bad.
• I can never be a big DeSean Jackson fan no matter how many 91 yard catch and runs he makes because he's a stupid punk. And he'll never learn as NBC's "DeSean Jackson doing something stupid while near the goal line" highlight package ably demonstrated. (Gee, I wonder how they knew to put that together beforehand.) Emulate Herremans - act like you've been there before.
• Speaking of stupid punks, good work Jorrick Calvin. You managed to top DeSean Jackson for stupidest penalty of the season.
• Was it the broadcast or were Dallass fans sitting their doublewide asses on their sausage fingered hands all game? When Kitna converted that fourth down I didn't hear anything different from the crowd.
• Refs blew an egregious facemask on Trent Cole, unnecessary roughness hit on Vick, and gifted the Cowboys a catch and 3 points before the half.
• Trent Cole kept his offside penalty streak alive. Jason Peters did not false start!
• Great game by Akers - didn't miss, including a crucial 50 yarder, and got several touchbacks.
• Final drive was somewhat reminiscent of the final drive vs. the Giants last year.
• How about Choice asking Vick for his autograph after the game. What a loser. Imagine if that was reversed; Eagles fans would flip.

I know I shouldn't be as negative as I have been in this recap, so tout the positives in the comments for me.

Dallass sucks

12/12 8:20 PM ET	Opening	betED	5Dimes	SPORTSBETTING	Logans
Philadelphia @ Dallass	50.5 3	50.5 3.5	50.5 3.5	50 3.5	50.5 3.5

Matchup

Bonus Question: How much does Dallass suck?

[insert last name-related pun, question marks here]

In the words of Kyle Broflovski's mom — "What, what, WHAAAAAAT?"

It looks like agent Scott Boras found the one team to actually pay what he wanted for Jayson Werth, that being $126 million over seven years (for the tidy sum of $18 million per). That team? The perennial NL East bottom dweller Washington Nationals.

It was probably inevitable that he would leave, but it came a little earlier than expected. And I don't think anyone saw the Nationals being in the picture.

I hope it works out for Werth. I certainly can't blame for taking the best offer (even if I might have taken less to stay with a winner). But this thing looks like it's set for failure. Werth struggled for stretches this past season, and even Charlie Manuel said he was pushing too much in a contract year. How's the pressure of living up to this huge contract going to feel?

Werth's kind of an off dude, though. Maybe it won't bug him.

Of more importance 'round these parts is what do the Phillies do to replace Werth. Because while he might not be worthy of that contract, he was a five-tool player and integral part of the team's recent success.

Star prospect Domonic Brown (another lefty bat) will play, and the Phils figure to sign a vet for insurance, but will the team be better?

NOTES:

— If the Nationals are an up-and-coming team, then why did they let the popular Adam Dunn go?

— Is it possible for Carl Crawford to get this much money from a team? In the crazy world of sports contracts, he might actually be worth that much (even if I expect his numbers to drop a bit outside of Tampa).

— Photo credit: ME

Houston, they have a problem

It's a good thing the Eagles were playing the Houston Texans, a snakebit team that always seems to find a way to lose. The Eagles went up 17-3, but then were outgained 297 yards to 53 and outscored 21-3 and found themselves behind 24-20 by the end of the 3rd quarter. The reasons for the turnaround in fortunes were the usual ones - redzone failures and dropped TD passes by the offense and terrible defense.

The Eagles offense seemed to wake up after the lead was lost, and finally answered Houston to go back up 27-24. The Texans responded with a drive of their own, once again easily moving the ball against the Eagles thin, wet paper towel defense, but then came the play that maybe lost the game for the Texans. On third and 5 Schaub could have easily run the ball for the first but instead McNabbed a pass to his receiver. The Texans were forced to punt and you could see them saying to themselves, "Here we go again."

The Eagles offense didn't squander the rare defensive stop - but they almost did. They got in the redzone again and then started screwing up again. First a false start and then a holding call and it was quickly 3rd and 19 and another field goal seemed certain and the game was setting up for a final of Houston 31, Philadelphia 30.

Then came the play that maybe won the game for the Eagles.

Vick dropped back and had time but couldn't find anyone deep so he dumped it to Celek on a crossing route. Celek was tackled, but landed on the tackler so he wasn't down and on the bounce smartly extended the ball to the marker. The refs marked him short by half a yard. Then a Christmas miracle happened - Andy Reid won a challenge. And he even did something smart in the process - he let the clock wind down to the last second before throwing the challenge flag and took time off the clock. So after being awarded a first down, the Eagles had first and goal on the 5 and scored a touchdown the very next play to make the score 34-24, which is how the game ended.

Other notes:

• Did you know the Eagles are the best screen team in the NFL?
• Who didn't know the Eagles first offensive play was going to be a pass to DeSean Jackson? Oh yeah, Houston.
• Stupid plays: any Chad Hall running play, any Desean Jackson play where he runs into the line, long bombs to Maclin on 3rd and 2, every offside by the defense, Vick (after he's been hit repeatedly and hobbled earlier in the game) running the ball on a designed play other than an QB sneak, and throwing the ball when you are trying to run out the clock.
• At least 4 times in the game Theisman asserted something, sometimes backed up with video, and the very next play went exactly the opposite of his assertion. His worst moment was his "Schaub was hit in the head" followed by a rant blah, blah, blah and then they showed a replay and Schaub was not hit in the head at all. Theisman==idiot.
• Refs did let a lot of actual "QB getting hit in the head" plays go uncalled on both sides, as they should have since they were all minor love taps.
• Lindley hit a Houston receiver head to head after a catch that wasn't call probably because the hit was not that violent.
• Unlike Avant, Owen Schmitt has not dropped a pass all year, and he's a fullback.
• Vick was the leading rusher, McCoy was the leading receiver.
• On Trevor Laws interception, Lindley smartly just fell on the ball after Laws dumbly fumbled it. On Nate Allen's sack and strip of Schaub, Tapp smartly fell on the ball while Trent Cole was stupidly trying to pick it up and run.
• This defense is painful to watch. They make 1 good play for every 5-7 bad plays or non plays and offenses can just drive down the field on them unless they screw it up themselves.

Nine days to rest up before crushing Dallass, who sucks.

Thursday games are lame

12/02 8:20 PM ET	Opening	betED	5Dimes	SPORTSBETTING	Logans
Houston @ Philadelphia	49.5 -8	51.5 -8	48.5 -5.5	51.5 -8	51 -9

Matchup

Bonus Question: If the Eagles lose, will they still make the playoffs?