All Andy Reid's dreams come true

Well, if Andy Reid's dreams weren't dominated by cheesesteaks, pizza, and donuts, he would dream this game. For a day at least all his decisions and assertions panned out.

• Scrub receivers Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett with big plays.
• Tony Hunt with a short yardage run for a touchdown.
• LJ Smith with a "redzone" TD.
• Special teams were great.
• DeSean Jackson was great. Finally a receiver pick pans out.
• McNabb was almost flawless.
• Asante Samuels had a really good game (should have had some picks though).
• Only one wasted timeout.
• Defense was great.
• Kolb got some gametime.
• Eagles won, 38-3.

I'd write more but I was hosting a party and didn't pay full attention. You'll have to fill in the gaps in the comments.

Dhani Jones, hipster d-bag?

Dude, you don't have to ride fixed-gear bikes like the "cool" urban white kids, or wear bow ties either. You're black. And pining for more time with the "group ride" is no way to stop being cut by NFL teams.

On a more positive note, while searching for a Dhani photo I came across this pic of ex-Bird Jevon Kearse. Enjoy.

At last, real football begins

9/07 1:00 PM ET	Opening	betED	Logans	5Dimes	SPORTSBETTING
Saint Louis @ Philadelphia	44.5 -7	45 -7	44 -7.5	44 -8.5	44 -7.5

Matchup

BONUS QUESTION: The 2002 NFC Championship game seems like a million years ago, without Googling, what was the final score?

And don't forget to make your season predictions below if you havent already.

5 years of asking, "Will we ever win?"

The idea for this site started in the ashes of the Eagles soul crushing defeat to Tampa Bay. Everything was lined up. Everything. And yet the Eagles still lost. At that point people started wondering, "Will we ever win?"

Whelp, so far the obvious answer is no. And at this point I really am starting to believe it will always be no. What has pushed me even further in this depressing direction was watching the Giants win the Super Bowl 5 years after watching the Eagles blow it versus Tampa Bay. The Giants were not an elite team, they weren't even the best team in the NFC East let alone the NFL, but lucked into their third Super Bowl championship. This coming after years and years of the Eagles being the best or near best NFC team, an "elite" team that always comes up short.

Ok, maybe a Philadelphia team actually will win again before I die, but one thing I am completely certain of is a Philadelphia team will NEVER win the way the Giants did. Never. The only way any one of our teams will ever win again is if they are as totally dominant as the last team that won, the 1983 Sixers. Sure a couple of improbable teams like the 83-84 and 86-87 Flyers, the 93 Phillies or even the 2000-01 Sixers can get close, but rest assured that giant break, that flukey play, that unlikely hero, that singular brilliant performance when it matters the absolute most is never going to come our way when the championship is within grasp. The fat rebound will always get shot into their goalies chest, our pitcher will serve up the series winning homerun, their guy will hit the miracle clutch 3s, and our quarterback will rethrow the interception that had been given back on a penalty the play before.

And I think writing about all the agony on a website and talking about it is good therapy. There's only so much yelling at the TV that is healthy.

///

The other reason I started WWEW is that I have a memory that needs to be jogged. The site has recorded events, feelings, and opinions that I would have otherwise forgotten. In this way it functions as a diary or journal, something I'm too lazy to write otherwise. So a big thanks to all the contributors over the years in posts and "gripes."

So if you're bored someday you should go back and read some of the last 5 years of posts. Relive all the complaining, all the raw, emotional outbursts, all the disappointment, and all the stuff we thought was brilliant at the time we were writing it that now looks stupid in hindsight. But there's also some winning to relive, some celebrating, some happiness, and some genuine insight and prescience as well. It's also worth reading the comments, which in many cases contain some of the best and funniest stuff. But most of all just read to remember. Even though our teams never win, it still has been a lot of fun.

Predictions

I don't think much of the Eagles chances this year but I will enjoy the season anyway. How about you? In the comments make your season long, game by game predictions and whatever reasons you might have to justify it. Also, what teams will be in the AFC and NFC championship games, the Super Bowl, who will win it all, and what teams will be this year's worst?

Sunday, Sept. 7 St. Louis 1:00 p.m. Fox
Monday, Sept. 15 at Dallas 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Sunday, Sept. 21 Pittsburgh 4:15 p.m. CBS
Sunday, Sept. 28 at Chicago 8:15 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Oct. 5 Washington 1:00 p.m. Fox
Sunday, Oct 12 at San Francisco 4:15 p.m. Fox
Sunday, Oct 19 BYE
Sunday, Oct. 26 Atlanta 1:00 p.m. Fox
Sunday, Nov. 2 at Seattle 4:15 p.m. Fox
Sunday, Nov. 9 NY Giants 8:15 p.m. NBC
Sunday, Nov. 16 at Cincinnati 1:00 p.m. Fox
Sunday, Nov. 23 at Baltimore 1:00 p.m. Fox
Thursday, Nov. 27 Arizona 8:00 p.m. NFLN
Sunday, Dec. 7 at NY Giants 1:00 p.m. Fox
Monday, Dec. 15 Cleveland 8:30 p.m. ESPN
Sunday, Dec. 21 AT Washington 1:00 Fox
Sunday, Dec. 28 Dallas 1:00 Fox

Last years predictions are here if you want a laugh.

That was uninteresting

Here's what you missed: nothing.

But some things did happen: Demps had 2 more good kickoff returns, Kolb looked good again, Booker actually had some good plays, the tight ends had some plays for a change, McDougal had another good effort (but I bet he gets traded to the Giants because the Eagles have paid Chris Clemons 4 million bucks to do nothing), Joe Mays was good again, and Akers made a 40 yarder and the play of the game when he was the last guy left and made the tackle on a kick off return.

231 hours to real football, if I did my time management better than Reid.

Anyone else see this?

Sports Illustrated has the Eagles going 12-4, winning the NFC East and making it to the Super Bowl only to lose to the Patriots again. (I guess the crack ran out when it came time to pick the champ.) Did I miss it or did we sign TO again in the offseason?

Phillieeeeeeeeees Phever

Bleep the Mets.

A special night

In a break of what we've come to expect, the Eagles special teams won a game. Quentin Demps returned a kickoff 101 yards for a TD which was followed by a DeSean Jackson 76 yard punt return for a TD. In both cases crappy Patriot coverage and/or excellent blocking allowed nearly untouched runs <cliche>to the house</cliche>. Also contributing was a perfect David Akers (although his FGs were only in the 20-30 yard range) and an out of his mind Sav Rocca. Rocca kicked three straight coffin corner punts in the 4th quarter. The first went out of bounds on the 8, the second on the 9 but was negated by a penalty. He responded by kicking the rekick out of bounds right on the 1. The Eagles sideline was even excited.

But the most exciting player in the game was once again DeSean Jackson. I was very skeptical he would amount to much as a receiver, but I have been won over. He has the rare ability, at least among Eagles receivers save TO, to make the necessary adjustments to catch the ball while maintaining his balance and stride. If McNabb tosses one a little behind or down around the knees he'll just reach down or around and grab it while continuing to run. He doesn't have to fall down or slow down to make the catch. And because of that ability he also is able to make the crucial yards after catch, which he's also really good at.

Other trends in the game that were positive:

• Several Patriot runs ended up in losses. When was the last time so many opponent's running plays ended in their own backfield?
• Westbrook looked good and in form and there was even a running game. I think the first team even had 4 or 5 running plays in a row.
• McNabb was really good again and should have had 2 TD passes if Baskett wasn't a dumbass.
• Andrews also looked pretty good.
• The receivers didn't drop a pass and Avant even made a great catch for a TD.
• McDougal continues to dominate the scrubs.

Other notes:

• Again, way too many penalties.
• Patriots are doomed if Brady gets hurt.
• "In the redzone Avant really controls the hash." Is that what Shildaro said?
• Considine still sucks.
• Told you Quentin Demps should be the returner.

Various

Ah, stupid J-hole. Way to go 0-4 and hit into a double play. Way to have only 2 RBIs all August. Way to take booing personally, even though nobody was booing you personally until last night. These stupid players don't get it. When I boo I find it fun. There's often disgust, but no hatred behind it. Booing is cathartic for the fans, at least it is for me. I smile when I'm done. When I choose to boo it's either when a team is doing something stupid like wasting timeouts or throwing the ball short of the goal line with 4 seconds on the clock. Or when they are giving no effort and getting outworked. Losing by itself won't make me boo, but how it's done.

Now on to stupid football players. Ike Reese predictably went down like the Hindenburg in his softball challenge. According to the Pickens Plan, Reese, combined with the Phillies lineup, could provide at least 6 megawatts of wind energy which would power around 4,000 homes. I chuckled at every wiff on the video and was happy he failed miserably. But the best was hearing callers and Glenn Macnow spinning it that Reese was "courageous." Apparently to be a brave man you need to say something dumb, boast and dig yourself an even deeper hole, and trash talk 16 year old girls who then proceed to make a complete fool of you. Ike Reese, my hero.

But even stupider than Reese is Chad Johnson, who not only is supposedly trying to change his legal name to "Ocho Cinco" (of course, Spanish for 85 is actually ochenta y cinco), but said he could beat Michael Phelps in swimming. Apparently 85 is not only his number, but his IQ! Oooo snap! LOL!

And about Michael Phelps, sure he's the greatest swimmer ever, blah blah blah. And I'm not trying to put his incredible achievement down in any way, but give me a break on the greatest Olympian stuff. That hype is largely the result of him winning 8 gold medals this time around, but name me another Olympic sport where you have that opportunity.

And lastly, oh no about Kevin Curtis and his sports hernia. There goes a "weapon." But don't anyone panic, the deep as the Marianis Trench receiver corps says "no problem." And due to the worsening of the worst part of the team, I predict the devious football genius Andy Reid will call even MORE passing plays because that's EXACTLY what the opposition won't be expecting! Ha hah! And does anyone else think Greg Lewis is a zombie and can't be killed?

Better late than never

The Eagles rewarded their real fans that sat through the hour lightning delay, the mediocre and ugly play of the first teamers, and a boring 3rd quarter by scoring 24 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win, 24-13. The obvious focus of the game will be how much the Eagles receivers suck and how crappy the first team offense was. The receivers had 6 or 7 drops of passes that were right on the money. DeSean Jackson had 2 of those, but other than that he played really good again. He does look like the quickest guy on the field at times. A non-issue that will be made into one is the starters returning to the field after the hour delay. Who cares, they aren't made of glass, they're football players. Anyway, McNabb was decent, Westbrook didn't really do anything, Kolb was good, and the defense as a whole was improved. They didn't even give up a TD on the first possession of the game.

Other notes:

• Good to see the special teams issues have all been solved. Nice job FG unit and Booker. Automatic Occasional Akers can't make anything longer that 40 yards any more and Booker can't catch or return.
• On the other hand, Rocca shockingly might have had his best ever performance. Long punt when it was needed and dropped the shorter ones in between the 10 and the goal line, unlike last week.
• Asante Samuels made 1 play then I never heard his name again.
• Lito, if you want your starting job back, how about making a tackle.
• Dawkins may be slower, but if you're unlucky enough to be sitting there like a duck for a hit, you should probably get ready to lay on the ground for awhile.
• Max Jean-Gilles' play depressed me.
• DeSean Jackson had a good punt return but thinks dudes in the NFL give up once he runs by them and was really lucky the Eagles got his fumble back.
• Overall, not just on returns, Booker is completely unimpressive to me so far.
• Tony Hunt had his best play as an Eagle, but he still sucks.
• Quentin Demps made some plays. Better return on a kick-off than Booker's and got the tip on a blitz that led to the interception return that sealed the game.
• What's with Fox announcing "90 second" breaks? Is it some strategy to get people to sit there and watch crappy ads?
• Fox quote of the game: "Reid is in midseason form, the Eagles have thrown the ball 71 51 times this game." I think they ended up with 73 52. I guess it was all to set up Tony Hunt's game winning run.
• Andy Reid is really fat.

J-hole

Yo, don't you have to win something for fans to actually be frontrunners?

Eagles and the Olympics

I watched some of the Eagles game. Here are some quick thoughts:

• McNabb looked good. He even threw an accurate across his body pass as he was falling backwards to LJ Smith running a crossing route.
• To my surprise, DeSean Jackson looked really good as a receiver. His most impressive catch was reaching behind him to grab an errant McNabb pass (which the announcer termed a strike). His returns sucked though, especially the one where he thought he could run backwards 8 yards and escape. That's not going to work in the NFL.
• First team defense looked OK at best. Quintin Mikell had some good hits. Dawkins looked old. The TD he gave up might have been a defensive screw up and not really his fault (although he should have just nailed the guy instead of hesitating) but his YPA definitely took a hit on that one.
• Kolb also looked good and had some nice pro QB type passes.
• Akers was kicking them from 60 in warm-ups.
• Sav Rocca still sucks.
• Too many penalties, just like last year.
• McDougle was a force going against the Steelers' scrubs.
• Spuds was in midseason shilling form doing the sideline reports. But then again, he doesn't really have an offseason.

Truth be told, I kinda lost interest in the Eagles after the first team was gone and started watching the Olympic's opening ceremony instead. I wasn't going to because China is the world's largest authoritarian regime and are evil, etc., but just flipping around the stations, the visual imagery ending up capturing my attention. If you can forget the evil like China apparently did - no Chairman Mao in their walk through Chinese history that was presented - and just look at the production as art, it was a masterpiece. I'm cynical and jaded and whatever, but the stuff they were pulling off was totally impressive. It was insane. And while it was a spectacle, it also had grace and wit and genuine beauty. Somehow they were able to avoid the corny, the clownish, and the crassness that always afflicts these kinds of things.

If the opening ceremonies could directly translate to the larger world stage, China is so gonna kick our ass.

Ok, It's Time...

To recognize that the Phillies do have issues. I've previously watched the Phils offense struggle and written it off to regular slumping that's inherent to baseball. And, while it's still possible that the offense can get clicking again, it certainly won't just happen naturally as an emergence from a slump. Something has to fundamentally change and be addressed. This offense is a mess. The fact that it continued last night against a bad opponent is even more concerning. Combine all that with their horrid record against top tier teams, particularly in the AL but not ignoring their inability to win a NYM or FLA series, and this team has batting issues. The pitching is what it is and might arguably be one of the best staffs in the NL. But this offense is a fraction of what it used to be and there's no appeasing explanation. No, I don't think they're "trying too hard." That's what happens to bring about slumps, not long drawn out droughts. Furthermore, if you'll recall during last year's playoffs, what nailed 'em wasn't their pitching, it was the offense shutting down.

Isn't Charlie a batting-minded manager? It's time for Charlie to go. He did his job, was the players' coach while they couldn't contend. Now that we need to contend, he needs to go along with his bad decision making (which makes a difference in playoff baseball).

(Oh, and I don't wear my JRol jersey as proudly as I once did... but I still wear it.)

It Makes Me Sick!

...and it's ruining football... Just when we thought it was going to be a season of moving on beyond the big Cheesehead, where the only concern would be how many times the announcers would compare current and future QBs to the legendary Brett Favor of yesteryear, his "return" is now plastered all over the stinkin' home page of NFL.com. There's no escape, hyper-Favre-ism is out of control, and the guy isn't even a starter as of now. It's sickening.

Personally, I'm w/ the Packers on this and think the league needs a new rule against coming back from retirement. If players can do this, they can retire at any time and ask for reinstatement and go to any team they want. With a salary cap, Favre is in the driver seat, as any big retirement will drastically change how a team plans moving forward. He's blown it. He should be made to sit out a full year if he wants to come back on his on terms.

On a side note: as much as I empathize that BWest is underpaid, I don't care. Play the game and quit the whining. When those players that undeperform their contracts start giving back, then we can deal with "unfair" situations like this. BWest signed his contract and took security over year by year increases. Tough luck. It's the game you play, and for teams that make good calls, hooray. For those teams that get stuck with ugly contracts, sorry about your luck, bad investing. You can't take security and then plead a cause of underpayment. I can't do that in my job, and none of my investments give me downside protection. The NFL is approaching sickening-ness.