Home of the lame cry towel

10/07 1:00 PM ET	Opening	5Dimes	BetOnline	JustBet	BetLegends
Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh	44.5 0	43 -3	43 -3	43 -3.5	43.5 -3

Matchup

Bonus Question: Will Reid continue with the smart offensive strategy or revert to form? Hahaha. I crack myself up.

Eat it NY

Eagles are 3-1 but could easily be 0-4. A bounce or and inch one way or another here or there could have changed the outcome in all their victories. This game stupid Andy Reid almost snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory via the asinine "icing the kicker" timeout ploy, but he was saved from his stupidity probably by Brian Dawkins willing Tynes kick via pure intensity to fall 4 feet short of being good. WHO TRIES TO ICE THE KICKER FROM 54 YARDS AWAY???

So like the Baltimore game, Reid was doing great all game and almost threw it all away with one single call near the end with the game on the line because he can't keep his stupidity under wrap for an entire 60 minutes. But in both cases he escaped and the Eagles held on for a 19-17 win.

Other notes:

• 8 and 9 vs. the Giants.
• Yay Reid's decision to stick with the run the ENTIRE game despite only 8 yards on the ground in the first half. And in the second half it completely paid off. SHOCKING!
• Amazing how Reid brings that game plan when he must win and against high quality teams, but forgets it the rest of the time.
• NO TURNOVERS!
• What was up with the pathetic kick off coverage? Kick returns were the Giants best offensive play.
• The offensive line was really bad early then steadily improved as the game progressed.
• The defense played really good, but they still let the Giants answer every time the Eagles scored, but the very last time.
• I saw Maclin on the field but he did nothing at all.
• In addition to a balanced run to pass ratio, Vick also spread the ball around to numerous receivers, except Maclin.
• NBC needs to be fined for playing Salsa music when Cruz scored. Pathetic.
• The refs almost gave the game to the Giants with that totally bogus call on Asomugha.
• Brian Dawkins rules. For me he's the last player that will be a favorite player. The last from a vestige of my youth. Other favorites - Dave Poulin and Charles Barkley.

Commenting situation

New Disqus comment code isn't working. Haven't spent the time to figure out why. If I can't get it to work I may have to redo the template and go with dumb blogger commenting system. Anyway, I'll try and figure it all out soon, at least faster than Vick.

Giant loss coming?

9/30 8:20 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
NY Giants @ Philadelphia	47 -3.5	47.5 0	47.5 -1	47.5 -1.5	47 -1

Matchup

Bonus Question: How many Eagle turnovers this game?

Pathetic and predictable

Another game vs. Arizona and another turd. Eagles were piss poor the entire game. Of course the co-offensive geniuses, Reid and Mornhinweg, didn't run the ball until the second half when they were down big. Vick was once again hit about 86 times and is on pace for 48 turnovers. DeSean Jackson looked like a punk flinching for a hit that wasn't coming, and got tackled at the one which led to a replay of last year's goal line ineptitude and "debaclery" culminating in Vick yet again failing to see a blitz coming, getting crushed and fumbling it away for a 90+ yard return for a TD. The game was over at the half, but the final score was 27-6.

The Eagles post-game excuses were as pathetic as their play. How can you not be ready when this same team came to Philadelphia last year and handed you an embarrassing loss in which you were also asleep, stupid and equally pathetic?

Fire Reid.

Battle of the birds

9/23 4:05 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Philadelphia @ Arizona	44.5 5.5	43.5 4	43.5 4	43.5 4	43.5 4

Matchup

Bonus Question: Will Reid revert to pass happy form?

Eagles showed us something

The Eagles beat a good team today despite once again taking care of the ball like MC Hammer took care of his money. They won because of physical play and toughness, better coaching and play calling, better QB play, and overcoming injuries, penalties and the previously mentioned turnovers, three of which were in the redzone. Reid called the game just like the fans like it and want it to be called - a balance of running and passing and no panic. And after the half the Eagles coaches even out-adjusted the Ravens. The Eagles were surprisingly more physical and played completely unintimidated. All those skirmishes were like hockey teams letting each other know neither was backing down. And in the end it was Vick leading the Eagles to a 24-23 last minute victory and Flacco coming up s-m-all thanks to a suddenly stout and attacking Eagles D. Castillo for president!

Of course if precedent holds true, you can expect a return to play calling form for Reid next week vs. the Cardinals, so I'm not getting too excited yet.

Other notes:

• Vick's first pick was atrocious. Will he ever learn? But should the receiver have been coming back to the ball?
• Non-"snitcher" Ray Lewis was a total non-factor. I enjoyed his whiff on McCoy's TD run as well.
• Ravens' second drive had no third downs and the Eagles D offered no resistance, but after that they were impressive.
• No excuses for the fake refs this week - they were terrible. 12 men in the huddle is automatic - no timeout nullifies it because it's a dead ball foul; missed lots of calls to Eagles advantage; bailed out Eagles with illegal contact calls instead of pass interference; called that weak offensive pass interference against Ravens that negated a TD; called that weak call on Nmandi in the last minute; called Vick incomplete pass a fumble, but that was correctable thank goodness.
• Jacoby Jones's TD dance might even be lamer and more forced than Victor Cruz's if that's possible.
• An important factor in this game was Pollard getting hurt early.
• Damaris Johnson fielding that punt on the 2 and Chas Henry's terrible punt were responsible for Baltimore's end of the half field goal.
• Henry's punts were terrible all day.
• The boos at the end of the first half were uncalled for. Outside of the turnovers which were individual errors, the Eagles were outplaying the Ravens.
• How come the Ravens forgot about Celek? After Vick, he might have been the Eagles player of the game.
• Vick had a 71.9% completion rate.
• Defensive players of the game might be Ryans and Kendricks.
• Ravens players of the game: their kickers.
• Eagles had a lot of big third down conversions.
• On the other hand the Ravens repeatedly failed on third down. Why did they keep passing on third and short despite Rice ripping off long runs? Reidesque.
• Stupidest Reid decisions were not declining that penalty and instead giving the Ravens a chance to score a TD instead of settle for the FG. His challenge was also stupid.
• Harbaugh learned from the challenge master with his stupid one later in the game.
• I really don't like Jackson's showboating after catches and his other antics, but I did like his pushups after getting rocked by Ed Reed after that sideline catch on the bomb.
• I bet Boykin can dunk. Maybe even a 360. He played really good today too.
• Reid's timeouts have the opposite effect as Laviolette's.
• Vick still hit way too much.
• Without turnovers, Eagles might be winning games by more than 1 point.
• The Eagles found ways to lose these kind of games last year.

Last week Cleveland, this week the team stolen from Cleveland

9/16 1:00 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Baltimore @ Philadelphia	44 -2.5	46.5 -1	48 -1	48 -2.5	48 -1

Matchup

Bonus Question: What quarter will Vick be carted off?

Deja vu all over again

Remember last season's opening game when the Eagles struggled to beat the St. Louis Rams (until late) who then went on to be absolutely terrible? Remember last season when Vick threw stupid interception after stupid interception or passes bounced off receivers hands into opponent's laps? Remember last season when Vick was hit on almost every play? Remember last season when turnovers killed this team? Remember last season when stupid penalty after stupid penalty killed this team? Remember last 14 seasons when the Eagles threw the ball 4 to 5 times for every run play despite the QB having a terrible day, the running back being the best player on the team, and the opposing team having a bad run defense and a good pass defense?

The only thing different this year than last was the defense actually looked competent, the tackling sure, and the run defense stellar - but they were playing the Browns with a QB and running back making their first ever NFL starts. Also slightly different was the offense going 91 yards in "crunch time" to get the come from behind, 17-16 victory.

Other notes:

• The fake refs blew calls just like the regulars. I noticed no dropoff.
• Jackson made some good catches early then disappeared.
• You know what's smart? Acknowledging in the press conference that your QB is rusty because of practically no preseason after the game where you called around 60+ pass plays.
• Should the Browns have gone for 2?
• Whose picks were worse, Vick's or Wheeden's?
• Instead of "Starship 7" how about "Mike Pick?" Good one, right?
• Henery looked shaky in preseason and missed badly today
• Henry looked good punting today and got lots of practice
• I am starting "Maclin Down." Not a game goes by where he's not rolling around on the ground, writhing in pain after a hit at least once.
• Despite the Eagles barely winning, it still was a great day because football

Cleveland leads the nation in drifters

9/9 1:00 PM ET	Opening	5Dimes	BetOnline	JustBet	BetLegends
Philadelphia @ Cleveland	42.5 6	43 11	43 9.5	43 9.5	43 9.5

Matchup

Bonus Question: If the Eagles lose will the call for Reid to be fired start the second the clock hits zero?

Bonus Video:

2012 Predictions

Ok. This year there was a full offseason. This year there were OTAs and defensive mastermind, Juan Castillo, has had a year of failure experience under his belt. DeSean Jackson got paid and supposedly won't sulk and be M.I.A. Maclin isn't coming off some mystery disease and is at full strength. They claim they've addressed the linebacker issue and the safeties know what they're doing. And most importantly Vick had lots of time to watch film and learn how to play QB and said he will slide and not take unnecessary hits. Hahahahaha.

So you can see all the excuses for last years failure aren't available anymore. And with Reid's son dying and Lurie drawing an 8-8 line in the sand the team supposedly is motivated and unified. What do you think?

In the comments make your season long, game by game predictions for the Eagles and whatever reasons you might have to justify them. 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? Last year's cluelessness was recorded for posterity here.

9/9 @ Cleveland (1:00 PM)
9/16 Baltimore (1:00 PM)
9/23 @ Arizona (4:05 PM)
9/30 Giants (8:20 PM)
10/7 @ Pittsburgh (1:00 PM)
10/14 Detroit (1:00 PM)
10/28 Atlanta (1:00 PM)
11/5 @ New Orleans (8:30 PM)
11/11 Dallass (4:25 PM)
11/18 @ Washington (1:00 PM)
11/26 Carolina (8:30 PM)
12/2 @ Dallass (8:20 PM)
12/9 @ Tampa Bay (1:00 PM)
12/13 Cincinnati (8:20 PM)
12/23 Washington (1:00 PM)
12/30 @ Giants (1:00 PM)

4-0. Preseason Champs!

I half watched this along with the announcers whose job it was to watch. Some notes:

• The "star" of the game was Bryce Brown. He'll make the team.
• Both third string TEs made some plays. I wonder if they'll keep either.
• Foles still looked competent and had some nice throws again.
• Trent Edwards looked good again and didn't throw an interception again.
• Last preseason's trendy complaint was about all the touchbacks. This preseason's is about the fake refs and how much they're going to screw up. Like the regular refs never screwed up and cost teams games.
• Brian Baldinger said, "DeSean Jackson literally flies."
• Jeff Lurie said 8-8 will get Andy Reid fired, just not with those exact words.

Enjoy your three day weekend.

Foles steam ahead or Foles gold?

While Michael Vick was never learning any lessons back in Philadelphia, Nick Foles got his first start in Cleveland and made the most of it. Though his first series ended in a pick, his next 2 ended in TD passes after the defense and special teams set him up with very short fields. By the end of his night Foles was 12 of 19 for 146 yards and had 2 other drives that led to field goals. Foles continued to show poise, confidence and patience as well as a strong and accurate arm. He also seems to already know where to the put the ball in relation to the defender. When Vick gets hurt by week 2 Foles will not be a deer in the headlights, but I also don't expect him to make it look as easy as he has been when defenses start blitzing and scheming to confuse the crap out of a rookie.

I find it harder to judge the defense because the Browns offense just seemed really poor. The Browns were careless with ball security, dropped a bunch of passes and were out of sync. They were crap except for the game's opening drive where they easily moved into the red zone before Landri rushed in on a screen and strip sacked the Browns next QB bust, Brandon Weeden.

That play set up the rest of the game as the Eagles defensive line easily got into the Browns backfield with their rush and even thwarted the run. But the defense also continued to get stupid penalties such as 3 "lining up in the neutral zone" infractions. But fortunately the Browns ineptitude was far greater than the usual Eagles stupidity and the Eagles won easily, 27-10.

Players that stood out included Foles, Damaris Johnson with 2 great catches and some nice punt returns, Kendricks somewhat in his limited time, Phillip Hunt, rookie safety Phillip Thomas with some tackles and pass defenses, and rookie linebacker Ryan Rau.

Players that are trending bust include DeMeco Ryans and Demetress Bell, Jason Peters supposed replacement. Casey Matthews will be cut.

Last fake game is at 6:30 this Thursday vs. the Jets.

Eagles win again, but starters are awful again

While New England rested a good portion of its best players, the Eagles played all their starters yet were outplayed and beaten. The defense was its usual terrible self. Sure they got sacks, but on third down New England's second teamers converted more often than not. The defense made rookie QB Ryan Mallett look like Tom Brady. The defense is also soft as tapioca pudding. The defense was sucking so much Reid lost it for the first time I've ever seen (and during a preseason game no less) and was caught on camera screaming at Cullen Jenkins who stood up and yelled back. This will be one topic of discussion on the sports talk radio.

The primary topic of discussion though will be Michael Vick and Nick Foles. So far in 2 preseason games Vick has gotten knocked out of the game on his 6th play of each and played a total of 5 minutes. His first injury was bad luck, but his second was the typical stupid Vick play - wildly and blindly spinning around in the pocket, throwing a ball up for grabs that should have been picked, while putting himself in a completely vulnerable position to get crushed. And Vick was crushed, right in the ribs. The rookie QBs in the game on both teams showed more football smarts than Vick when put in similar positions.

Foles once again in relief looked poised and made several impressive throws. He also moved the offense fairly efficiently while Vick did next to nothing but get hurt again. Granted Foles was once again not playing the other team's best, but he still threaded passes and put them right where they needed to be and most significantly got rid of the ball quickly and on target. His one pick was underthrown and was partially the result of indecision. Of course fans will get carried away and begin anointing him the starter.

The other big topic of discussion will be the 20 penalties with 16 being accepted for 131 yards. This team is just as stupid and careless as ever. They've learned nothing from last year.

There were a few Eagles players that did look good with Foles standing out the most. Kendricks once again made plays and is the ONE guy on the defense that can recognize a screen. Philip Hunt continued his good pass rushing and had a strip. McCoy ran well on his few touches, DRC made some plays and got a pick that was nullified by a penalty (of course), and Clay Harbor made bunch of catches including a toe tapper in the back corner of the endzone for a TD.

Fire Castillo.

Eagles steal one from the Steelers

If the first teams remained in the entire game the Eagles would have been rolled. The starting defense had all the elements from last year present:

• Can't stop the run
• Can't tackle
• Confused in coverages
• Can't get off the field, even on third and longs
• Still stupid - the #1 killer of their season last year

The starting offense mustered a whole 6 plays - 2 three and outs. Their biggest victory of the night might have been Vick's thumb x-rays were negative after he hit Kelce's helmet on a follow through. The night was saved though by the second and third teamers who played well and on offense executed way better than the starters. Then with 12 seconds left Henery kicked a 51 yard field goal right down the middle to win it 24-23.

Of the players worth paying attention to, Kafka was mediocre but Nick Foles was impressive digging the Eagles out of their 13-0 hole. NFL retread Trent Edwards even looked good in the 2 minute drill leading the team into position for the game winning field goal. Damaris Johnson looked like DeSean Jr. with his quickness on some punt returns and the long bomb he caught and ran in for a TD. Kendricks, the linebacker they drafted, was making plays and showed good speed. I didn't notice DeMeco Ryans do anything of note and the run defense is still horrible. Fletcher Cox didn't stand out, but Vinny Curry made several plays in the backfield. Jaiquawn Jarrett looked pretty bad.

Next game is August 20th at New England.