ESPN: Claude Giroux is quarter season Hart Trophy winner.

Well at least Pierre LeBrun thinks so. Barry Melrose believes Phil Kessel has been the MVP, and I agree with him. Matt Read picks up an honorable mention for the Calder. All the information is here.

The emergence of Giroux as not only a great offensive player, but as a solid player in his own end, has dulled the loss of Mike Richards. At this moment the Richards deal looks bad, with Schenn either underperforming or injured, and Wayne Simmonds playing like a less effective version of Scott Hartnell. Richards meanwhile has 20 points. The Carter trade appears a lot better for the Flyers. Voracek has not been the bust I thought he would be, though he is not scoring many goals, he is racking up a lot of assists. Carter has been hampered by injury, probably since he spent the off season keeping in shape by hanging out on his deck in Sea Isle City.

And speaking of injuries, my prediction that Jagr would be hurt by Thanksgiving was proven correct.

The performance of the Flyers rookies has been good. Matt Read looks solid, Zack Rinaldo is Dan Carcillo with less dumb penalties, and Sean Couturier plays like an 18 year old kid, but his +8 can't be denied.

Bird turds

12/01 8:20 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Philadelphia @ Seattle	44.5 2.5	43 3	43 3	43 2	43 3

Matchup

Bonus Question: How low will the ratings be?

Eagles, outclassed and uncompetitive

So another home game, another disaster, another embarrassment and another loss. This time 38-20 to the Patriots. I thought the Eagles would keep it close and then get blown out in the second half. I should have said second quarter. This collection of sad, dumbass clowns "led" by a a clueless, out-of-touch but knows-it-all ringleader and his hapless sidekicks, Marty and Juan, staged another performance of prat falls, boneheaded acts, comedy of errors, slip on a banana peel unfunny crap that resulted in the loudest boos of the season and the first loud and sustained "FIRE ANDY" chants.

The defense, its scheme and its coach was the biggest joke of the day. The worst of the worst aspects of the defensive play is the pylonesque secondary made up of safeties that don't know what they are doing and can't cover, and every would be tackler that gets dragged for a couple yards before actually bringing a runner down. The second biggest joke is the offensive game plan and play calling. We all know what I'm going to say next - run the ball blah blah blah. Use up the clock blah blah blah. Give it to your best player, McCoy blah blah blah. After Young had his early success that's all it took for Reid to throw it over and over and over again for the rest of the game. Young was erratic, and his receivers can't catch - so throw it even more! Third biggest joke is wannabe 10 million dollar man, Alligator-arms Jackson. In the first quarter his turtling resulted in a drop that killed a drive that ended in a field goal. In the second quarter when the game wasn't totally out of hand yet, he was more concerned about not getting hit than catching a touchdown that hit him in the hands. He later failed to catch a punt that rolled for 20 or so yards and a 50 yard bomb for a TD that practically landed in his lap. Fourth biggest joke is the broadcast team of Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf. They were willfully ignorant of things like Jackson's turtling and the loud "FIRE ANDY" chants, and failed to offer any criticism at all and instead repeatedly said things that weren't true. And even after a replay showed they weren't true - like Dierdorf's insistence that #31 on the Patriots got a hand on the bomb Jackson dropped - maintained that their version of reality was still plausible. True pros.

Other notes:

• Eagles didn't convert a third down until the third quarter.
• Vince Young threw for 400 yards on 48 attempts.
• McCoy had a whopping 10 carries.
• I think "REID MUST GO" better lends itself to mass chanting than "FIRE ANDY." Somebody print fliers to hand out for Jets game.
• Jenkins had a decent game.
• Avant came on strong in the 4th quarter!
• Nate Allen was the worst player on the field by far. Good thing the Eagles passed on Earl Thomas and moved up for Brandon Graham instead.
• The Patriots made it look so easy on offense. Or maybe it was the Eagles defense making it look so easy.
• Once again Vegas and the bettors overrated the Eagles by a lot.
• The woman in the Verizon ad "wrapping" the tablets and smart phones is fine.
• Good joke - Will Desean also drop his walking papers?
• It's a cliche, but when you don't play as a team and for the team and instead play as individuals, you will lose. (And you will also look pathetically bad while losing.)
• Fire Reid.

Another day of roasted birds?

11/27 4:15 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
New England @ Philadelphia	50.5 3.5	OFF OFF	50 3.5	50 3	OFF OFF

Matchup

Bonus Question: Which NE tight end will have more receiving yards?

Eagles show up for 4 quarters and win

The Eagles were on their way to their 6th, 4th quarter loss of the year, but somehow Vince Young made plays, Jason Avant made a miracle shoestring catch, Riley Cooper caught a couple important balls including the game winning touchdown, and the defense created a huge turnover via a Babin strip sack to prevent the Giants from retying the game. And that's who should get the most credit in this victory - the defense. For the first time all year they played with hatred and violence and consistent effort. The were punishing any Giant who had the ball and others that didn't, including roughing up Manning after he threw a bad pick early in the game. Giants cried about it, but it was revenge for the same exact thing they did to Vick in the first meeting of the year.

So even though the Eagles season is still over, Beating the Giants 17-10 still feels good. It's always good to see the Manning face one more time and the Coughlin befuddled old man, knuckles on the hips pose.

Other notes:

• DeSean Jackson had his first impactful game of the year. But he's still a stupid idiot that never learns.
• That game winning drive was 18 plays, 80 yards, 9 minutes and had SIX converted third downs.
• Even though Landri recovered Manning's fumble, why didn't he just fall on the ball? He was inviting disaster.
• Vince Young looked dreamy on that last drive, but he did throw 3 picks, though the second was because Harbor was being interfered with.
• I really liked that Cullen Jenkins hit on #28.
• Reid won another challenge!
• Jackson's punt return was very similar to the one that won the game there last year, and right down the same sideline.
• I have to go to sleep, so add your observations in the comments. I missed a ton.

The Eagles are irrelevant

11/20 8:20 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Philadelphia @ NY Giants	47 -3	46.5 -5	46.5 -4.5	46.5 -4	47.5 -4.5

Matchup

Bonus Question: How many times will they replay the Jackson punt return from last season?

Sad, pathetic joke

I thought the Eagles would beat the Cardinals solely because the Cardinals would suck more than them. Well the Cardinals did suck, but the Eagles were the team that sucked more, a lot more. If not for the Republican debates, the Eagles would be the saddest clown show on the planet.

But did anyone really care when the Cardinals, led by backup scrub quarterback John Skelton, inevitably took the ball right down the field for the go ahead touchdown with a minute or so to go? Did anyone get angry when LeSean McCoy committed the Eagles 11th penalty to take away a first down and put the Eagles in a third and 20 upon which Vick then heaved up a stupid bomb to the rock handed, stupid and abysmally slow Steve Smith that was then picked to seal the defeat? Was anybody frustrated when with Jackson scratched and Maclin hurt McCoy only 14 carries all day? (And of course that was with Vick having a terrible day throwing the ball.) Is anybody angry that on a team loaded with "all-stars" the best unit is the kick coverage - you know, when the "scrubs" are on the field?

Nobody? I thought so.

I can't wait to watch the rest of the season. Up till now the games were still important and meant something, yet this team can't catch, can't tackle, makes a half-hearted effort, sleepwalks through games, sleeps through meetings, and makes every stupid mistake you can make. Now that there is nothing to play for, how awful will these unfocused idiots and morons be?

Other notes:

• Eagles now have lost 6 of the last 7 games at home and blown 4, 4th quarter leads.
• After Asante did his pick six they started partying on the sidelines and predictably gave up an easy drive on the Cardinals following possession. So much for maintaining focus.
• Gotta love covering Fitzgerald with linebackers and a rookie safety starting his first game.
• Steve Smith is the worst. Has he played football before?
• Tackling was awful again.
• Vick was terrible again. He should have had 5 picks.
• Vick also terrible again on a last minute comeback drive.
• Play calling back to the usual atrociousness and mind numbing stupidity.
• At the end of the game MIke Quick said, "The hill just got steeper for the Eagles." Merrill Reese responded incredulously, "Steeper? Steeper? You're talking Mount Everest!"
• Fire Reid.

Sorry. I forgot the Eagles were playing this Sunday

11/13 1:00 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Arizona @ Philadelphia	46.5 -14	46.5 -14	46.5 -15.5	OFF OFF	46.5 -14

Matchup

Bonus Question: Who got the worst of the Kolb - DRC trade?
Bonus Bonus Question: Who keeps betting the Eagles to get these lines so high?

Same old Eagles

Well, back to the usual turnovers, slow start, inconsistency, terrible tackling, drops, bad Vick decisions, poor protection, stupid penalties, general sloppiness, stumbling and bumbling, stupidity, and terrible defense. Throw into that mix a complete choke job by the punter on a fake punt and a terrible referee call that gave the Bears 4 points they didn't deserve, and it all adds up to another loss. And this was a loss very similar to most of the earlier ones and almost a carbon copy of the Atlanta loss - behind early, outplayed, come back to take the lead in the 4th and then don't do anything again the rest of the game, and lose by under a touchdown with Maclin blowing the 4th down play.

So the Eagles get beat at home again, losing 30-24, and will be watching the playoffs from home this year. But I think we already knew that.

Other notes:

• McCoy was great again, but for naught again.
• Eagles coverage of returns was also great. I think they were purposely kicking the kickoffs short and going for hangtime instead and it worked great.
• Celek was good again.
• Nice play by Rolle on the strip and TD return.
• I can't really find blame with Reid this game at all, it's all on the players.
• Jackson's fumble on the punt was brutal and was a huge factor in the loss. All he does is run backwards on returns now and dance around.
• Jackson was invisible again as far as being a receiver.
• The pass rush was brutal - ZERO sacks and barely a hand on Cutler.
• Trent Cole was bad. He missed tackles all night and couldn't beat a rookie playing a new position.
• The most brutal play by the line happened when Cutler fell down and 3 Eagles fell over themselves and onto the ground while Cutler got up untouched and completed a pass downfield.
• DRC is terrible.
• Asomugha was bad again.
• Chicago's B list receivers torched the Eagles "A" list corners.
• Eagles defense gave up a ton of 3rd and long conversions and repeatedly let the Bears escape from bad situations.
• 3 more tipped balls at the line by Vick.
• Every time Avant catches the ball now he falls to the ground ala Chad Lewis.
• Vick was pretty bad this game vs. a pass defense near the bottom of the league.
• Vick failed again in a late game comeback drive and looked skittish which was probably why that pass to Maclin was a tad too high.
• The first half was ruined by the 1,000 commercials. Thanks ESPN!
• ESPN announcers are terrible. They repeated the usual obvious and cliche things, but everyone does that. What puts them in a league of their own is they repeatedly assert things that aren't true at all.
• It's very frustrating watching this team. I think it's the maddening inconsistency.

Stopping the run is not the Eagles forte

11/06 8:20 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Chicago @ Philadelphia	47 -8	47 -8	47 -9	47 -7.5	47 -7.5

Matchup

Bonus Question: Can Andy Reid (im)possibly stick with the run game for a third straight week?

Dallass really sucks

It is amazing what happens when the Eagles have no turnovers, no stupid, backbreaking penalties, good to great play calling in the redzone, and great focus and execution. It seems when a team has these things going for them they also get the bounces and tonight was no exception for the Eagles. Bounces that went their way - Nnamdi's interception, the recovery of center fumble on snap even though the ball was kicked, busted plays turning into first downs, Vick's strip sack that Herreman's was able to jump on, and Reid even went 2 for 2 on his challenges to make it abundantly clear this was the Eagles night. Of course both of those plays, especially the second were terrible original calls by the officials.

As a result the Eagles demolished the Cowboys 34-7, put up 495 total yards, dominated time of possession 41:09 to 17:51, rushed for 239 yards vs. the leagues #1 defense vs. the run, and almost shut Dallass out. The shutout would have been the best tribute to Jim Johnson who was inducted into the Eagles hall of fame at half time along with another defensive great, Eric Allen, but allowing on 7 I suppose is acceptable.

Other notes:

• Jim Johnson's last game coached at the Linc was a 44-6 blowout win over Cowboys in 2008.
• Nice to see the coaching staff do what we want - continue to run the ball, get Celek involved, put cornerbacks on tightends like Whitten, and less to NO gimmick plays.
• Vick was on fire in the first half, especially on the third TD drive with the two passes that completed the series - the first down pass to Avant and the TD pass to Celek.
• Also great audible by Vick on that first TD play to Maclin.
• Vick also was decisive on his runs and picked his spots really well. He also got out of bounds and avoided hits better, though not perfectly.
• I actually laughed at that Snickers ad with Joe Pesci and Don Rickles.
• The worst call of the year so far has to be the one the refs said was a backwards pass that Jackson dropped.
• The crowd gave a huge mock cheer when the refs corrected it, but I wasn't sure if it was for the refs or the fact that Reid went 2 for 2 on his challenges for the first (and probably last) time ever.
• Romo was awful and played like a scared little girl for the most of the game. I love when he sacks himself.
• Speaking of sacks, good to have Trent Cole back.
• Offensive line played great on both protection and run blocking. Credit also goes to the tightends in this regard as well.
• Danny Watkins was good. Has he gotten a penalty yet?
• So glad we signed Steve Smith. I guess he really is just an injury insurance policy, but it's not like we've needed him.
• Should the starters have all been in there on the last 2 offensive series? The Cowboys were dropping like flies.
• Kind of disappointed no fan dressed as Rob Ryan for Halloween.
• The Cowboys dressed up as a football team, but they didn't fool anyone.
• If NBC had any cheesesteak shots, I missed them.
• Dallass sucks.

Dallass sucks

10/30 8:20 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Dallass @ Philadelphia	51 -3.5	50.5 -3.5	50.5 -3.5	50.5 -3	50 -3

Matchup

Bonus Question: Which team is the bigger fraud?

Right back in it!

It appears Andy Reid is capable of learning. The offense was successful today with short passes and running the ball consistently. But Reid is a slow learner, so he still tried a quarterback sneak on the inch line before going with a run to the outside for a touchdown. And after their first 2 trips inside the 10 resulted in touchdowns, the offense reverted to field goals the next 2 times, and then put up a big fat zero for the entire second half, giving the Redskins a chance to steal the game. But Rex Grossman repeatedly destroyed any chance Washington had of winning the game by throwing terrible interception after terrible interception. He was the Eagles MVP and eventually was replaced by backup, John Beck.

The Eagles defense showed up today by getting 4 interceptions (but Grossman deserves more credit for those than the Eagles) and shutting down the Redskins running game. I have no idea how they shut down the run so effectively as opposed to previous weeks. Maybe the "brilliant" Coach Billick could have filled us in instead of babbling on and on about something pointless. I think the Eagles also benefitted from Washington's play calling. Where were the screens and the draws that the Bills killed the Eagles with last week?

I will also do something very rare - thank the refs. The refs bailed the Eagles out more than a few times today with bad calls, most notably the roughing the passer call in the first quarter that really helped the offense get out of a huge hole and get rolling to their first touchdown. Up until that call the Eagles were only going backwards.

With the 20-13 win the Eagles are now only a game out of first in the hapless NFC East and SuperBowl bound again!

Other notes:

• Coleman had 3 interceptions, but also the stupidest play of the game with his idiotic personal foul on a defenseless receiver that already dropped the ball.
• Nnamdi had the hit of the game, knocking big mouth Cooley out of the game. Sheldon Brown on Reggie Bush is still the best hit by a #24 I ever saw.
• The Eagles first TD was a great call and perfectly executed. Miracle.
• McCoy could have had 2 TDs on the day if he didn't drop a shovel pass. He tried to run before he caught the ball...
• I don't think Dion Lewis was down on his "TD" run. If he was there would not have been any bright green underneath his knee - he was casting that shadow on the ground you know.
• Speaking of shadows, in that dumb ad where the plane lands in the back of the pickup, the truck has no shadow underneath it at all when they go to the angle from the front.
• Two weeks in a row DRC has let an interception bounce right off his hands. His whiff while trying to tackle the "shifty" Beck in the fourth quarter was embarrassing.
• Celek's "spectacular" catch was only difficult because he didn't catch the pass the first time.
• Eagles got most of the bounces today, the opposite of last week.
• We could have used a replay on Celek's drop in the endzone and Vick's kicking of I don't know what on the sideline by the cheerleaders after that long run. He appeared to be apologizing for whatever he did.
• Reid et. al were out adjusted at the half again.
• McCoy's poke of Reid in his big fat belly was like poking a life-size Pillsbury Doughboy.
• Eagles seemed a little too happy after winning. Or maybe I'm a little too bitter.

If they win, only 1 game out of first!*

10/16 1:00 PM ET	Opening	Legends	5Dimes	SBGGLOBAL	JustBet
Philadelphia @ Washington	47.5 0	47 1	47 1	47 1.5	47 1.5

Matchup

Bonus Question: Who will make the idiotic play that sets another new standard of stupidity and carelessness this week?

*If the Bills beat the Giants too.

Season is over

Nice try Eagles. But only playing good on occasion during a 60 minute game doesn't work. Sure the Bills got every lucky bounce in the book on the majority of the turnovers, but the defense can't stop anything 90% of the time and the team is stacked with high paid morons and a defensive coordinator that is completely overmatched.

Maybe next year.

Other notes:

• Juqua Parker is a fucking idiot.