Monday Morning Glory

Fly Eagles, Fly. On the road to victory.
Fly Eagles, Fly. Score a touchdown 1,23.

Good Monday morning, and welcome to a glorious day after a win post. I was fortunate enough to attend yesterdays, dismantling of the St. Louis Rams 38-3. It was such an awesome site, and the exactly what the Eagles, and the city of Philadelphia needed to see yesterday. It's a great game in Philly, when the only thing the "Boo Birds" have as ammunition, is the fact we gave up a field goal late in the 4th, and lost the shutout. So, let's talk Eagles.
Receiving:
DeSean Jackson shouldn't be annointed as our savior, but he is making a strong case for himself. Jackson caught 6 passes for 106 yards, and an additional 97 yards returning points. Which included one for 60 yards, that was close to being a touchdown. He stepped in yesterday, and met the expectations of the Eagles, and the crowd. Although this was just his first game, against a sub-par team, Jackson performed admirably. Next week's Monday Night battle with Dallas, will be a more challenging test.

Not falling too far from the Jackson tree, the other Eagles' receivers stepped up as well. Hank Baskett had 2 catches for 102 yards, and a touchdown. Greg Lewis had 104 yards receiving too. In total 8 players had receptions. This is important, when a team doesn't have one go-to-guy at receiver. Everyone is going to have to chip in, and yesterday they did.

A point of displeasure was L.J. Smith (according to some accounts), but certainly not mine. He had 5 receptions for 39 yards, and a tough Touchdown grab in the first quarter. Stonehands? I think not. He did drop a shovel-esque pass in the endzone, but I didn't think that he did a bad job.
Passing:
Behind every good pass, there is a good quarterback. Donovan McNabb, was great!!!! Top passer for the week with 361 yards passing, completing 21 of 33 passing attempts, 3 touchdowns, and a QB rating of 131. He hit his receivers in stride, and looked nimble in the pocket. Donovan looks like he's ready to be our quarterback, and I'm ready for him to do that too!
Running:
Brian Westbrook looked good as always, claiming 91 yards rushing on 19 attempts, and 2 touchdowns (1 receiving). Tony Hunt scored on 1 yard run in the 3rd. Booker added 9 yards, and Buckhalter had 5 yards.
O-Line:
The Eagles offensive line kept McNabb upright, and opened holes for Westrbook, There is little more that one could ask for. They did a good job, and receive a gold star next to each of the names.
Defense:
They looked marvelous. We held the Rams to 166 total yards, and only gave up 3 points, while recording 4 sacks. The secondary was batting passes down, and Steven Jackson was held to 40 yards rushing for the game. We got great play from every position on the field. Although we didn't have any turnovers (which has been a point of focus), we didn't need them. We stopped every Rams drive, before they even got started.
Summation:
The Eagles looked good on both sides of the ball yesterday. The Eagles attack was a balanced one. The Defense was aggressive. The Rams performance was lack-luster at best. The Eagles took them out of their game early, and they never made an attempt to get back in it either. We have got a big test coming next week. It's against our division rival Cowboys. We'll talk more on our Monday night showdown later.

Around the league:
The road to glory has just taken a turn through disasterville. What some saw as a dirty play, everyone saw as the end. Tom Brady's knee is the hot topic of today. Leaving the game, and not returning has got everyone buzzing. Waiting to hear the results of his MRI. If the injury is season ending, then a world of possibility could blossom forth. Losing the Patriots posterboy for the season could lead to missing the playoffs. What we know for certain is this: Matt Cassel isn't a backup quarterback. He's a backup's backup. If Brady's injury ends his season, Matt Cassel will still be on clipboard, and jock-strap duties. During the Football Night in America broadcast, Peter King talked about how devestating Tom Brady's injury was to the NFL!!! This gets my Ire. Yes, he's a great quarterback, posterboy for the NFL, and the leader of the Patriots. However, if Tom Brady is indeed done for the year, the NFL is not going to collapse. The world will not end.

I have a fever, and the only cure is. More Highlights. Last night Football Night in America became the show to watch. Why? Because, they have all the highlights. Profootballtalk.com compared Football Night in America with ESPN, and came to the conclusion that it was better, but needed more highlights. I wasn't all that impressed. I'll watch, because I want to see hightlights, but the show itself seems chaotic. There was a lot take in during the broadcast. The show just had too many people, in too many places on the same set for liking. Up top you had the line up of Keith Oberlman, Dan Patrick, Bob Costas, and sometimes Peter King. Then at a table below you had Jerome Bettis, Tiki Barber, and Chris Collinsworth as the mediator. Interesting note: Shawn Merriman played only 2 downs.

Jake Delhomme spent the summer under John Elway's tutelage, and subsequently mastered the 4th quarter comeback. Scoring the game winning touchdown as time expires, it doesn't get much better than that.

Marion Barber III bangs up ribs, in win over the Browns. This is a serious issue for a guy who's running style is that of bull. Although according to ESPN's sources, the ribs are not broken. He's got a full week to rest up for the Monday night's showdown with the Eagles. It would be to the Eagles benefit if Barber is limited or unable to play. That doesn't mean that the Cowboys running game will vanish. Rookie Felix Jones can step up, and keep their running game alive, and well.


That's it for now. Don't forget about tonight's Monday Night Double-Header.





GO BIRDS!!!

Labor Daybor (A Blatant Theft)

Who caught our final preseason game against the Jets? I, was unable to, as I was knee deep in a fantasy draft. Not to mention Heineken cans as well. I was able to catch some of the pre-game show on 94.1 WSYP, and now I am doing a little catch up reading. But here are some things that I have heard that pertain to last nights game, and just some random news from around that league.

Lets go Eagles first. Because we all know that they are really what matters!

The first cut is the deepest. While driving to draft my championship caliber fantasy team, there were 2 commentators were discussing being cut for the first time, and how nerve racking it was. I myself have been cut (Junior High Basketball), and I took it pretty hard. They continued on about how players savor the last moments on the team, and they put into a perspective that I had never really put too much thought into. Pro athletes, for the most part have been immersed in their sport since childhood. Guys grew up playing football in Pop Warner, High School, College, and the pinnacle (NFL). I can't even imagine how nervous the guys that played last night are right now. They are hoping that they don't get that call. So, to all the Eagles players that are praying to avoid those final 22 cuts, this ones for you!

In last nights 27-20 loss to the Jets Kevin Kolb received top marks for his starting performance. The Eagles blogosphere was pleaseed with his performance too, and suggested that we will be in good hands when he takes the reigns. Jerome McDougle is on the bubble, be remains confident. Two years ago I was lobbying the Eagles to cut ties with under-performing defensive end, but he has shown during training camp that he can be an effective pass rusher. I've changed my tune about him, and think he has earned his spot. Besides, I wouldn't want to see him lining up as an NFC East rival. Tony Hunt was under the microscope last night as well. Some see the glass as half empty. I have been harping on this topic a lot lately. He's not a fullback, and it saddens me to think that he will be picked up off of waivers by another team. He should be the heir apparent to Correll. DeSean Jackson got the night off. I read an article yesterday about how the Eagles are making a concerted effort to prevent him from getting a big head. Good job coach, sitting him last night with all the starters really put him in his place!

This just in, Eagles trim roster to 67.

In news around the league:

L.A. will be the home of an NFL franchise in 2009. The possibility of franchise moving to the City of Angels bothers to no end. Yeah, of course it's a huge market, but it's a FAIR WEATHER FAN city. People go to sporting events to be seen, and make some headlines. There aren't really a loyal fan base. Unless you are winning. Who's going to be their official A-lister? The Lakers have Nicholson. The Dodgers have Milano (insert prrring sound effect). Here's my suggestion. The Rams relocated to St. Louis, and the Raiders went back to Oakland in 1995, due in part to the lack of attendance. This left the second largest TV market void of an NFL team. That's not my problem. A team moving to Los Angeles is going to be a fab, because it's a new and getting a lot of publicity. Then, when all the hype begins to dispearse, so will the fan base. History has a tendency to repeat itself.

LenWhale is throwing his hat in the ring for Hater of the Year. These not really anything to say about this. I just saw that headline, and found it amusing.

That Carson Palmer had better keeps his hands off my 85! I don't know if this is true, or not. I do know that I love Chad's (dare I say it) SHENANIGANS!!!! Dude may be facing a season ending shoulder injury, and he's having his name legally changed. He's keeping it Dade fo' sho'.

Adam "Don't Call Me Pacman" Jones loooooooves Hooters, but he better not love it too much.

That's all we have time for today. You stay classy, and enjoy your labor dabor weekend.

GO BIRDS!!!