Snarkin' the NFL

Super Bowl 46 Picks

2012-01-31T18:07:00.001-05:00

The Giants and the Patriots will be facing off in Indianapolis this Sunday, February 5. You know, just in case you've been living under a rock or so mesmerized by the Republican debates that you've forgotten about all other types of media.

If you recall, the last time they met in the Super Bowl - a mere four years ago (but I'm not bitter) - the Giants played spoiler to the Patriots' attempt at a perfect season, beating the Pats 17-14 and significantly aided by David Tyree's miracle helmet catch.

I don't think that's going to happen again.

Yes, since I can't have what I really want - a time machine that will take us back to week 4, when the Eagles SHOULD have woken up (as opposed to week 12, when they actually did) - or what I wanted as an alternative - a Ravens/49ers Super Bowl - I'll sigh, place my faith in the Pats, pray for a natural disaster, and watch for the commercials.

2011 Conference Championships Recap

2012-01-23T18:50:00.001-05:00

Patriots over Ravens. Billy Cundiff: C’mon man! I know it's easy to scapegoat the kicker, but this one really was his fault. Missing a 32 yard field goal to tie the AFC Championship game with 11 seconds in regulation is just unacceptable. Guess who'll be kicking for the CFL next year?

Giants over 49ers: Kyle Williams: C’mon man! Special teams can make or break you, and his boneheaded mishandling of the punt and his boneheaded fumble led directly to 10 Giants points, including the field goal that won the game in overtime. But at least he'll have company in the CFL next year.

The Snark? 0-2 this weekend.

At least they were both good games, but I was so sad at the end of both. I really wanted a Ravens/49ers Super Bowl, and I really don’t give a good goddamn about the game now. I’ll be rooting for a natural disaster to swallow up Colts’ stadium.

The Ravens FINALLY swept the Steelers for the first time ever(?) this year, and Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are probably retiring.

Jim Harbaugh managed to effect a remarkable transformation in San Francisco in his rookie year as a head coach. Alex Smith finally started to live up to his promise. And they have my secret kicker boyfriend David Akers (Philadelphians are irrationally attached to the guy). And Vernon Davis doesn’t have a whole lot of years left, ether.

Meanwhile, we'll get to watch another Super Bowl between two totally self-satisfied teams with two of the most annoying fan bases in any pro sports.

But I’m not bitter.

2011 Conference Championship Picks

2012-01-19T18:47:00.000-05:00

Sticking with the "defense wins championships" theory:

Ravens at Patriots: I sure as hell hope the good Ravens show up, or this will be a hot mess. But I'm picking based on the "God is now royally pissed" theory and going with the Ravens. Also, defense.

Giants at 49ers: 49ers. By the way, yes, it's totally killing me that the Eagles missed the playoffs by [this] much. And that a reason they missed the playoffs by [this] much is that they lost to the 49ers by [this] much in week 4. I should stop now, before I go jump off the roof. There's always next year...

The Business of Football

2012-01-19T07:23:00.000-05:00

Fascinating infographic shared with me by a reader (thanks Dan!)

IBM SmartCloud Enterprise Solutions

SOPA Blackout Day

2012-01-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Snarkin' the NFL is participating in a national online blackout on January 18th, 2012 in opposition of both the PROTECT-IP and SOPA bills.

If these bills pass, the U.S. government will have the ability to block any website—including any funding partners and external websites that link to the blocked website—based on accusation alone from a copyright holder.

Go to AmericanCensorship.org to learn more about these bills and how our Internet freedoms are at risk.

2011 Divisional Weekend Recap

2012-01-16T21:58:00.001-05:00

In two sentences or less, because the evening kind of got away from me:

Patriots over Broncos: Apparently, even God isn't enough to overcome Tom Brady. Or He's secretly a Raiders fan.

49ers over Saints: All right-thinking people love the Saints, but they are just not the same on the road. Also, best game of the playoffs (so far).

Ravens over Texans: Offense wins games, defense wins championships. And then there's Ray Lewis.

Giants over Packers: The Giants came to ball. The Packers did not.

2011 Divisional Weekend Picks

2012-01-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

Broncos at Patriots: aka Jesus versus Satan, the Sequel. Even though he won last time, I'm still putting my money on Dr. Evil and his Yankee henchmen. Hey, I tend to root for the bad guy all the time - just ask Chef Spouse. Pats.

Texans at Ravens: I know just last week I realized I should've stuck with my former Team of Destiny, but unless they manage to bring all 70,000 Texans fans with them to M&T Bank Stadium - and I think the Ravens fans might have something to say about that - I think they're in trouble this week. Ravens.

Giants at Packers: The Giants are the popular upset pick in my office football pool (no cash at stake, just smack talking/bragging rights). I'm thinking "rested" not "rusty" though, and I'm going with the Packers.

Saints at 49ers: This is my upset pick. I'm going with the 49ers. The Saints are mortal away from the Superdome and their fan base. If offense wins games while defense wins championships...and if all else fails, the 49ers have their secret weapon, Chef Spouse's boy David Akers. Who can onside kick like nobody's business and, apparently, throw TDs in a pinch.

2011 Wildcard Weekend Recap

2012-01-09T19:25:00.000-05:00

Texans over Bengals: The Bengals started strong, looked like they had it in the first half. But they had the proverbial uncapitalized opportunities, and by the second half, homefield advantage was kicking in in a big way. The Texans' fans were going nuts non-stop for 3 1/2 hours, and the Bengals eventually succumbed. Well, to the fans and to Arian Foster's 150+ yards on the ground. Realistically, neither of these teams was going to go far, but congratulations on your first playoff win, former Team of Destiny. Clearly, I should've kept the faith.

Saints over Lions: As expected. Did you notice the game was poorly officiated? Because it was SO poorly officiated, the NFL has officially admitted they blew the fumble/fumble recovery call towards the end of the first half. You can argue that, given the eventual score, that 7 points didn't really matter. Or did it? Momentum is a tricky thing. Not that I'm sad that the Saints won or anything, but you do really hope that the zebras will bring their BEST effort to the playoffs, not their worst.

Giants over Falcons: Also as expected. Eli was good Eli - which he's been more than not this season - and where in the hell did that run game come from? That may be the true miracle this season. I expected the Giants to win, but holding the Falcons to only a safety? Wow. The Falcons helped by making poor choices on going for it on 4th and short. Those were the sorriest excuses for QB sneaks I've ever seen, but they were representative of the fact that the Falcons O-line was getting NO push at all on the Giants D-line all day. Dear Mike Smith: wishing doesn't make it so.

Broncos over Steelers: I'm still stunned about this one. When did Tim Tebow turn into John Elway? I'm sure I saw Elway in a suit in one of the luxury suites. Then again, it was TV...Tebow's mechanics are still cringe-worthy (even for someone like me who's never played the game herself), but when did he start becoming a down the field passing threat? Ben's inability to move and the other injuries the Steelers were dealing with clearly hurt them big time, too. Is it real? Guess we'll know next week in Foxborough. So was I the only person who noticed that Ron Winter didn't seem to quite understand the new playoff game overtime rules? Because that long explanation he gave before the coin toss made NO sense. I guess it was a good thing it wasn't necessary to deploy them, because I'm not confident the officiating crew would've known what was what.

So all the home teams won this weekend. Will that hold next week? We'll see...

2011 Wildcard Weekend Picks

2012-01-04T20:15:00.000-05:00

Bengals at Texans: neither team comes in exactly lighting it up, but the Texans remind me of season 4 Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For those few fools who weren't fans (what's wrong with you, btw?), the basic plot was that an evil government entity was trying to put together a race of half human/half demon warriors, a la Dr. Frankenstein. One of the creatures begins running amuck, as these sorts of creatures often do, and plots to lure Buffy into the demon containment facility that's guarded by soldiers. His plan is to incite a riot while she's there and for her to kill enough demons (her destined calling) to even the human/demon body count (thus providing plenty of construction materials) until she's too weak to continue. That's pretty much where the Texans are at this point. Also, in their last matchup in week 14, the Texans won (their last win, for what it's worth). And it's hard to beat a team twice in a row. Bengals. Which they should savor, since it will be their last playoff win this year.

Steelers at Broncos: Of course, by that logic, I should pick the Broncos, because the Steelers are one beaten down mess at this point. But I just can't see the Broncos pulling this off. The Steelers are too smart - and too good on D. And Tim Tebow's 15 minutes seems almost up. Steelers.

Falcons at Giants: I'm really tempted to take the Falcons here, and they do have a marginally better record. But even with the other problems the Giants have these days, and they are many, Eli Manning has a hot hand going into the playoffs, and Victor Cruz can turn a 5 yard dump off pass into a 90+ yard TD at any moment, and to me, that says that the Falcons, even though they have a well-ranked D, are in trouble. Also, they are not so good on the road. Giants.

Lions at Saints: Oh Lions. Lions Lions Lions. I hate to say "I told you so" but I told you to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to hang onto the 5th seed. Did you listen to me? Noooooo. Will you regret it? Yeeeeeessss. About the time you realize that not only can't you hear each other in the huddle, but the Superdome is rocking so hard you can't even use hand signals. The Saints don't lose at home, baby. Saints.

So How'd I Do?

2012-01-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

It's time for my annual Walk of Shame post, where I look back at my pre-season playoff predictions and take my licks in public.

Here we go: get your snark ready for the comments.

AFC East

I picked: Jets
Actual winner: Patriots

To be fair, I did say that the Pats would be playoff team, at wildcard, or that they could swap with the Jets for the division. I have no excuse for why I picked the Jets to get anywhere near the playoffs. I wasn't alone, though, so maybe it was a mass hallucination that the team was any good?

AFC North

I picked: Ravens
Actual winner: Ravens

Go me!

AFC South

I picked: Texans
Actual winner: Texans

The Snark is on a roll!

AFC West

I picked: Chargers
Actual winner: Broncos

Three 8-8 teams out there. Ouch.

AFC Wildcard

I picked: Pats and Steelers
Actual winners: Steelers and Bengals

Did ANYONE see the Bengals coming? Anyone? Bueller?

So for the AFC, I'm at .500 on my divisional winner, and I had 4 of the 6 teams called, although not all the positioning was correct. Not bad.

On to the NFC...

NFC East

I had: Eagles
Actual winner: Giants

At least it wasn't the damn Cowboys.

NFC North

I picked: Packers
Actual winner: Packers

Hey! I got one!

NFC South

I picked: Falcons
Actual winner: Saints

Much like in the AFC East, I did have the Saints in the playoffs, and I noted that I thought they could swap with the Falcons. So not totally wrong - but not totally right, either.

NFC West

I picked: Cardinals
Actual winner: 49ers

I though the Kevin Kolb to Fitz hookup was going to be magic. Apparently, I was wrong. Then again, who knew that all Alex Smith needed was a decent coach and a good kicker?

NFC Wildcard

I picked: Saints and Vikings
Actual winners: Falcons and Lions

I did have the Lions as this year's Team of Destiny. They were just moving a little faster than I thought. And what can I say about the Vikings? I guess I have to accept that McNabb really is done. Sad way for a great player to go out. And before you get started, yes, I know he wasn't a perfect player. Then again, no one is, except maybe Aaron Rodgers. But he gave Eagles fans a decade of exciting football, and I've been a fan long enough to appreciate that, even if many haven't.

So how'd I do? I called a pathetic 1 of 4 divisions right, but I did get 3 of the 6 teams in the hunt correct, although again, with some positioning out of order.

So the total is 7 of the 12 teams I picked made it to the postseason, for an overall record of .583. Ouch. With that percentage, if I were a head coach, I'd fire me.

On weekly picks, I definitely did better. Of the 256 games played in the regular season, I picked 164 correct, for a .640 average.

How'd you do?

2011 Week 17 Recap

2012-01-02T15:05:00.000-05:00

Eagles v. Redskins, Sunday, January 1, 2012

The game may have been "meaningless," but it sure was nice to end the season with a win. Actually, 4 wins.

Stud of the week: other guys posted bigger numbers, but I have to give it to pint-sized Chad Hall, who scored his first NFL TD on Sunday, and did it by plowing over Perry Riley and DeAngelo Hall, who had him dead to rights stopped at the 1. Chad Hall is never going to be a starter - in Philly or anywhere else - because he's really not that good. But he plays every snap he gets with his whole heart, and you have to love him for that.

I also have to give a shout out to Jason Avant, Mr. Third Down, nearly all of whose receptions this season went for first downs. And to Alex Henery, who, thanks to Dan Bailey's miss last night, set the record for rookie kicking accuracy and single-season kicking accuracy, passing even the great David Akers (who can apparently also thrown TDs, as you'd know if you saw the 49ers game).

This was definitely a day, even a month, of "if only."

If only...the Eagles had taken better care of the ball.

If only...the defense had started to gel a little sooner.

If only...Mike Vick hadn't gotten hurt.

If only...Vince Young was a competent backup.

If only...Alex Henery had gotten over his rookie jitters by week 4.

If only...the team could've figured out how to win at home before week 15.

If only...the offense had figured out how to score some points in the 4th quarter before December. Or even realized that scoring in the fourth quarter might be important.

So now we look ahead to an extra-long offseason. For the other teams, and from the crucible of the Eagles' experiences this season:

If someone says: "Hey! I have a great idea! Even though there's going to be virtually no offseason this year, let's convert our offensive line coach into our defensive coordinator!" just say no.

As if 13 years of watching the LOLskins wasn't enough, we now have definitive proof that you cannot buy a bunch of high-priced free agents and expect them to magically morph into a team. Really. REALLY.

Win at home. If all else fails, win at home.

It's not as if there weren't bright spots: LeSean McCoy had an amazing year, and there's no reason it won't be the first of many. Howard Mudd revamped the o-line into a top-10 group. The defense was a sack machine this year, led by a nearly record season for Jason Babin, and supported by another excellent (partial) season from my boy Trent Cole. And a four game winning streak is not a bad way to go out. But 8-8 is 8-8, even if the team did go 5-1 in the division.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Dolphins over Jets: Told you so. Apparently, Rex Ryan was crying in the locker room. It's funnier when it's Tony Romo, but still - comedy gold!

Patriots over Bills: For the first 15 minutes, it looked like maybe the Bills would do the impossible and beat the Pats twice in one season. And then there was the rest of the game. Better luck next year, Bills.

Titans over Texans: The Titans did what they could to take care of business, but it wasn't enough. All they did was knock themselves down about 7 positions in the draft. Whoops. Meanwhile, the Texans are going into their first trip to the playoffs ICE cold. Early exit in 4...3....2....

Jaguars over Colts: And the winners of the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes are the Colts! Wonder what's going to happen with Peyton? In the press, he's been all: "I'm a great teammate who can work with and support anyone." To which I respond: "Has he not been paying any attention at all to himself for the past 10 years?"

Bears over Vikings: I was sure the Vikes were going to pull off another win. Except no. 3-13 gives them a good draft position, which they're going to need.

Saints over Panthers: You know how the Saints are unbeatable at home? Sucks to be the Lions.

49ers over Rams: The 49ers secure the bye, and David Akers throws the pass for what turns out to be the margin of victory. Didn't see either of those things happening back in August.

Packers over Lions: It was freezing cold and snowing at Lambeau, and it was a shoot-out anyway. I was stunned that the Lions couldn't pull it off, and that they allowed a record day with Aaron Rodgers on the bench. If the Super Bowl does come down to the Packers and Patriots, we could see the first Super Bowl with over 100 points scored.

Ravens over Bengals: The Bengals secured a playoff spot anyway, but going in losing 3 of their last 5 is not promising.

Steelers over Browns: The Steelers are literally limping into the playoffs as the 5th seed. Yeah, I know, Packers 2010, but things don't look promising for them, either. In other news, the NFC East is playing the AFC North next year. You know, the AFC North that's supplying three of the AFC playoff teams this year. Great.

Chiefs over Broncos: And the Broncos got in anyway. Don't worry - they won't go far. Much as I'd love to see BDawk get a ring before he retires, it's really not going to happen.

Cardinals over Seahawks: I have literally nothing to say about this. Other than to point out to the Redskins that Kevin Kolb might b available for 2012.

Chargers over Raiders: Did the Raiders not realize that their season was on the line? Sheesh!

Falcons over Buccaneers: Did you know that a bunch of Falcons players, coaches, and fans were whining about the Saints "letting" Drew Brees go for the single-season passing yards record last week since they were already up by so much. A few things occur to me. One, after watching my own team blow multiple fourth quarter leads this year, I think if you can score, you should score. Two, he was going for a major record, not just doing it to be mean. Three, even if he was just doing it to be mean, if you don't like it, stop him. If you can't stop him, quit yer bellyachin. Four, "waah waah poor lil us!" does not bode well for your playoff chances, Falcons.

Giants over Cowboys: I know, I know. If the Cowboys had won, the Eagles would've gotten a better draft position. And neither team would've been likely to get very far in the playoffs. But it's ALWAYS a good day when the Cowboys lose.

2011 Week 17 Picks

2011-12-30T17:10:00.000-05:00

This is it - the end of the road. Well, at least for some teams, two of which will be facing off at the Linc this week, as the Redskins travel to Philly to close out the season.

The other day, the Washington Post sports section did a "the last time the Redskins and Eagles played on New Year's Day" feature. They made a HUGE deal about the fact that the Redskins won, 31-20. Do you remember when it was? Does Jan. 1, 2006 ring a bell? You remember - the final game in the disaster season, when literally every player on the entire team was injured at one point or another, and Mike McMahon was under center?

Yep, that's how bad things are in DC - the local sports writers have to relive the glory days of 5 years ago, when the Redskins first team was able to take out the Eagles practice squad.

Things are going to go a little different this time, bitches.

Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups - things get tough to pick as teams consider resting their starters. But do they tell US who they'll be resting? Nooooo, of course not!

Jets at Dolphins: Dolphins. Because I think the Jets are mess, and I figure if they can't beat the Giants for us, they don't deserve to win another game.

Panthers at Saints: The Saints are in the running for the first round bye, and they should be able to handle the Panthers in their own house. But they need the 49ers to lose to the Rams, too, which ain't gonna happen.

49ers at Rams: 49ers. See above.

Titans at Texans: The Titans need a miracle to make the postseason. The only thing they can control is beating the Texans. And although Wade Phillips will be be back, the Texans have nothing much to play for, seeing as they've already won the division and can't get the bye. I think the Titans will do what they can and win this game, but I don't think the rest of the cards are going to fall the right way for them.

Lions at Packers: I'm going with the Lions. I think they'll want it more (I cannot overstress how important holding on to the 5th seed will be), and, with nothing more to gain, I think the Pack will rest some of their dinged up starters.

Bears at Vikings: aka the Pee Wee Bowl. The Bears have lost their last five. The Vikings have lost four of their last five, and the one win was over the Redskins. Neither team has anything to play for at this point, other than maybe draft position. I'm going with Vikings, just because they're at home.

Colts at Jaguars: The Colts better watch it, or they'll play themselves right out of the Luck sweepstakes. Jaguars.

Bills at Patriots: It's probably too much to ask the Bills to beat the Pats twice in one season. Patriots.

Seahawks at Cardinals: Man, have the Cards disappointed this season, particularly Kevin Kolb. Guess we know now why Andy Reid didn't mind letting him go. Seahawks.

Chargers at Raiders: Back on the "which team has something to play for?" theme, I'm going with the Raiders.

Chiefs at Broncos: Chiefs. And not just because I want the Raiders to win the division. I think Tebow's luck has run out, at least on the 2011 season. During the offseason, he might want to look into actually learning how to play his position.

Buccaneers at Falcons: The Falcons, of course, ALSO don't want the #6 seed in the NFC. Particularly after last Monday night. And they'll win this game, but it won't be enough.

Ravens at Bengals: Both of these teams really want this game, too. The Bengals need it to make the playoffs, and the Ravens need it to hold off the Steelers, who will DEFINITELY win their game. Ravens.

Steelers at Browns: See above. Steelers.

Cowboys at Giants: Giants. And not just because I don't want the Cowboys to win the division. I genuinely believe the Giants are the better team. I also genuinely believe that whichever team wins this game will go down in the first game of the playoffs, because the NFC East is just not very good this year. But Giants fans will at least get one week to dream.

Hawaii, Baby, Hawaii!

2011-12-28T10:16:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Eagles first team Pro Bowlers LeSean McCoy, Jason Babin, and Jason Peters. All are having exceptional seasons, Shady in particular.

(Honorable mentions to alternates Cullen Jenkins and Nnamdi Asomugha, although I'm pretty sure Nnamdi got the bid on name recognition alone, since he hasn't exactly had a dominant season.)

Finally, I have to give another shout-out to David Akers, headed to his SIXTH Pro Bowl, where he'll likely keep adding to his "most points in Pro Bowl history" record.

2011 Week 16 Recap

2011-12-26T19:49:00.001-05:00

Eagles at Cowboys, Saturday, December 24, 2011

Happy holidays, y'all! Whatever you celebrate, and whoever you celebrate with, I hope you had a good time. I certainly did, watching the Eagles stomp the Cowboys for the second time this season.

Stud of the week: Alex Henery. On a day when David Akers set the single season field goal points record, Henery made his 14th straight and his first over 50 yards. I actually noted the Akers' record on Facebook and got "thank you" comments from a number of my 49ers-loving friends. I know, I know - who cares about a kicker? Well, I do. I was very fond of David Akers and very sorry to see him depart. I'm hoping that Henery can pick up where he left off. It seems unlikely that he'll be as good a final line of defense as our former Jiu-Jitsu trained kicker, although he did manage to slow down Dwayne Harris long enough for the cavalry to get there.

The Eagles blogging family has been fairly low-key about the win over the Cowboys. Sure, the Eagles were eliminated from the playoffs by shortly after kick off, and sure, maybe the Cowboys didn't really care to win the game, since it comes down to next week's matchup against the Giants regardless. But I'm proud of our guys for not giving up and going out strong.

OK, sure, the Dolphins and Jets will be watching the playoffs from their couches too - hell, I think the Cowboys will as well, because my money's on the Giants to win next week - but again, they haven't given up.

To quote BGN: "too little, too late." And they're right. The Eagles blew games they should've won back when it mattered, giving up an epic number of fourth quarter leads and not even managing to pull off a divisional title in a sadly diminished NFC East. And even though the D has played MUCH better of late, Juan Castillo's job may still be on the line, particularly if Spags gets fired in St. Louis (which seems pretty likely to me).

On the other hand, our boys beat Dallas in THEIR house on Christmas Eve, and almost pitched a shut out to boot. Would I have preferred a different ending to the season? Hell yeah, but the team will go 8-8 and hopefully have something to build on for next year after they get rid of the dead weight (like Vince "Dream Team" Young - may he be traded to Vikings, who do need a QB - and Steve Smith).

Around the rest of the NFL....

Colts over Texans: Damn, y'all! Ask the Colts about how well it works to go into the playoffs cold.

Ravens over Browns: Um, duh.

Bills over Broncos: Apparently, the Tebow magic is wearing off. Next week comes down to who wants it more in the West, with the Chiefs taking on the Broncos and fighting to maybe remove the "interim" from interim head coach Romeo Crennel's title, and the Chargers, who have nothing to play for as far as I can tell (Norv Turner's O-U-T), facing the Raiders. Love to see the Raiders take the division back.

Panther over Buccaneers: And Cam Newton broke the rookie single season yardage record! Go Cam! The Panthers definitely have something to build on for next year. That switch to Ron Rivera's working out pretty well, too.

Bengals over Cardinals: Surely you've seen The Play, right? Wow. Bengals could still get to the playoffs, by the way. Ginger Power!

Raiders over Chiefs: I shouldn't have given up on the Raiders. They're not dead yet!

Pats over Dolphins: But just barely and after having gotten down by 17 points to a 5-9 team. If defense truly does win championships, the Pats won't be going very far this year.

Giants over Jets: Back at the beginning of the season, I called the Jets to win the AFC East. To quote myself, I put my money on "a quarterback who can manage the game." Over at the HuffPo, one of the commentors gave me shit for calling Sanchez "a quarterback who can manage the game." And he's right. That was giving Sanchez WAY too much credit. He's a punk, and so is Rex Ryan who, as far as I'm concerned, should never say another word in public ever again. Ah well, the Giants will win the division next week, and even though, at least from my experience at the new Meadowlands, their fans are a bunch of violent assholes, it's still better than the Cowboys. Also, the officiating was terrible, and it was nearly all terrible in favor of the Giants. Sour grapes? Maybe.

Steelers over Rams: Speaking of shut outs and Spags losing his job...

Titans over Jags: The Titans could still squeak into the playoffs, but pretty much all the scenarios require a Jets win, so...they're dead.

Vikings over Redskins: OK, I did not watch the game, but could someone please tell me how this happened? For chrissakes, Adrian Peterson wrecked his knee in the second quarter, Christian Ponder went down, too, and the Vikes still managed to put up 33 points. Could someone tell me how that happened? Seriously? I thought the Skins' strong suit was their defense. Anyone?

Lions over Chargers: The Lions are going to the playoffs for the first time since pretty much the invention of the non-leather helmet! Talk about over-delivering on their "Team of Destiny" status! Go Lions! Hang on to that fifth seed, though - you do NOT want to play your first playoff game in a zillion years against the Saints in the Superdome, trust me. Also, which is the biggest disappointment this year: Chargers, Eagles, or Jets? Discuss.

49ers over Seahawks: And David Akers matched and broke Neil Rackers' single-season field goal record, and then topped himself. OK, there is a down side to this: that many field goals means the 49ers are having trouble getting in the end zone. Still, they're 12-3 and have clinched the division, so it's not hurting them that bad. At least not as long as they can count on David Akers' left leg. He'll probably get a Pro Bowl bid - at least he should - but maybe he'll be too busy prepping for the Super Bowl to go to Hawaii?

Packers over Bears: I'm the 9,456,732nd person to observe this, but Aaron Rodgers is having one hell of a season, and it's a good thing, because the Packers' D is no great shakes, either. Hm...if defense really DOES win championships, maybe that "49ers in the Super Bowl" thing isn't as crazy as it sounds...

2011 Week 16 Picks

2011-12-21T15:48:00.002-05:00

This week, the Eagles travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys at home on Christmas Eve. In their last meeting this season, you may recall that the Eagles whupped up on the Cowboys to the tune of 34-7 at the Linc (one of the few home games the Eagles have won this season).

It's really hard to beat a divisional foe twice in the same season.

The Eagles may be heating up, but Dallas reeled off 4 wins after that whupping in week 8 before dropping their last two, to the Giants and the Cardinals, who inexplicably seem to have had the NFC East's number this year.

This really could go either way. Both teams can score points. Both teams can force turnovers. Both teams can commit turnovers. Both teams can show up big, or not at all, often from one quarter to the next. I'm hoping the Eagles show up, and the Cowboys pull their usual late-season meltdown. Bonus points if Tony Romo does something stupid enough that he starts to cry. That would be an EXCELLENT gift.

I think LeSean McCoy (who, you might have heard, got the most fan votes for the Pro Bowl of any back in the league, coming in 6th in overall voting behind only Rodgers, Brees, Brady, Welker and Calvin Johnson) is the key to this game. He crushed the Cowboys in week 8. Not only did he rack up a ton of yards, he more importantly crushed the confidence of the #1 rushing defense in the league (at the time). Well, Shady and turnovers, which have been the Eagles Achilles heel this year.

I'm throwing caution and good sense to the wind and picking what needs to happen for the Eagles to make the playoffs.

Eagles.

Don't let me down, guys.

As an aside, if it all goes to hell this weekend, know that it's my fault.

(Chef Spouse thinks THIS will be the year the Eagles win the Super Bowl. He's either delusional, cracking under the holiday stress, or he's been hitting the sauce on the sly.)

In the rest of the matchups:

Texans at Colts: Can the Texans win without Wade Phillips? I think so, but only because they're playing the Colts. Texans.

Browns at Ravens: The Ravens will bounce back from last week's loss to the Chargers. Trust.

Broncos at Bills: Broncos. See last week's observation that, in fact, the Bills just might lose all the rest of their games.

Buccaneers at Panthers: Panthers. The Bucs are in a tailspin, and the Panthers got swagger.

Cardinals at Bengals: Interesting matchup. Both teams are in the hunt. With the Bears and possibly the Giants faltering, the door's open for the Cardinals to take the #6 seed. Meanwhile, the Bengals are neck and neck with a Jets team that's on the ropes. Chef Spouse says Bengals, and playing at home, I think he may be right.

Raiders at Chiefs: Before last Sunday, I would've picked the Raiders definitely. Now I'm not so sure. Go Romeo Crennel! Hell, I'm calling the Chiefs in an upset.

Dolphins at Patriots: Sigh. Realistically, the Pats have this. But wouldn't it be awesome if the Fins were able to sneak a win? Not gonna happen.

Giants at Jets: Both teams are reeling, but my Eagles need the Jets to show up. Hey, they took last week off, so they should be nice and rested. Jets.

Rams at Steelers: Steelers. Even without Big Ben. If they can keep him on the bench. Maybe he'll get confused about the whole Christmas weekend Saturday/Sunday thing?

Jaguars at Titans: If the Titans hadn't lost to the Colts...of course, the Jags did win their week 1 meeting...and it's tough to beat a divisional rival twice in a season...and Matt Hasselbeck seems to be OK...I think I just talked myself into calling the Titans.

Vikings at Redskins: The Redskins have been playing up - or down - to their competition all season. But even they can't stoop this low. Redskins.

Chargers at Lions: The Chargers have a long way to go to secure a playoff spot, and all the Lions need is a win and they're secured a spot. And they're at home. Lions.

49ers at Seahawks: Regardless of how this game turns out, I'm rooting for David Akers to make three field goals. But I think the 49ers will win.

Bears at Packers: Packers, Josh McCown or no Josh McCown. Sole game on Christmas, too.

Falcons at Saints: The Falcons really need this game, but the Saints are nearly unbeatable at home. I don't expect that to change Monday. Saints.

2011 Week 15 Recap

2011-12-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

Eagles v. Jets, Sunday, December 18, 2011

This weekend, Chef Spouse and I celebrated our 19th anniversary. I think, on some level, the Eagles knew and engineered a win as a gift for us. And they even managed to win at home! Thanks, guys! We really appreciate it! Although a winning SEASON would've been an even better gift. Next year's 20. Super Bowl? Just sayin'.

Yeah, I know, if things fall JUST right, the Eagles could still win the division. I'm afraid to start hoping, though, since that really hasn't gone well for Bleeding Green Nation so far this season. You know, hope.

Stud of the week: I know you're tired of hearing this, but how could it NOT be Shady? My secret running back boyfriend tied and then broke Steve Van Buren's SIXTY-SIX year old franchise records for most rushing TDs and most total TDs in a season. Shady also has the most TDs this season in the entire NFL. And he has a shot at Wilbert Montgomery's franchise single season rushing record, too. Y'all, seriously, go vote for him for the pro bowl, because if he doesn't get a bid, I may have to stop believing that people are fundamentally good.

Shout-outs also go to Jason Babin, sack leader of the NFL, and to Brent Celek, who had a big day with 150+ yards and a TD of his own.

This is the team I expected to see, if not in September, then certainly by the time the guys came back from the bye.

Is the defense finally coming together? The Dolphins and Jets aren't exactly known for tearing it up offensively - both teams have banked on excellent defense this year - but still, both teams were thoroughly shut down. I've been calling for Juan Castillo's head, along with, well, EVERYONE, but if the D can hold up like this against the Cowboys and Redskins and help the team win out, I might have to revise that judgement.

The offense was on fire. Again, these are the guys we all expected to see 8 weeks ago. Vick got hit less. DJax actually held on to passes. So did Maclin.

Special teams is still an issue. Curtis Marsh probably needs to be sent to timeout to think about his actions until he's ready to apologize. And I miss Akers. You miss Akers. We all miss Akers.

It's the final two weeks. Wildcard's not a possibility, but the NFC East title still is. Hold on to your hats.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Once again, I got KILLED on my picks. Then again, I suspect a lot of people did.

Falcons over Jaguars: Got this one. Told you the Jags wouldn't be able to run wild against the #4 run defense in the NFL.

Cowboys over Bucs: It wouldve really helped the Eagles playoff chances if the Bucs had managed to upset the Cowboys, but let's get serious. Then again...

Chiefs over Packers: OK, a perfect season is a REALLY REALLY LONG long shot. But the Chiefs? The CHIEFS? Who just fired their head coach? C'mon man! And, of course, now there's a script for beating the Packers. Which, if the Eagles can manage to squeak into the playoffs, might come in handy.

Dolphins over Bills: Maybe the Bills CAN lose all the rest of their games.

Seahawks over Bears: Stick a fork in the Bears. They're done.

Panthers over Texans: Come on, former Team of Destiny! Don't let that divisional title go to your heads! You need to go into the playoffs hot if you hope to win any games!

Colts over Titans: Ending their anti-perfect season, of course, but they're still strong for the #1 pick. I think they should throw the final two games to Luck it up. And the Titans really needed that game to stay in the wildcard hunt. Damn, the NFL is a hot mess this year!

Saints over Vikings: OK, the Saints are one of the few teams that actually are consistently good this year. And the Vikes are consistently bad. I suspect Leslie Frazier may not make it another season. Of course, Breesus might not, either, if they can't get his contract worked out.

Redskins over Giants: Huh. Looks like the annual Giants season-ending collapse has arrived right on time. If y'all do have one more win in you, could you please save it for the final game? Thx!

Bengals over Rams: Speaking of staying in the playoff hunt...wouldn't it be fun if both the AFC wildcards came from the north? It could happen.

Lions over Raiders: That was a nail-biter. And the Raiders really needed this game. But if Tebow time really is over, then the Raiders could take the division back, even without this win.

Cardinals over Browns: Is Kevin Kolb done? Is John Skelton the QB of the Cards future? Well, he's started or played significant portions of 6 games, of which the Cards have won 5. And their record is 7-7. You do the math.

Pats over Broncos: Apparently, God doesn't care about football, but the devil does. Chef Spouse observed that, seeing as it's hard to beat a team twice, if the apocalypse does show up, it's probably good that Satan's team won this one.

Chargers over Ravens: And it wasn't even close. I would've put the Ravens in the "consistently good" category and the Chargers in "consistently inconsistent" prior to last night. I could see a Ravens-Packers Super Bowl. But after last night, who knows?

2011 Week 15 Picks

2011-12-14T18:58:00.001-05:00

Remember the last time the Eagles put together what amounted to their longest winning streak (2 games) this season? For three weeks - week 6, the bye and week 8 - it felt like maybe the Eagles were finding their way, putting their season together, pulling out the tailspin. It felt like, maybe, the team was 3-4 on their way to 11-5 or maybe even 12-4, and a glorious march deep into the playoffs, maybe even the Super Bowl.

That was fun, wasn't it? When we all still had hope?

Which, of course, the proceeded to crush by dropping the next two games to the Bears and, humiliatingly, the Cardinals.

Since then, the Birds have dropped two more on their way to a 5-8 record. And even though they aren't technically out of the running for the playoffs, they will be after this weekend, when I'm picking them to lose at home to the Jets. Because, aside from the fact that the Jets are a better team, home games have been poison for the Eagles in the past two years.

Jets.

In the rest of the matchups:

Jaguars at Falcons: The Falcons have the #5 ranked rushing defense. MJD is not going to have another four touchdown week. Falcons.

Cowboys at Buccaneers: The Cowboys might be entering a late-season slide (you should hear the wailing over at Blogging the Boys), but they aren't sliding that far. Cowboys.

Dolphins at Bills: Tough one to call. If Sparano were still there, I would be totally Team Fins, but with an interim and the upheaval, I'm not so sure. And after starting so well, the Bills can't possibly lose ALL the rest of their game, right? Right? Bills. Maybe.

Seahawks at Bears: The Bears are reeling and the Seahawks have won 4 of their last 5. Still, they aren't great on the road, and Tavaris Jackson is likely to have a tough day against the still very scary Bears defense. Beast Mode, sure, but it's not easy to get yards on the ground against the Bears either. Bears. Even if Devin Hester has to score all their points off punt returns.

Panthers at Texans: Cam Newton scores a ton of points, but the Panthers' D is weaker than wet tissue paper, and the Texans can score points, too. Go Texans! A first round bye is still in reach!

Titans at Colts: Titans. Moving on...

Packer at Chiefs: Packers. Again, moving on...

Saints at Vikings: Saints. Wow, these are easy this week. Well, until some team pulls off some huge upset win, of course. But I don't think it's going to be the Vikings.

Redskins at Giants: This is an interesting matchup. The Redskins played great against the Pats last week and, speaking of upset wins, almost pulled one off. The Giants did upset the Cowboys at home. I really want to call the Redskins to pull off the upset win. Still, they did beat the Giants at home in week 1, and it's really hard to sweep a team in your own division. I talked myself into it - Giants.

Bengals at Rams: Bengals. Who need every game from here on out to have a shot at the wildcard.

Lions at Raiders: The Lions are looking good for wildcard, too, but they can't drop too many more games, either. Suh's back, and the Raiders seem to have lost their mojo - maybe Tim Tebow stole it. Lions.

Browns at Cardinals: Who's under center for the Cards this week? If it's Skelton, I'm going Cards.

Patriots at Broncos: Irresistible force, meet immovable object. I always get pwned when I pick against the Pats, but I can't deny the Tebow magic. I don't know how the Broncos will manage to hold the Pats to, like, 10 points, but I'm sure that somehow, it will happen. Broncos. Oh, and there's a good chance I watch this rather than the Eagles game (kidding - maybe).

Ravens at Chargers: Ravens. Who need this to stay ahead of the Steelers. And the Chargers are kind of a mess this year. Not as big a mess as the Eagles, of course, but still.

Steelers at 49ers: This is going to be a good game. I'm going Steelers, but really, this one could go either way.

2011 Week 14 Recap

2011-12-12T20:29:00.000-05:00

Eagles at Dolphins, Sunday, December 11, 2011

Even when they win, I'm not happy.

Stud of the week: the ENTIRE defense. Three forced fumbles, about a zillion sacks, three third-and-short stops, two fourth-and-short stops, a goal-line stand, another Kurt Coleman pick, and a partridge in a pear tree. Casey Matthews even managed three tackles and a sack!

(Also, Shady's one rushing TD from tying Steve Van Buren's record that's stood since 1945. 66 years! So see, the Eagles' aversion to running the football clearly predates Andy Reid. Kidding!)

It was so bad, Tony Sparano lost his job. Sure, we all knew that was coming, but in week 14? Harsh.

Where have these guys been the entire REST of the season? I don't trust it. In the continuing story of the 2011 Eagles season, we see flashes of excellent play, which then go AWOL for several weeks. Yeah, everyone's all "the Eagles aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet!" No, they aren't. But realistically, they aren't going to win out AND get BOTH the Giants and the Cowboys to lose out. So all the Eagles are doing at this point is teasing us, and messing up their draft position. And risking further injury to Vick, Maclin and a bunch of other guys who could be key to doing better NEXT year.

No, apparently, there's no pleasing me.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Steelers over Browns: They're holding Big Ben together with Bondo and duct tape at this point, but it seems to be working.

Ravens over Colts: The commentators are starting to pick up on the whole "the Colts' record proves that Peyton Manning really is the MVP." Chef Spouse said it first, WEEKS ago. Represent!

Falcons over Panthers: The Panthers had the upset win in the bag...until they had to play the fourth quarter. That sounds really familiar...

Texans over Bengals: The Texans, on the other hand, played the WHOLE game. Rookie TJ Yates led one hell of a drive to clinch the AFC South for the Texans, marking their first post-season appearance EVER. Way to go, former Team of Destiny.

Lions over Vikings: You know, there was a lot of shitty officiating yesterday, but perhaps none so bad at the total whiff on DeAndre Levy's facemask of Joe Webb that ended the Vikings' attempt to win it late. Still, this year's Team of Destiny managed to (maybe) halt a depressing slide after a promising start to the season and are still definitely in the post-season hunt themselves.

Jaguars over Bucs: MJD! No really, he was the difference maker in this game. Well, that, and the Bucs apparent COMPLETE inability to stop the run, or even slow it down much. And their complete inability to hang onto the ball. Yeah, seven turnovers really will never, ever equal a win. Ever.

Jets over Chiefs: Speaking of coaches getting fired, Todd Haley's gone, too. Is it just me, or does is seem kind of pointless to fire coaches this late in the season? Your season is over, just let the guy play out the rest of the games and fire your coach on January 2 with everyone else.

Saints over Titans: And Matt Hasslebeck tore up his calf. Which, come to think of it, handed the Texans the division and clinched the Saints to at least make the playoffs. Thanks, man! You did me a solid there!

Pats over Redskins: I have to give the Skins credit. If Tom Brady hadn't drawn some Brady calls - you know, the calls that Brady gets that NO OTHER QBs in the league get - the Skins might've managed to upset the Pats. And they played HARD. There may be cause for hope in DC. Uh oh.

Cards over 49ers: Huh. 49ers slacking off now that they've won the division? Maybe.

Broncos over Bears: OK, maybe God really does love Tim Tebow best. Did you see the game? I think Marion Barber should probably just STAY in Denver and send for his stuff. Or not - he's a football player. He can buy more stuff. I wouldn't go back to Chicago, though. Also, I know it's Mile High Stadium (or whatever dumb corporate name they've now attached to it "at Mile High"), but THREE field goals over 50 yards? And the game winner would have been good from at least 65. Wow.

Packers over Raiders: But it cost them Greg Jennings, at least for a while. Of course, last year they didn't seem to mind having, oh, PRACTICALLY THE ENTIRE TEAM on IR. So maybe it won't matter. Still, the pursuit of perfection is a dangerous game.

Chargers over Bills: And Buffalo's out of the playoffs. Again. Lucky #13 next year? I really thought this was going to be a better year for them. Guess not.

Giants over Cowboys: So last week was really busy, with a software users' group meeting, a technology conference at which I was presenting, the winter performance of my belly dance company, and a visit from Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom and You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad (tied to the performance). And I have a really bad cold - I even lost my voice for two days (fortunately, after I presented). And Chef Spouse left this morning at 6 am for a trip to Seattle (he's with the team from Cisco in box seats at Monday Night Football as I type this). And the game was exciting, with constant lead changes. But as we got to the end of the third quarter, it looked to me like the Cowboys were starting to pull away, and I needed to try to get some sleep. Yep, I went to bed and MISSED IT. The G-men mounted a furious comeback, thus marginally increasing the chances the Eagles could see the post-season.

2011 Week 14 Picks

2011-12-06T14:28:00.001-05:00

And the 2011 season trudges on. The rumor is that Vick will be back this week, and I have to ask: why? Season's over, man. The Eagles just gave him a fairly sizable contract. Why are they risking a guy who's already banged up on meaningless games? Same thing goes for all the others who are banged up: Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy, Nnamdi Asomugha, DRC...everybody. Why not play the second and third team guys and see what they have? Sure, Vick is fun to watch and all, but really, this just seems pointless.

The Eagles are traveling to Miami to take on the Dolphins this week. Both teams are 4-8. The Dolphins, by way of a reminder, have won 4 of the last 5. The Eagles have lost 4 of the past 5. Although the Dolphins are not good against the pass, they are excellent against the run. You may recall that there's this guy? Named LeSean McCoy? Who's a back and has been pretty much the only consistently good part of the entire season.

But ultimately the trend line may be all we need to know. The Fins seem to be all in fighting for their coach's job. The Eagles seem to be, well, not.

Dolphins.

In the rest of the matchups:

Browns at Steelers: Steelers. Poor Browns.

Buccaneers at Jaguars: Both teams are in trouble, but a missing head coach is worse than a missing QB. Bucs.

Texans at Bengals: Sorry, Texans, you know I love you, but the Bengals are surging, and need every game to keep them in the AFC wildcard hunt at this point. Meanwhile, the Texans have a 2 game lead in the south with 4 games to play. While they haven't locked up the south, they are 4-0 in their division. Not that they aren't motivated, of course, just that I suspect the Bengals are a bit more motivated at this point. Bengals.

Chiefs at Jets: I have to think the Jets aren't going to drop a critical game at home, because they need every game at this point to stay in the AFC wildcard race themselves. And it's going to be a defensive battle, and that favors the Jets, too. Jets.

Vikings at Lions: Lions. Who are right in it for the NFC wildcard. But they gotta get their anger issues under control.

Colts at Ravens: Ravens. Move along.

Saints at Titans: Saints. Same.

Falcons at Panthers: Falcons. Who also need this game to stay in the NFC wildcard race. I love Cam, but he makes rookie mistakes that the Falcons will take advantage of.

Patriots at Redskins: Pats. Ouch.

Bears at Broncos: Caleb Hanie versus Tim Tebow? Please. Broncos.

49ers at Cardinals: 49ers. The teams really are sorting themselves out at this point, aren't they?

Bills at Chargers: Oh man, both of these teams are really sliding bad. The Bills, after starting so well, have lost five in a row. The Chargers beat the Jags on Monday, but that ended a SIX game losing streak. So disappointing on both counts. Who's going to win? The Chargers are strong through the air, while the Bills are strong on the ground. The Bills are not great against the pass, and the Chargers are even worse against the run. But you can score a lot faster through the air than you can on the ground, and that favors the Chargers.

Raiders at Packers: Chef Spouse thinks this could be a trap game for the Packers. I think the Raiders are going to be playing an undefeated Pack at Lambeau in the cold. To me, that says Packers.

Giants at Cowboys: Good choice for the Sunday night game, NFL! The Giants seem to be entering their typical end of season slide. The Cowboys are always a risk to implode. And being at home doesn't seem to help them. I think Cowboys, but I could see this going either way. And if the Cowboys do win this, I think the Giants will win in week 17, by the way.

Rams at Seahawks: Are you going to bother to watch this? Because I have to tell you, I have holiday shopping to do, and it's been an INSANELY busy month. I could really use that time for shopping, or wrapping, or a trip to the post office...lots of stuff. Oh - the pick? Seahawks. The Rams definitely don't have enough juice to take out Seattle's 12th man.

2011 Week 13 Recap

2011-12-03T15:09:00.001-05:00

Eagles at Seahawks, Thursday, December 1, 2011

I hate to say "I told you so," particularly on this one, but I told you so.

Prediction: debacle

Reality: debacle

Stud of the Week: Continuing as the only bright spot in the whole damn season, LeSean McCoy. Dear Santa: could I please have a #25 ladies jersey in black this year?

Much like the 42-0 MNF mess in 2005, I confess that I didn't watch to the end. After Vince Young threw his FOURTH pick with about four minutes left in the game, I turned to Chef Spouse and said, "That's it. I'm out."

Where do I even start in recapping the game?

DeSean Jackson. Yes, the NFL Network clearly cut the shot where Vince Young was talking to Riley Cooper (I think) to make it look like he was talking to DJax, but the proof is in the pudding. Regardless of what was really going on Thursday night, his play all season demonstrates the fundamental truth of the fact that he's quit on the team. And a word of advice: I know you love your buds from Cali, but laughing & talking with them while a team mate is lying injured on the ground is not cool.

Jason Babin. Tons of sacks, no stopping of the run. Great for you, not so great for the team. Hm - story of the whole season, come to think of it.

Asante Samuel: F off. Really.

Colt Anderson: Another bright spot in the season. Well, up until he tears his ACL in a meaningless game. And don't give me crap about how if only the Eagles had beat the Seahawks, they'd still be right in it. The back to back losses to the Bears and the Cardinals killed this season long before the Eagles flew out to Seattle last week.

Jason Avant: I just have to keep giving much love to a smart, serious receiver who continues to play his butt off.

One of my friends sent me a great article "Requiem for the Dream Team" that identified the five major issues with the Eagles this year. You should really read the entire article because the explanations offered are fantastic, but the five points are:

Serious line deficiencies, both O and D
Soft at linebacker and safety
Nnamdi Asomugha, MIA
Decline of Vick and Jackson
Bad luck

Yep. That about sums it up.

It's amazing I got through writing that without a shot of bourbon. Guess where I'm headed now?

I'll be at a conference next week, so I'll try to recap the rest of the games, but I can't promise anything.

2011 Week 13 Picks

2011-11-30T17:53:00.001-05:00

Anyone other than me remember the last time the Eagles faced the Seahawks in prime time? Does 42-0 on Monday night football in week 13 of 2005 ring any bells?

I was on a business trip in Florida at the time, so I was watching while texting Chef Spouse and on the phone with Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom. I remember remarking to both of them: "Did you notice how Mike McMahon looks like he's not sure where he is or how he got there, but either way, he's cognizant of the fact that there are great big men standing a few yards away who are trying to kill him, and he's NOT HAPPY?" That was not a good night.

Then the Eagles faced the Seahawks again in 2007, after McNabb had gone down just before that, with an ankle injury, so AJ Feeley was under center, and the Eagles lost again, 28-24.

The Eagles did manage a road victory against the Seahawks in 2008. Remember 2008? The last time the Eagles got within sniffing distance of the Super Bowl? Sigh. Good times.

Why am I bringing all this up?

Vick, Maclin and DRC are definitely out. Asomugha and Shady are "questionable." Trevor Laws is delusional. The coaches are fighting on the sidelines. And the Eagles are playing the Seahawks in Seattle in prime time.

Prediction? Debacle. Also, Seahawks.

In the rest of the matchups

Jets at Redskins: Jets

Chiefs at Bears: Both teams are out of QBs, so Chef Spouse said to go with Brian Urlacher. The Chiefs' D is actually ranked higher than the Bears, but Chef Spouse seemed certain, so...Bears.

Titans at Bills: The Bills, after showing such early season promise, are entering a death spiral, losing 4 of their last 5. In the meantime, with the Texans also out of QBs, the Jags in turmoil (see below), and the Colts WAY out in front in the "Suck for Luck" race, the Titans have a shot at the division. I think they'll keep their eyes on the prize and that Chris Johnson will have a big day against a run defense that's not exactly stifling. Titans.

Raiders at Dolphins: Tony Sparano managed to pull his team together to win enough games to likely knock them out of the Luck race, but the Raiders are like the horse who smells the stable, running for home and their first real shot at the divisional title in, well, a long time (9 years, to be precise).

Bengals at Steelers: Steelers. The Bengals are looking good and could be a wildcard contender this year, but the Steelers are getting on their annual end of season roll, which is damn hard to stop. Just ask, well, the Bengals.

Falcons at Texans: Speaking of teams that are out of QBs, TJ Yates is a 24 year old rookie who's thrown 15 passes and completed 8 in his ENTIRE career. Yeah, Falcons.

Broncos at Vikings: Broncos. Don't question The Tebow.

Panthers at Buccaneers: Panthers. Love me some Cam.

Colts at Patriots: OH THE HUMANITY. Can we invoke the mercy rule so this game doesn't even have to be played? Think Tom Brady will be watching from the owner's box? It's not like they're going to need him on the field to beat the sad sack Colts. Patriots.

Ravens at Browns: Ravens, even though they've had a tendency - like pretty much the entire rest of the league aside from the Packers come to think of it - to drop games they really should win.

Rams at 49ers: 49ers. Move along. Nothing else to see/say here.

Cowboys at Cardinals: It looks like the Cardinals actually did find their QB of the future. No, not Kevin Kolb - John Skelton. But I doubt it will be enough to get past the Cowboys. Well, this year anyway. Cowboys.

Packers at Giants: Packers. Annual Giants end of season slump. How many of those does Tom Coughlin get before he gets fired?

Lions at Saints: Saints. Who are pretty much unbeatable at home.

Chargers at Jaguars: Jack Del Rio got fired this week. Things have to be pretty damn bad for a head coach to get fired mid-season. Hell, Jim Caldwell still has a job. That's how bad things are in Jacksonville. The Chargers will pull out of their six game losing streak. Not that it will help them, since I'm pretty sure they can't leapfrog the Broncos AND the Raiders, and at the rate things are going, both AFC wildcard teams will come from the North. Chargers.

2011 Week 12 Recap

2011-11-28T18:16:00.001-05:00

Eagles v. Patriots, Sunday, November 27, 2011

Here's something to be thankful for: this season is almost over. Five more games until we can all pack it in and just relax and enjoy the playoffs, with nothing at stake. Well, nothing except rooting against the Cowboys, who will probably win the NFC East this year.

Stud of the week: Jason Avant. Lots of guys quit out there once the Birds were down 24-13. Avant never quit. Oh, and that (-->) photo? Avant held on to that pass. I know about a million people have remarked on this today, but I'm the million and first: if we could only transplant Avant's heart and toughness into DJax's body, #10 might be worth that top 5 receiver paycheck he so desperately wants.

That was one hell of a first quarter, wasn't it? Gorgeous first drive that included a beautiful long completion to Riley Cooper and Shady McCoy getting his 11th rushing TD of the season. And then a quick out for the Pats, followed by another nice Eagles drive for 3.

And that was pretty much the last good thing that happened in the entire game.

DeSean Jackson had a horrible night, dropping not one but two TD passes. You know, while the Eagles still had a prayer of being competitive. Well, not after giving away 14 points. It was so bad, Andy Reid benched him in the fourth quarter. The smart money says he's NOT an Eagle next year.

Vince Young had a great night personally, putting up a career high 400 yards through the air. But he couldn't get his team in to the end zone, and even when he did, his guys didn't focus and catch the damn ball and help him out. The fact that many of the passes he threw led receivers right into bone-crushing hits may have had something to do with that. 53 individuals, no team.

No one in green could tackle at all. Every time I start thinking the Eagles are solving their basic skills problems, they pull crap like what we saw yesterday. And they couldn't get a stop in the red zone to save their lives - or at least their playoff lives, which was exactly what was on the line yesterday. And we all knew going into the game that Gronkowski and Hernandez were going to present HUGE problems, given how poorly this team has handled tight ends all year. Yeah, that turned out pretty much as expected, with the two combining for over 120 yards and a TD.

LeSean McCoy never got the damn ball. The Pats were shredding the Birds' defense, those guys needed a rest, and it was pass-pass-pass and out time and again. TOM BRADY had almost as many yards and carries as Shady. TOM BRADY. Who is not exactly Tim Tebow, y'all.

Hell, Jim Washburn and Marty Mornhinweg got into a fight on the sidelines. Yes, that's how bad things are - the coaches are fighting on the sidelines.

Sloppy play, boneheaded mistakes, dumb penalties, inability to execute basic skill plays. In other words, the 2011 season in a nutshell. A really, really ugly nutshell.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Packer over Lions: OK, so I was wrong about the Pack losing to the Lions. Chef Spouse thinks that the Raiders have the best shot among the Packers' remaining opponents at messing up 16-0. But we're both in agreement that if the Pack does go undefeated in the regular season, we want them to win the Super Bowl, not least of which because it might make annoying Pats fans STFU. Also, someone needs to talk to Ndamukong Suh about calming down, at least a little. He'll have plenty of time to chat while he's on suspension.

Cowboys over Dolphins: The Cowboys beat a 3-7 team by one point. They're so going to embarrass the East in the playoffs this year. Sigh.

Ravens over 49ers: Well, I was right about one thing - David Akers did provide all the 49ers points. Unfortunately, that only amounted to 6, which isn't enough to beat anyone, even a Ravens team that's not exactly a scoring juggernaut. On the other hand, when your QB spends the entire game on his ass, you are not going to win many games.

So I was 1-2 on the Thanksgiving games. And then I went on a winning streak, going (so far) 11-1 with the rest of my picks. C'mon Saints!

Falcons over Vikings: Unsurprising. Once Christian Ponder gets a little more experience and Adrian Peterson gets healthy again, the Vikings could have the beginnings of a winning team. Well, they would if they weren't in the same division as the Packers.

Bengals over Browns: The Bengals needed a big play to seal the win, and they got it. That must be nice. Also, the Browns might want to see about getting themselves a new long snapper.

Panthers over Colts: And the Suck for Luck train keeps rolling in Indy.

Texans over Jaguars: The Texans are running out of QBs. When you have to ask, "Who's their QB of last resort?" you know you're in trouble. Good thing they about have the South wrapped, because I'm not sure how many more games they're going to be able to win. Football fans, I give you Kellen Clemens. Uh oh.

Jets over Bills: Told you Rex wouldn't let them drop another game. And while 6-5 is a lot better than 4-7, Jets fans, I feel your pain on the "huge disappointment" front. The Jets may very well get knocked out of the playoffs by the Broncos or the Bengals. Don't worry - you can watch the games with the Eagles. I hear Trent Cole barbeques a mean brisket.

Cardinals over Rams: Add Patrick Peterson to the list of guys you should never kick to.

Titans over Bucs: I really like Raheem Morris and Josh Freeman, and wish them well. But they gotta quit turning the ball over. And hey! Chris Johnson's back!

Raiders over Bears: Carson Palmer seems to have acclimated. Good thing Janikowski was on, too. The Bears are in trouble. You heard it here first.

Redskins over Seahawks: This is the ONE game on Sunday I called wrong. Who knew the Redskins would pick this week to stop sucking (briefly). Ah Rex Grossman, how you enjoy torturing people with flashes of competence, wrapped up in a package with dumb intentional grounding penalties and picks. Schizophrenic much?

Broncos over Chargers: I have to give John Fox credit for running what amounts to a college offense in order to play to the strengths of his QB. Tebow won't last long as a pro unless he learns how to throw from the pocket - he'll get too beat up - but in the meantime, the Broncos are winning games. And Norv Turner joins AR on the list of coaches who well might be in BIG trouble. In speculating where DeSean Jackson could end up next year, I'm thinking Chargers. He needs to go somewhere where the QB has a big arm, which Philip Rivers certainly does, and the Chargers could use someone to compliment Vincent Jackson. And DJax is from Cali.

Steelers over Chiefs: This game was a lot closer than I thought it would be. Of course, if you can't get in the endzone at all, it's pretty hard to win games. Ladies and gents, I give you Tyler Palko.

2011 Week 12 Picks

2011-11-23T18:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! Although I'm sure we'll all be watching lots of gridiron action tomorrow, I do hope you take time to count your blessings and hug your loved ones.

On to the picks.

The Patriots come to the Linc to take on the Eagles this week. Even when we all thought that Vince Young's "Dream Team" comment might have some validity, I had this one circled as a loss. And the Eagles have stunk at home this year. And Vick's still sidelined. I've never forgiven the Pats for Super Bowl 39. And I never will. Cheaters. This weekend's going to give me another reason to hate them.

Pats.

In the rest of the matchups:

Packers at Lions: Lions. Wait! Don't leave! Hear me out. I don't think the Packers will go undefeated - it's just too damn hard, no matter how amazing Aaron Rodgers is (how amazing? REALLY, REALLY amazing). Which means, aside from wrapping up the division early and resting guys, the most likely loss would be to a division rival, since we all know things can get wacky in divisional games. They have the Bears and Lions again to end the season, but both are at Lambeau. And with the loss of Cutler, the Bears are in trouble. The Packers one weakness is defense. They win by outscoring the hell out of the other team. But the Lions can put up points, too, and I just have a good feeling about them.

Dolphins at Cowboys: That's a nice little 3 game winning streak the Fins have going there, but unless the Cowboys inexplicably melt down (always a possibility) I just don't see them getting by. Cowboys.

49ers at Ravens: I'm doing it. I'm going west in the Harbaugh v. Harbaugh battle. 49ers. Even if David Akers has to score all their points for them.

Texans at Jags: The Texans are down to Matt Leinart. On the other hand, the Jags have only won 3 games. But! The Texans are #2 in rushing offense, and the Jags are middle of the pack in rushing D. If Matt Leinart just remembers "Hand off to Arian Foster!" things should still turn out OK for them. Texans.

Vikings at Falcons: Falcons. See below RE: Falcons are great at home and Adrian Peterson's gimpy.

Cardinals at Rams: Worst game of the week. Cards. Just because I have to give Fitz some love.

Panthers at Colts: If the Colts are going to win a game, this week is probably their best chance. So I'm predicting 0-16, since I'm calling Cam and the Cats.

Browns at Bengals: Both teams are on the rise, but I think the Bengals are further along the path. Look for them to bounce back from their loss to the Ravens last week with a big divisional win. Bengals.

Bills at Jets: Both of teams who, like the Eagles, had such high expectations pre/early season are reeling. And there are rumors that Mark Sanchez might be benched in favor of Mark Brunell (really? Mark Brunell? guess so). But I just can't see Rex Ryan suffering another loss. Not without bursting into flame. I'm calling Jets, but someone should probably keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Buccaneers at Titans: Matt Hasselbeck is fine, and the Titans should be, too. Titans.

Redskins at Seahawks: The Skins always show up for Dallas, but I don't necessarily expect that again this season. Seahawks.

Bears at Raiders: See above re: the Bears being in trouble. ~~Chad~~ Caleb Hanie (d'oh!). They even tried to get Kyle Orton back. Ouch. Raiders.

Broncos at Chargers: I may be insane, but I'm calling the Broncos. The Chargers seem to be falling apart extra early this year, and Tim Tebow seems to have some kind of magical elixir that allows him to win games there's NO WAY he should. Hence: Broncos.

(The way I'm picking, this week is either the week I break out of the middle of the pack in my office pool to challenge for second place (the guy who's in first is so far ahead none of us will be able to catch him unless he opts out one week), or the week I blow it. If you're betting, I'd put money on "blow it.")

Steelers at Chiefs: So the Chiefs managed to snag Orton. Won't matter. They're toast. Steelers.

Giants at Saints: Who dat! Geaux Saints! Which will leave the Cowboys in sole possession of first place, but at this point, given schedules, they look most likely to win the NFC East anyway. Fortunately, they'll probably make their typical early exit from the playoffs, so I can go on to root for the Packers in peace.

2011 Week 11 Recap

2011-11-21T19:08:00.001-05:00

Eagles at Giants, Sunday, November 20, 2011

Stud of the week: As hard as it is to go with the guy who threw THREE picks (thank God the Giants couldn't seem to capitalize), I have to give it to Vince Young, since he also engineered a nearly 9 minute drive in which he converted I think four third downs that ended when he tossed what turned out to be the winning TD to Riley Cooper (who also had a really good day, despite the fact that he hadn't caught a pass yet this year prior to last night). Shout-out to Jason Babin, too, for the strip sack of Eli Manning that ended their last scoring chance last night.

So I was watching the game alone, with Chef Spouse in Pittsburgh after an afternoon spent talking business with a bunch of smart association peeps and keeping one eye on the games. And I was honestly kind of half watching it because I was expecting to be disappointed/pissed off and really didn't want to not be able to sleep last night.

So here's what I remember:

The Giants couldn't do shit offensively. Their o-line was made of #FIAL - couldn't open holes for the run game, couldn't protect Eli. The Eagles defensive front, on the other hand, was made of "WE WILL F YOU UP!" Where have those guys been for the past 3 months?

The Giants receivers were also made of #FIAL. I was constantly astonished at their inability to catch ANYTHING. Not every pass was perfect, but it wasn't Eli's fault he was 18 for 35 last night.

The Eagles o-line, on the other hand, did a great job. Vince Young stayed clean. I had a conversation about this with...someone the other day. There is the issue that the Eagles' o-line is young and they've been being shuffled around all season and whatnot. But it's a lot harder to protect a QB who's running all over the place than it is to keep a clean pocket for a guy who's inclined to stay in it. And/or the line's finally coming together.

Down both Vick and Maclin, it seemed to me like Marty and Andy slimmed down the offensive playbook a bit for the game. Yeah, dumping the trick plays and 60 yard bombs for the rest of the season might be a good way to go.

DJax will not be an Eagle next year. You heard it here first. The FO might franchise tag him so they can trade him, or they might just let him walk. But the idiot who hands a 50 yard gain back in exchange for some childish showboating not only isn't going to get Fitz money, he isn't worth it.

LeSean McCoy, on the other hand, is. I'm bummed that he didn't get a TD last night, so the streak ends at nine games, but I think he's gotten to 1000 yards maybe the fastest of any RB in Eagles history? Well, at least recent history.

And the guys FINALLY didn't GIVE AWAY a lead in the fourth quarter. I cannot get over how magic that final drive was. Every time the team was looking at third down, I kept thinking: "Here we go. They won't convert, they'll punt, and the Giants will waltz down the field to score the winning TD, leaving us 53 seconds or something ridiculous to try to tie. Which, of course, we won't." Except when I was thinking: "Here we go. They won't convert, they'll kick the field goal, and the Giants will waltz down the field to score the winning TD, leaving us 53 seconds or something ridiculous to try to win. Which, of course, we won't." You know, later in the drive. I didn't believe in a nine minute drive leading to the winning TD until it happened. And I saw the replay. Twice.

This team is just maddening this year. We see flashes of competence all the time, and flashes of brilliance more than occasionally. Unfortunately, those flashes generally end up doused by whole stretches of complete boneheadedness. I know no teams seem to be playing consistently this year (well, other than the Packers and the 49ers), but this is ridiculous. Just when I'd given up on this season, they'll pull me back in. But last night, to quote Berman, they played as a team. And they won.

Oh, and you know that whole thing about a QB controversy being the only catastrophe the Eagles had so far managed to avoid I mentioned in the picks? Yeah, looks like Vince Young might be starting against the Pats next week. If he reels off another win, boom, QB controversy. Mark my words.

Around the rest of the NFL...

I did better with my picks this week. Well, at least a little.

Broncos over Jets: "All he does is win games." Tim Tebow, that is. Who seems to be able to play like garbage for 45+ minutes and then figure out how to win in the last quarter. I don't know - maybe all those Broncos fans who paid for the billboards and whatnot were right. Are we seeing a reversion to a less QB-centric type of football? Too early to tell, but Tebow's won 4 out of the last 5.

Ravens over Bengals: I was so sure the Bengals would pull off the upset win. Next year my ginger friend Andy Dalton becomes a factor. Trust.

Browns over Jaguars: Despite the fact that the Browns' kicker missed ANOTHER totally makeable field goal, the Browns hung on for a win. Yes, the Jags are THAT bad.

Lions over Panthers: The first half? All Panthers. The second half? All Lions, including scoring the final 14 points of the game in about 20 seconds. Also, apparently, both defenses actually went to Bank of America stadium by accident.

Packers over Buccaneers: Well, sure, although it was a lot closer than I thought it would be. Do you think the Pack will go undefeated? Aaron Rodgers looks pretty unstoppable, but their D is a little suspect. The Lions are all about the shoot-out. That Thanksgiving day game is looking pretty interesting.

Dolphins over Bills: Was it only two months ago that the Bills beat the Patriots? They peaked too early, and they've had so many injuries, I think they had to get the oil changed on the cart.

Raiders over Vikings: And with Adrian Peterson injured, things just keep getting worse for the Vikings. Meanwhile, Hue Jackson is attempting to read the zebras the riot act. I didn't see the game, so I can't offer my own opinion as to whether or not the gazillion personal foul penalties the Raiders drew were justified or not. In the Raiders' defense, the officials are, at least sometimes, calling games really tight. For the prosecution, though, this is the Raiders we're talking about.

Cowboys over Redskins: Even though the Cowboys and the Redskins are very much headed in opposite directions at this point in the season, this was a great game. With the Cowboys having won the last 6 out of 7, Dallas week here in DC isn't what it once was, but the Redskins brought their A game and gave the 'Boys a run for their money.

49ers over Cardinals: Well, yes. Is there any chance the 49ers don't win the NFC West? Nope. Ex-Navy Cheesehead knew - Jim Harbaugh would turn that team around.

Seahawks over Rams: Not sure why I thought the Rams would win this, other than the fact that they beat the Browns last week. Which probably shouldn't be considered indicative of, well, anything.

Falcons over Titans: Again, well, yes.

Bears over Chargers: The Bears might've won their last game this year, with Jay Cutler out for the rest of the season with the broken thumb. Well, maybe not - looking ahead, they have the Raiders, the Chiefs, the Broncos, the Seahawks, the Packers and the Vikings. Even with Caleb Hanie under center, they should be able to knock off three of those teams. Ah, but which three?

And right now we're watching the Chiefs at the Patriots. Apparently, SportsBlogNation's Chiefs bloggers saw that I picked the Pats and was not terribly sanguine about Tyler Palko's chances tonight, and they WERE NOT HAPPY. Ooooo-kay.

2011 Week 11 Picks

2011-11-15T19:21:00.001-05:00

I'm writing this while watching "The Top 10 Things We Love About the Giants-Eagles Rivalry."

Some great memories - Randall Cunningham's acrobatics, Chuck Bednarik's famous hit on Frank Gifford, Runyan versus Strahan, Brian Westbrook burning the Giants A LOT, Osi Umenyiora pretty much decimating DMac - good times. Even the clips from losses. Good rivalry.

This weekend will NOT be good times. This week, the Eagles travel to New Jersey to take on the Giants in prime time. You know, when the NFL schedulers put together all these prime time games for the Eagles, I'm guessing they were expecting more from the team.

Heh.

So was I.

Remember the last time the Eagles played at the New Meadowlands (or whatever the hell they're calling it now)? The Miracle at the New Meadowlands? Where I was there? Trying to avoid getting murdered by the angry Giants fans?

Yeah, this game is going to be the exact opposite of that game.

Well, actually, this game will probably be EXACTLY like the first 52 minutes of that game, in which the Giants kicked the Eagles asses all over the damn field.

It'll be the exact opposite of the final 8 minutes of that game, when suddenly every last single thing went precisely the Eagles way. Not much is going the Eagles way this year.

And it just got worse. Two words for you: Vince Young.

I think it was the Bleeding Green Nation tweet stream that pointed out that, with the way things have been going, Vince Young will probably play great and produce a win, leading to the only bad news the team has so far managed to avoid this year: a QB controversy.

While that would be ironic, I don't think it's going to happen. I also don't think the Eagles stand a chance.

Giants.

(As an aside, have you heard the news about Victor Cruz's birthday party? What is it with the Giants and shootings?)

In the rest of the matchups:

Jets at Broncos: Jets. I think. The whole damn league is so screwy this year, who knows? But I really do think the Jets are the better team. Then again, TEBOW! Am I talking myself out of this? No - Jets. Even without LT. I think.

Raiders at Vikings: Raiders. Chef Spouse and I were talking about who we see going into the playoffs now (as opposed to back in late August, when I made my typically "what was I smoking?" picks), and I think the Raiders could win the West this year. Poor Jason Campbell. He seems like such a nice guy, and he just can't catch a break.

Bills at Dolphins: Bills. I know they're coming off a bad loss and the Fins are coming off a big win, but the Fins beat the Redskins. That hardly counts.

Jaguars at Browns: Browns. I know they have the same record and all, but I have a good feeling about the Browns.

Cowboys at Redskins: Cowboys. Thank God for the Redskins. They're what's keeping the Eagles from being the dregs of the NFC East.

Buccaneers at Packers: Someone might beat the Pack this season, but it's not going to be the Bucs. Packers.

Panthers at Lions: Lions. Things have been a little up and down for them, but come on. They aren't going to lose to the 2-7 Panthers.

Bengals at Ravens: Call me crazy, but Bengals. The Ravens are so inconsistent this year, they're making my head spin, and meanwhile, the Bengals are a team on the rise.

Titans at Falcons: Falcons. Who are having their own struggles this year, but are still pretty tough to beat at home.

Cardinals at 49ers: 49ers. Who I think are going to face the Packers in the NFC Championship game this year.

Seahawks at Rams: Rams, in my upset pick of the week. It's not as crazy at it sounds - they've won two of their last three, and the Seahawks tend to have trouble on the road.

Chargers at Bears: Bears. Who are looking damn fierce at this point. When did Jay Cutler become a decent QB? Maybe with Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs on his team, it doesn't really matter.

Chiefs at Patriots: Pats. Just when the Chiefs start to turn it around, Matt Cassel goes down. I don't even know who Tyler Palko is...wow, just checked the stats. He's been in the league four years, and is 9 for 13. Lifetime. That's not 9 games won out of 13 played. That's 9 passes completed out of 13 thrown. Lifetime. Just had to say that again.

On bye: (and this really is the final week of byes, after a bye week for byes) Colts, Saints, Steelers, Texans

2011 Week 10 Recap

2011-11-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

Eagles v. Cardinals, Sunday, November 13, 2011

Hear that? It's the Fat Lady singing. Steve Mariucci may not think so, but I say stick a fork in them - they're done.

Stud of the Week: LeSean McCoy, again, who might as well retire the category since he's been the only bright light in an otherwise dismal season. Sunday, he broke Steve van Buren's consecutive games with a TD at 9. Which also also pretty much the only bright spot in the game. Well, other than Asante's pick 6. And where has THAT been for the past nine weeks?

Thank goodness I had some stuff that absolutely, positively had to get done, so I was only half watching the game. If I'd devoted full attention, I probably would've been up on the roof threatening to throw myself off by the time it became apparent that the Eagles were going to blow another fourth quarter lead - you know, at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

I had no problem with Andy's benching of DeSean Jackson, who seems to have mentally checked out (along with most of the rest of the team). Apparently, this was far from a first offense. I'd even advise threatening to trade Jackson to Arizona as punishment if it weren't for the fact that, since they just punked the Eagles yesterday, that means a trade would probably be seen as a reward.

Nobody seems to care - one of the commenters on BGN pointed out that in previous years, when one part of the team was struggling, the rest were there to pick up the slack. This year, nobody seems to have anyone's back. Offense was sputtering, Vick was struggling, when receivers got the ball, they dropped it or went down one yard shy of the first down on 3rd and 20 (looking at you Steve Smith - and you really should be traded. To the Colts. Bring back Chad Hall!). The defense once again blew a fourth quarter lead. Yes, it's historic - the first time a team has blown four fourth quarter leads at home EVER. Also the first time a team has blown five fourth quarter leads in nine games EVER. Historically bad. Awesome! In the way that's totally not!

I have to quote Tommy Lawlor from IgglesBlitz: "This team has the talent to be an efficient, ball control offense, but turnovers kill that. We have a Red Zone turnover in all but one game this year. To me, that is the shocking stat of the season. Settling for FGs isn’t ideal, but you can’t turn the ball over. That’s a sure way to kill your chances to win. Go back and add a FG to each of the Eagles games and think about how that might have changed things."

Oh and on Vick's struggles with accuracy? Broken ribs. Great. Let's all just picture, for a moment, Vince Young under center against the Giants. In prime time.

Ugh.

Let's not.

Remember the historic game when DMac broke his ankle and threw for 4 TDs, with the O line basically carrying him to and from the huddle? Yeah, with this bunch, he'd probably be on his own and lucky if none of his teammates accidentally-on-purpose kicked him in the bum ankle.

And why was a ROOKIE SAFETY (Jaiquawn Jarrett) assigned to cover LARRY FITZGERALD one on one? Who thought that was a good idea?

This is like 2005 all over again, only worse. The 2011 Eagles can't use "injury" as an excuse. Plus, at least those guys (in 2005) tried.

I guess we should've all seen this coming after all these years of watching the Skins blow it. These guys aren't a team, they're a bunch of rich, spoiled assholes who are just collecting paychecks.

Oh well, at least I got to watch my secret wide receiver boyfriend Larry Fitzgerald for 3 solid hours. Best butt in football.

In the rest of the matchups... assuming the Pack wins tonight (looking pretty likely here at the end of the first quarter), Chef Spouse will be 7-9 for the week. Which is good enough to win the division in the NFC West and to tie him for the lead at my office pool this week. Yep, that is EXACTLY how weird things have been this season. Our perennial winner office pool winner only got 4 this week.

Raiders over Chargers: I would say "I can't figure out the AFC West this year," except it seems like I can't figure out ANY of the divisions. I guess Carson Palmer's starting to figure things out.

Saints over Falcons: Solid divisional win on the road. Who dat! Mike Smith is taking shit for opting to go for it on fourth down in OT - unsuccessfully of course - but I think he figured the Falcons would NOT get the ball back, and had it worked, everyone would've been calling him a genius. I don't fault him.

Titans over Panthers: Yowza. Three points from the Panthers. Good defensive effort from the Titans.

Steelers over Bengals: Looks like Chef Spouse was right - the Steelers were pissed about dropping two games to the Ravens. The Steelers got a solid defensive performance, too, picking off rookie Andy Dalton twice in the fourth quarter. But mark my words - Dalton is the real deal.

Rams over Browns: Who misses a 22 yard field goal that would've won the game? Seriously?

Cowboys over Bills: Sigh.

Jaguars over Colts: If the Colts were going to win a game this year, this one would've been it. Guess they're winning the Suck for Luck sweepstakes.

Broncos over Chiefs: I know you've already heard this a million times if you've watched any football coverage in the last 24 hours, but how can a QB throw only 8 times and complete only 2 passes and still win the damn game? WTF?

Dolphins over Redskins: About a week ago, I advised Cool Web Dude (who, you may remember, is a Skins season ticket holder) to jump on the Packers' bandwagon as an alternative. Wonder if there's room for me?

Texans over Buccaneers: Go Texans! Former Team of Destiny is making good! Well, until Matt Schaub got hurt. The Matt Leinart era is about to begin in Houston. Which is probably not a good thing.

Seahawks over Ravens: In fairness, this truly is one where the Ravens lost more than the Seahawks won. The Ravens did everything they could to hand the game over other than pulling their D. Of course, I didn't actually watch the game. They didn't pull the D, did they? Can NO ONE play consistently this year? You know, other than the Packers?

Bears over Lions: Speaking of inability to play consistently...you're not gonna win games throwing four picks, son. Should I not feel as bad about the loss the Bears last week because of this? Nah...still sucks. Also, a Public Service Announcement: DO NOT KICK TO DEVIN HESTER.

49ers over Giants: Has anyone else noticed that David Akers is ON FIRE this year? I miss you, #2.

Pats over Jets: For, like, a minute, the Jets looked like they might be in this game. Then there was the other 59 minutes.

2011 Week 10 Picks

2011-11-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

I did such a bad job with my picks last week, that this week I've turned making the picks over to Chef Spouse. If he blows it, too, next week, I'm letting the cat make the picks.

Cardinals at Eagles: Eagles (homer!) but he did pick the Eagles to beat the Bears, so this pick might be suspect. Hell, they ALL might be suspect.

Raiders at Chargers: GAH! Thursday night football already! Have I mentioned how much this screws up my weekly schedule (only about 1000 times)? Oh NFL Network, I wish I could quit you. Anyway, Chef Spouse has the Chargers. "All their losses have been close, and 28-0 loss to the Chiefs means the Raiders have major flaws."

Bills at Cowboys: Bills. "It is a moral imperative. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I would beat the Cowboys (with a bat) for them. Or for anyone, really."

Titans at Panthers: Panthers. Chef Spouse likes Cam Newton, and has "faith in the future."

Steelers at Bengals: Steelers. "Because they're pissed." (This logic seems suspect to me, but hey, it was my decision to turn over the reins this week.)

Broncos at Chiefs: Chiefs. "Tebow flounders after big win over the Raiders."

Lions at Bears: Lions. Chef Spouse claims that he actually thinks the Lions are better, and that this has nothing to do with residual anger at the Bears. OOooooo-kay.

Redskins at Dolphins: Dolphins. Because "we're in the midst of the annual Redskins death spiral."

Rams at Browns: Browns. "Records don't lie." At least not by week 10.

Saints at Falcons: Saints. Who dat!

Jaguars at Colts: "All the Jags against just Peyton Manning? Colts. Jags versus Manning-less Colts? Jags."

Texans at Buccaneers: Texans. "This is the year for the Texans - they'll win the division. Mark my words."

Ravens at Seahawks: Ravens. "Please. The Seahawks have NO chance. NONE."

Giants at 49ers: 49ers. Chef Spouse is still hoping the Eagles make the playoffs. Also, he still misses his boy David Akers.

Patriots at Jets: Jets. "Off momentum, plus it's hard to sweep a team in your division. Unless that team is the Colts...this year."

Vikings at Packers: Packers. "Juggernaut. The Packers know the Vikings, and they aren't going to lose against a rookie QB at home now."

2011 Week 9 Recap

2011-11-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

Eagles v. Bears, Monday, November 7, 2011

"They are who we thought they were." Not the Bears, of course. I didn't have a strong opinion of the Bears prior to last night, other than:

"Matt Forte or LeSean McCoy - who's harder to stop?"

and

"Brian Urlacher is a really good linebacker. I wonder what it's like to have a really good linebacker? That must be nice."

No, I'm talking about the Eagles.

I quote Tommy Lawlor: "There is something off with this team."

Stud of the Week: I was going to go with Brent Celek for a little variety. Then Shady tied Steve van Buren's record for consecutive games with a touchdown. So once again, Shady wins Stud of the Week. He's my secret running back boyfriend.

And there were some other high points. Other than the bone headed play of not getting out of bounds at the end of the half, Brent Celek had a great game. And special teams did a great job preventing ANY big returns from Devin Hester. Which is REALLY REALLY hard.

But it wasn't enough.

The Eagles had the same old problem: an inability to play a complete game in all three phases for four quarters.

The defense was able to shut down Matt Forte, for two quarters.

The offense had a real spark, for two quarters.

And then...turnovers.

Mike Vick's pick in the red zone was bad. DeSean Jackson's punt fumble inside the ten was worse.

And then...dumb penalties.

The roughing the passer call that Jason Babin drew? Possibly a bad call, understandable, but it gave the Bears 4 points. The Nnamdi Asomugha pass interference call? One could argue that it just delayed the TD, since if he hadn't interfered, Johnny Knox only had daylight ahead of him, but aren't the Eagles paying him big bucks NOT to get beat one on one?

...

Yeah, the much vaunted defensive secondary pretty much made Jay "Pick" Culter look like Peyton Manning.

Oh, and DeSean? Celebrating after your ONE catch that led to a first down? That's not the way to earn yourself a fat contract, in Philly or anywhere else.

Once again, the Eagles got down early, pulled ahead, and then gave up 13 unanswered points to lose the game. The only variable in that equation? The fact that it was 13 points.

The thing is, I knew the Eagles were dead when punter Chas Henry couldn't hit a wide open Colt Anderson on the fake punt. My 8 year old niece has a bigger cannon than that. Right call - ATROCIOUS execution.

It's still mathematically possible for the Birds to make the playoffs, but they're basically going to have to win ALL their remaining games. Hear that sound? It's hope dying.

So we can all watch the rest of the games like Redskins fans, for entertainment value only.

After all that, though, the most horrifying image of the evening, the one that's seared into my brain until the day I die, is Big Red in shorts with Gruden during the Monday Night Countdown coach's interview.

Speaking of, are Gruden and Lance Briggs dating? I do not know, but there are unconfirmed reports that Chuckie left a mash note in Briggs' locker.

Around the rest of the NFL...I got KILLED in my picks.

Jets over Bills: WRONG. Damn, Bills, don't do me like that.

Cowboys over Seahawks: OK, I got this one, but so did EVERYBODY.

Texans over Browns: wOOt! Team of Destiny emeritus! (I did get this one, too.)

Falcons over Colts: Again, everyone, including me, called this. DeMatha could play the Colts and win at this point.

Dolphins over Chiefs: WRONG wrongy WRONG. NOW the Fins decide to start winning (literally now - 1 game winning streak). Thanks for nothing.

Saints over Bucs: Got this one, but the Saints are pretty much impossible to beat in the Superdome (no, I will NOT call it the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, just like it's National Airport, not Ronald Reagan National Airport).

49ers over Redskins: OK, everyone - other than all the people who live near me - had this one, too.

Broncos over Raiders: Muffed this one, too. Told you I had a bad week. Carson Palmer has lost two games with the Raiders. It would be three if they hadn't had a bye in between.

Bengals over Titans: I had this one, too. Redheads of the world unite!

Cardinals over Rams: Wrong. Again. Two rookies - QB John Skelton and special teams player Patrick Peterson - sealed the win. K2's career as a starter could be short if Skelton can keep winning.

Giants over Patriots: Wrong. First Super Bowl 44, then 2011 season week 9. Do the Giants have the Pats' number? Yes, and it's called "We have NO defense to speak of. Kthxbai."

Packers over Chargers: I got this one. And apparently both teams' defense got waylaid in the Gaslamp District and didn't bother to show up.

Ravens over Steelers: Wrong. When was the last time the Ravens swept the Steelers in a season? Has that EVER happened? You know, with my Eagles struggling, I'm looking for a bandwagon to jump on. Not for the season, mind you. I'll still root for my Birds with all my heart. But I do need a playoff team, since it ain't gonna be the Eagles. Maybe Ravens? Nah...Packers!

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, November 6, 2011

2011-11-03T17:53:00.000-04:00

This week, the Eagles play their second prime time game in a row, hosting the Bears on Monday Night Football. But never fear! We'll still be watching football on Sunday.

1 pm: Seahawks/Cowboys, with 49ers/Redskins (which I'm guessing won't be a very good game) on the computer

4 pm: Giants/Pats, with Packers/Chargers on the side (also not likely to be a very good game)

SNF: Ravens at Steelers, baby! That *is* going to be a good game.

Chef Spouse is feeling ham, scalloped potatoes, and French cut green beans this weekend. Bring something to go with (maybe some wine?).

2011 Week 9 Picks

2011-11-02T17:50:00.002-04:00

This week, the Eagles will face the Bears on Monday Night Football. Two prime time games in a row! YAY, but also some of us have DAY JOBS y'all!

I have to admit, in the McNabb era, I tended to worry about night games. If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I have always been a huge Big5 fan. But DMac was often not as his best in the prime time games. Maybe it was the pressure. Maybe he's a morning person. I don't know. What I do know is that night games left me nervous.

Add to that Matt Forte. The Eagles have the #19 ranked run defense. Somehow, I think the #19 ranked run defense is going to have some problems with Matt Forte.

Add to that Devin Hester. And a rookie punter and place kicker, neither of which has been what I'd call "consistent" so far this year. We can all yell "DON'T KICK TO DEVIN HESTER!" all the live-long day to the TV, but I'm not confident of either Henry or Henery's ability not to do just that.

On the other hand, the offense seems to be coming together. Defensive coordinators can decide to take away the outside/big play receivers. Or they can decide to take away the short/across the middle plays. Or they can decide to shut down the Eagles run game. Or they can decide to try to keep Mike Vick in the pocket and/or harass him all day. They can't pick "all of the above," at least not with only 11 guys. And if the team can continue to limit turnovers on offense (knock wood), it's pretty damn hard to keep them from scoring.

Meanwhile, it seems like Juan Castillo might finally be learning his job. Or he's shuffled the guys into the right positions. Or everybody went to Remedial Tackling classes. Or all of the above.

I don't think it's going to be a waltz like last week's win over the Cowboys, but I do think the Eagles will pull this one out.

In the rest of the matchups:

Jets at Bills: Interesting AFC East matchup. The Jets are coming off their bye, which, at least in Bleeding Green Nation, always equals "win." The Bills are coming off spanking the Redskins, which to me, screams trap game. The entire league is topsy-turvy this year. Which to me says Bills.

Seahawks at Cowboys: The Cowboys better win this one at home, otherwise I'm pretty sure they should all plan to leave town. Immediately. Like 4:08 pm Sunday afternoon. Cowboys.

Browns at Texans: Gotta go with my Texans! Team of Destiny Emeritus!

Colts at Falcons: And the suck rolls on into Atlanta. Falcons.

Dolphins at Chiefs: After what both teams showed me last week, I have to go with the Chiefs. Which clearly means the Dolphins will finally pull it together, right?

Bucs at Saints: The Saints HAVE to be pissed after last week, and I can't see them dropping a divisional game at home, even with Sean Payton up in the press box. Saints.

49ers at Redskins: I'm officially on the bandwagon. Also, the Redskins have literally run out of offensive players. 49ers.

Broncos at Raiders: That bye week came just in time, but in the battle of Tim Tebow and Carson Palmer, I have to go with "which team has a better ground game?" That would be the Raiders.

Bengals at Titans: The Bengals, under rookie QB (and fellow ginger) Andy Dalton are surging. The Titans are right in there, too, for AFC South. This is a tough call, as neither offense is exactly lighting it up. I think I'm going to have to go with the #4 ranked Bengals defense.

Rams at Cardinals: Ugh. Look away! Cards? Rams? Who cares? If forced to pick - which I am, by the office pool - I'll go with Rams. Under protest. That this game is even being broadcast.

Giants at Patriots: Hm, speaking of teams that have to be pissed after last week..yeah, Giants, to quote Inside the Iggles, "good luck with that." Pats.

Packers at Chargers: Is it even fair to make other teams play the Pack this year? Do the Chargers have a prayer? No to both. Packers.

Ravens at Steelers: I can't see the Steelers losing to the Ravens twice in one season, particularly not at home. Steelers.

On bye: Last week! Jaguars, Lions, Panthers, Vikings

Edited to add: NOT last week. What's with the skip week on byes, NFL?

2011 Week 8 Recap

2011-10-31T19:31:00.000-04:00

Eagles v. Cowboys, Sunday, October 30, 2011

Happy Halloween! Of course, this week's recap will be the annual trick-or-treat edition, as I write in my witch costume jumping up to answer the doorbell while waiting for MNF to start.

In attendance: Just Shoegal, Chef Spouse and me - SNF games are tough on people who have to go to work in the morning.

Menu: homemade butternut squash ravioli with butter sage sauce, salad, yummy treats from Shoegal

Stud: Shady McCoy, of course, who pretty much OWNS this category this year. I've already asked Santa to bring me his jersey for Christmas. Could he be any more awesome? I don't think so. To recap: 185 yards on the ground on 30 carries and two TDs, plus another 15 yards through the air. The second coming of BWest? You know it.

Since we're all thinking it, I'll go ahead and say it: "Where the HELL have these guys been for the past 6 weeks?" I'm glad they finally decided to show up, but seriously, I was expecting them in week 2, not week 8. Better late than never.

OK, sure, a bunch of new guys on the field and pretty much an entirely new coaching staff are going to take come time to gel. Seven weeks, to be precise.

Are the Eagles becoming a team that can run the ball and shut teams down on defense? Because that would be an interesting switch to the Andy Reid playbook. The thing I loved most last night was seeing the long drives sustained by nice runs and short passes over the middle. Dictionary west coast offense. Those were some BIG holes the offensive line was creating. Andy Reid could have run through those holes himself. Hell, he probably could've driven the team bus through them. What made it even sweeter is that the Cowboys came in with one of the top ranked run defenses in the league.

Clearly Rob Ryan game planned to take away DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and in that, he was pretty successful. Maclin and DJax had 3 catches each, for 54 and 31 yards respectively. The thing is, if you're going to put all your guys on those two, that leaves Jason "Hands" Avant, Brent Celek and Clay Harbor to run free in the middle of the field. Now throwing across the middle is not the easiest thing for the relatively short (at 6 feet on the nose) Mike Vick. Then again, the o-line gave him such a nice clean pocket all night long, he could drop back as far as he needed to.

And on D, it seems like I may owe Juan Castillo an apology. It wasn't showy - it wasn't like there were a zillion picks and sacks (1 and 4) - but the Cowboys were just totally out of sorts all night long. They only had 12 first downs, and, if I recall correctly, only THREE in the entire first half. The Eagles D was getting off the field and only made one mistake all night long (Kurt Coleman got a little over excited), allowing the only Cowboys' score, in scut time (aka "the entire 4th quarter").

Oh, and did I mention? No turnovers. THAT was a treat. Big time.

THIS is what we were expecting 6 weeks ago. Hopefully, the guys can keep it up. Because the team that played LAST night looks pretty damn unstoppable.

Around the rest of the league:

Ravens over Cardinals: The Cardinals jumped out to a treat of an early lead, but the Ravens had a trick for them, to the tune of 24 (?) unanswered points, to win the game.

Vikings over Panthers: Cam Newton sure is a treat (on the eyes, too), but those tricky Vikings forced two fumbles, got a great day out of Adrian Peterson, and, ultimately, got a treat of a field goal out of the aptly-named Ryan Longwell to sneak a 3 point win.

Texans over Jags: No tricks here, only another treat of a day from Arian Foster.

Giants over Dolphins: The Dolphins almost tricked the Giants into a trap game, but ultimately, the Giants pulled out a win. No treats here - sooner or later (probably sooner) Tony Sparano is going to be fired.

Rams over Saints: Raise your hand if you picked this one. (crickets) The Rams treated their fans to a fantastic end to a fantastic week. Not only did the Rams get their first win, it was over the mighty Saints not some sad-sack team like the Colts. It's a great week to be a sports fan in the S-T-L.

Titans over Colts: I wonder if the Colts are being tricky to Suck for Luck? It's a treat to see the AFC South up for grabs this year.

Bills over Redskins: OMG, someone needs to talk Redskins fans down off the ledge. The Bills are a treat this year, as was Ryan Fitzpatrick's contract extension, and they sure tricked Mike and Kyle Shanahan, shut out for the first time EVER. Guess "The System" isn't looking so tricky these days, is it, Shanny?

Lions over Broncos: Told you the Lions would pull it back together! Tim Tebow might not be quite the treat Broncos think he is, but the Lions D had a treat or two of their own ready to go, registering seven sacks.

Steelers over Pats: The Steelers, who looked pretty soft early on, seem to be returning to their usual tricky form. It was a real treat to watch them frustrate Tom Brady all afternoon. And that tricky Troy Polamalu managed a real treat of a play in punching the Brady fumble into the endzone for a safety.

Bengals over Seahawks: Andy Dalton looks a treat in Cincy, and the Seahawks...well, people in Seattle should wish this is a trick. Congratulations to Marvin Lewis, now the winningest coach in Bengals history

49ers over Browns: Was Alex Smith just tricking us all this time, or did he just need Jim Harbaugh to treat us to some good play? Of course, Frank Gore's treat of 134 yards and a TD didn't hurt.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 30, 2011

2011-10-27T18:30:00.000-04:00

It's COWBOYS week, y'all. OK, maybe it doesn't have quite the same zing as it used to - our Eagles are used to winning and to dominating the NFC East, and it's been a long time since the Cowboys have been good, but hey - they did knock our boys out of the playoffs in 2009. Which, by the way, is the only playoff game they've won since 1996. HA!

Anyway, it's a prime time matchup, which is awesome other than the whole getting up Monday morning thing.

It will be a full day of football as usual, of course, with the following up for the early games:

1 pm: likely Dolphins/Giants, and wow, the 1 pm games are likely to suck

4 pm: Redskins/Bills (I'll be ducking out for a dance practice, but Chef Spouse is around for the duration)

For the menu, Chef Spouse is thinking fresh pasta, since we have a bunch of winter squash from the CSA to cook down anyway. If I get my act together, I'll make us some baguettes, too, and we'll probably have salad. Bring something to go with.

2011 Week 8 Picks

2011-10-26T18:56:00.000-04:00

The Cowboys are coming to town!

OK, I know - the rivalry is not what it once was. The Eagles have mostly owned the NFC East for the past 10+ years, and the Cowboys have one precisely one playoff game since 1996. Yes, that win knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs in the first round for the first time under Andy Reid in 2009 and thank you for bringing up such a painful memory.

Anyway, at this point the Eagles are seriously shaky. Then again, so are the Cowboys. Actually, I'm starting to think the entire league is shaky, other than maybe the Packers and the Pats. The Cowboys never know which Tony Romo they're getting from one week to the next - hell, from one play to the next. Then again, Eagles fans have NO idea what team is going to show up from one quarter to the next. The team that puts up points with ease or the team that can't find the endzone with both hands, a map, a flashlight, a GPS, and a sherpa? The team that relentlessly pressures the QB and stuffs the run, or the team that lets themselves get gashed for yards practically every play, on the ground and in the air? I swear, the team is schizophrenic so far this year, and they're going to make their fans (aka "us") completely nuts if they don't cut this shit out.

On the other hand, even at 2-4, the Eagles are far from out of it in the NFC East. And although Andy has trouble closing, he definitely has a track record of getting the team to step up at critical times. Like now. When they need to win, a LOT, to stay in consideration for a post-season.

In the end, I have to go with the fact that Andy Reid owns the game after the bye week and pick the Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups:

Saints at Rams: Saints. This is your official freebie pick of the week.

Jaguars at Texans: Texans. I think. After watching the Jags dismantle the Ravens last week...yeah, but both teams were incredibly sloppy, only the Jags were slightly less so. And Arian Foster! OK, I'm sure. Texans.

Dolphins at Giants: Giants. OK, you get two freebies this week.

Cardinals at Ravens: Even after that mess on Monday Night Football - as one of my friends called it on Facebook: "unwatchable" - I don't see the Ravens dropping a home game to the Cards. No way. Ravens.

Colts at Titans: Titans. Hm, OK, THREE freebie picks.

Vikings at Panthers: This is an interesting matchup with two high draft pick rookie QBs facing off, but I have to go with experience (relatively speaking) and pick Cam and his Panthers.

Lions at Broncos: The Lions will get back on track this week. Or at least they better, because the NFC North is tough this year, and if they drop too many more games, they'll be out.

Redskins at Bills: Bills. And I'm not just picking against the Redskins because they're in my division. The Bills are actually pretty damn good this year. The Redskins, in what's become a continuing theme for them, are not.

Bengals at Seahawks: Bengals. Did you realize that the Bengals are 4-2? OK, they haven't exactly been playing the Packers, Saints, and Pats every week, but still. Guess they aren't missing Carson Palmer too much. Wonder if the Raiders can get a refund?

Pats at Steelers: This should be a helluva good game. I don't know if the Steelers can shut down the Pats high powered offense, and I also don't think they can keep up in a shoot-out. I could be wrong, but I don't think so. Pats.

Browns at 49ers: 49ers. Jim Harbaugh is working the Harbaugh magic out there in Frisco, I'm telling you!

Chargers at Chiefs: Chargers. Oy. Am I really picking the team that lost to the Jets over the team that beat the Raiders? I guess so. I hope Philip Rivers took some time to get his head straight this week.

On bye: Bears, Buccaneers, Falcons, Jets, Packers, Raiders

2011 Week 7 Recap

2011-10-24T17:57:00.002-04:00

Mini-recaps this week, since I was busy cooking and didn't follow the games too closely.

Panthers over Redskins: The deal with Mike Shanahan is supposed to be that he has this system, and as long as you follow The System, the particular players don't really matter. After all, he's won all those Super Bowls, right? So he must know? I'm just spit balling here, but I'm thinking that John Elway had something to do with it. Just theorizing, but maybe they won all those Super Bowls BECAUSE of John Elway and IN SPITE OF the Shanahan system. And John Beck is no John Elway.

Browns over Seahawks: SNOOZE. 6-3, and that was with two field goals blocked. You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad has a tradition of taking a Sunday afternoon nap, and I'm betting that even the people who were AT THE STADIUM were asleep by the second half.

Falcons over Lions: Oh Lions, don't crap out on me already! It's not even November! At least Stafford is still vertical. Sort of.

Broncos over Dolphins: Giving up 15 points in about two minutes? The Fins deserved to lose. I'd guess that Tony Sparano would be fired during the bye week, but that ship has already sailed this season for the Fins. Has a head coach ever been fired without benefit of a bye week to bring someone else in? We could see history this year.

Jets over Chargers: Another end of game collapse! And I thought for sure the Chargers would get over the East Coast thing this week. Also, the Jets still have (at least) nine games to go this season. Little tip from me to their opponents? Double Plax in the end zone. Long time Eagles fan here. Trust me on this one.

Bears over Bucs: Just when I start thinking the Buccaneers might be getting something going (see last week and the win over the Saints), they blow it. This is what parity looks like.

Texans over Titans: So, apparently, Arian Foster's feeling a little better. You know, just a little. To the tune of 234 yards. Yowza.

Steelers over Cardinals: Duh.

Chiefs over Raiders: Last night on Football Night in America, Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison were debating who there is to like in the AFC West. They couldn't figure it out, and neither can I. The Chargers fall apart to the Jets. The Raiders stink it up against the Chiefs. Who are now 3-3. Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer were Bad and Worse. Broncos? Yeah, not Broncos. What a mess. Who knew Jason Campbell was so critical?

Cowboys over Rams: Again with the duh.

Packers over Vikings: The only surprise was that the game was as close as it was. Guess the Pack can't totally dominate every single team every single week. I'm smelling a repeat.

Saints over Colts: Speaking of total domination...Chef Spouse has recently been making the argument that Peyton Manning should win MVP again this year. If we're judging by the player whose team can't live without him, Chef Spouse has a point. Boardwalk Empire was really great last night, by the way. The first season was a little slow - they were clearly setting up characters and story lines - but this season has been outstanding. I really love the Richard Harrow character and hope that something nice happens for him. I also love Margaret Schroeder. I think if Nucky can just see it, she could be a tremendous genuine partner for him. Why I am writing about this? Because I quit watching at halftime in favor of Boardwalk Empire. It was that pathetic. I seriously don't know why Jim Caldwell still has a job.

Oh - and Food Lab: Corn Tortillas was great. You can check the blog later this evening to read all about it.

2011 Week 7 Picks

2011-10-20T21:23:00.000-04:00

The Eagles are on bye this week, but with the Cowboys coming up on Sunday Night Football next week, they better not be resting on their laurels - or anything else - after the hopefully season-saving win over the Redskins last week. The defense still needs work, the offense still needs to learn how to score points in more than two quarters per game, and I won't feel fully comfortable about special teams until Alex Henery kicks at least one game winner from 40+. Short version: there's a lot of work to be done.

Anyway, other teams are still playing this week, and here's who I think is going to win:

Chargers at Jets: I know the Chargers have had trouble coming east historically and the weather's starting to turn chilly and all that, but they're a MUCH better team than the Jets, at least so far this year. This game shouldn't be a problem for them. Chargers.

Seahawks at Browns: Don't let that win over the Giants fool you - the Seahawks are still not very good. The Browns aren't great, either, but I think they'll get this one by virtue of home field.

Falcons at Lions: Lions. Yep, you read that right. Have I mentioned lately that I'm totally on their bandwagon? Hell, at this point, I'm riding shotgun.

Bears v. Buccaneers: I think these London games are idiotic. There's this thing? Called TV? And people in the UK have it, too? So if they're really interested in American football, they can, you know, WATCH it? Without sending teams the whole way across the Atlantic. Oy. Also, Bucs.

Broncos at Dolphins: aka, Bad at Worse. Avert your eyes. Dolphins. Which, if I'm right, will put the Colts up (down?) by one game in the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes.

Redskins at Panthers: Regardless of which QB starts for the Redskins, this should be a blow out in their favor. Notice I said "should be." If it's not, forget calling for Rex Grossman's head - Redskins fans will be calling for Shanny's head. Which is exactly what's going to happen. Panthers.

Texans at Titans: Texans. Another bandwagon where I'm riding shotgun.

Steelers at Cardinals: Will Kevin Kolb ever pull it together? Well, not this week. Steelers.

Chiefs at Raiders: Even without Jason Campbell, I think the Raiders will be able to stretch the Al Davis Memorial Winning Streak to 3. Hope Carson Palmer's happy now. At least he gets his first start with his new team facing an opponent many college and even some high school teams could probably whup.

Packers at Vikings: Man, the Vikes just cannot catch a break. Oh right, they play in the NFC North. Sorry Christian Ponder, but your first pro start is going to be a disaster. Hand off to Adrian Peterson and hold on to your knickers. Packers.

Rams at Cowboys: Even if Tony Romo melts down again and/or Jason Garrett doesn't trust him to do anything right, it shouldn't matter. The Rams are a hot mess, and there's enough film on AJ Feeley that they won't even get the "surprise QB" bump some teams occasionally get to enjoy. Cowboys.

Colts at Saints: Coach Payton should be back on the sideline (or at least the press box) in his cast/brace, but it won't matter - even I could coach the Saints to a win over the Colts at this point. Saints.

Ravens at Jaguars: I don't read The Onion much anymore, but I do follow them on Twitter. They tweeted something really funny recently to the effect that the sole message on the Jags fan board was from this guy looking for directions to the stadium. That pretty much sums it up. Ravens.

Joining the Eagles on bye: 49ers, Bengals, Bills, Giants, Patriots

Also, this is the ONLY place to get my picks this week. Some commenters on my syndication sites were kind of being jerks, and I do this for fun, so if it's not fun...well, you do the math. You guys, my loyal readers, are special. XOXOX.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 23, 2011

2011-10-19T19:21:00.000-04:00

We're closed again this week, because we're taking advantage of the bye week to do a long-delayed Food Lab. We'll return next week for the big Eagles/Cowboys matchup on Sunday Night Football on October 30 (costumes encouraged).

In the meantime, here's what we'll be watching while we're labbing:

1 pm: Redskins at Panthers

4 pm: Rams at Cowboys

(Both games are likely to be blowouts in favor of the NFC East team, but gotta keep an eye on the division regardless.)

SNF: Colts at Saints (hm - or maybe we'll just watch Boardwalk Empire in real time)

MNF: Ravens at Jaguars (seriously, even in the offseason, who thought that would be an interesting game?)

2011 Week 6 Recap

2011-10-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

Eagles at Redskins, Sunday, October 16, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, Chef Spouse - small group, thank goodness, since we didn't get home from a week in Seattle until after 10 pm Saturday night

Menu: 'cue from Inspire. Sadly, it was not. Inspired. Also sadly, the really good 'cue place in our neighborhood, Kenny's, isn't open on Sundays. And Steelers Transplant still lives in Tampa, which means we don't get his amazing 'cue either. No 'cue - what's a gal to do?

Stud of the week: Kurt Coleman, I'm looking at you! Kurt had a huge day, particularly given the fact that he wasn't even a starter until, I think, this week, replacing the truly awful Jarrad Page. Kurt hauled in three of Sexy Rexy's four picks, batted down some additional passes, and was in on about a million tackles. Way to ensure that starting position STAYS yours. Gotta give a shout-out to Brent Celek, too. Nice circus catch, buddy.

First, I have to get one thing off my chest:

WHY CAN'T THE EAGLES PLAY FOUR FREAKIN' QUARTERS OF COMPLETE FOOTBALL ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BALL?

Sigh.

A win's a win, and the Eagles desperately needed this one, but the fact that the offense scored all their points before the half and almost let the Redskins and their backup (new starting?) QB John Beck back in does not make me happy.

You know how, for the past four weeks, it's felt like the Eagles couldn't catch a break no matter what? Every batted pass resulted in a pick, guys who normally protect the rock gave it up, if the first level of the D missed a tackle there was NO ONE to clean it up, even the kicker was missing short field goals?

I guess someone paid a curandera to come smudge the locker room with sage or something, because damn, did the team's luck turn.

Of course, it also helped that Rex Grossman remembered that he's, well, Rex Grossman. You aren't going to turn the ball over that much and still win. Trust me - after the last four weeks, I know. Oh God, do I know.

Other things that helped:

The defense showed up ready to ball. I called the Skins to win this game in part because I wasn't seeing much in the way of results from all the defensive tweaking. I figured the team needed the two weeks of the upcoming bye in order to, oh, I don't know, scrap the entire defensive coaching staff and scheme and start over. Silly me. I still don't think Juan Castillo is going to work out long term as the DC, but at least the players seem to have remembered how to tackle and get to the ball and stop drives in the red zone and get the hell off the field on 3rd down. Maybe they were all threatened with being traded to the Rams. Whatever it was, it worked.

Shady McCoy had another huge game. Mike Shanahan's right: he IS the best back in the NFL.

Brent Celek remembered how to play football (see above).

Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant remembered how to HOLD ON TO THE BALL.

To quote Bleeding Green Nation, Nnamdi Asomugha channeled Sheldon Brown, laid the wood we're used to seeing from a midnight green #24, and broke Chris Cooley's hand in the process. Not that I'm ever happy about injuries, but Cooley does run his mouth. A lot. A LOT.

The coaches actually planned the game relatively well. Yes, we all know Andy Reid is addicted to the big play. But this week, he must've been wearing some kind of patch or chewing some special gum, because he and Marty dialed up running plays and short drops with quick passes to keep Mike Vick from getting killed. And thank goodness, because Vince Young did not impress with his two plays from scrimmage. (Oh, and by the way? Andy was right to challenge that spot at the end of the game, and the zebras were BLIND in calling Shady short. BLIND.) And they didn't get cute in the red zone, and look what happened: two TDs and two field goals.

Mike Vick didn't have a huge day, and you know what? That's fine by me. Last year's MNF show aside, if he throws for a jillion yards, it generally means that the Eagles are in BIG trouble.

A lot of the DC sports press today has been all about, "if only a few plays had gone the other way..." Yeah, tell me about it. In case you haven't noticed, the Eagles weren't blown out once in those four losses. So I feel you, Redskins fans, I do, but I'm glad YOU'RE the ones wailing about "if only!" this Monday.

In the end, the guys finally played like they cared. And, at least yesterday, that was enough.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Falcons over Panthers: Did you see Cam Newton bust out the Deion Sanders TD dance? Funny stuff. What's not funny is being 1-5 (so glad the Eagles are not in that camp today).

Bengals over Colts: How many ways are there to say, "The Colts suck without Peyton Manning"? Because I'd got 11 more weeks to go and I'm already running low on alternatives.

49ers over the Lions: OK, the Lions are for real, as I've been pointing out for the last five weeks. Apparently, the 49ers are, too. I've heard the 49ers are also really, really grateful for David Akers. You're welcome, and you can send the gifts of high-end small batch and single barrel bourbons to me. I'll be sure Howie Roseman gets them, I swear. Also, throw down between the coaches? LOVE!

Packers over Rams: Well, sure. Sam Bradford is hurt and AJ Feeley's their new starting QB. Spags, Feeley - it's like old home week.

Giants over Bills: Really, Bills? Really? After last week, you couldn't take care of the Giants for us? Thanks for nothing. My only hope is that none of the NFC East teams can play at all consistently this year, and the Giants ALWAYS fall apart in December.

Steelers over Jaguars: I'm pretty sure the Steelers should be really worried that they only beat the Jags by 4. They should also be really worried that Troy Polamalu might have a concussion.

Ravens over Texans: The Ravens are also for real. You know, just in case you weren't sure.

Raiders over Browns: Poor Jason Campbell just can't catch a break. He finally gets a little stability and starts winning some games, and the next thing you know: broken collarbone, Heal up quick, Jason. The West is wide open. Also, nice win on the day the team was honoring Al Davis. Who was a nut job, make no mistake, but also highly influential, both for the Raiders and the entire NFL.

Patriots over Cowboys: Pop quiz: you give the ball back to Tom Brady, Pats down by 3, with just over two minutes left. What do YOU think is going to happen, dumb ass? Sloppy game on both sides, but how does that game turn out any other way than it did? Seriously?

Buccaneers over Saints: The worst injury of the day was to Sean Payton, who took a major hit to the knee from one of his own players on the sidelines and couldn't even finish coaching the game (I think he had surgery today). Well, that and the injury to the Saints' pride in losing to the Bucs.

Bears over Vikings: First of all, say it with me, "Do NOT kick to Devin Hester. EVER." Jeez, people, get with the program! And McNabb got benched for Christian Ponder. Given the fact that his receivers dropped EVERYTHING, including passes that hit them between the numbers and on the hands, and the fact that the Vikings' O-line is TERRIBLE, I don't think that ass-whuppin' was Big 5's fault. I also think this might be the end of the line for him. NFL Network calling?

2011 Week 6 Picks

2011-10-13T21:05:00.001-04:00

This week, our beleaguered Eagles travel to DC to take on the NFC East leading Redskins. Back in August, who would've thought I'd be writing that sentence in mid-October? So far this season, it's been like Bizarro NFC East, with the Eagles front office behaving like Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato in days of yore, and the Redskins plugging away and winning games. LOLskins, indeed.

You know what the Skins are really good at this year? Running the ball. You know what the Eagles couldn't do if you paid them? Stop the run. No really - these guys are well-paid, and look what's happened in the first five games. You know what it takes to stop the run? Solid linebackers and defensive players who can tackle. So our boys in green are 0 for 2 there.

The Philly news media and my fellow bloggers have been all about "this is a MUST-WIN game!" this week.

Yeah, so was last week's game against the Bills. And so was the Eagles week three home opener against the 49ers. And the week two matchup against the Giants.

The team needs to make MAJOR adjustments. Maybe to coaching, maybe to personnel, either who they have or where they're playing them (or both), and certainly to their approach to practicing and preparing for games and to playcalling. So, you know, everything. I don't see that happening until the bye week which, mercifully, is next week. Hopefully the team won't have given up by then, because they're going to go into it 1-5.

Redskins (God help me).

In the rest of the matchups:

Panthers at Falcons: The Panthers are on the rise and the Falcons have lost their 14-2 magic, but they are still damn hard to beat at home, and I don't see them letting a divisional game slip away, particularly with one of the NFC wildcard spots virtually guaranteed to the North at this point. Falcons.

Colts at Bengals: Adam Schefter started a tweet storm with his bit on SportsCenter this morning about what he would recommend - if anyone was asking - in the way of hypothetical, proposed trades. The next thing you know, someone tweeted "Dawkins being traded to Philly" as fact, and we were off to the races. But Schefter did have one thing right - the Colts should just trade everyone they can to get as many draft picks next year as possible to go with their new QB, Andrew Luck, and their new head coach, Peyton Manning. Bengals.

49ers at Lions: If you're not an NFC East fan, this is the game to watch in the 1 pm time slot. Both teams are way outperforming expectations this year. With the Lions, it's been building. Looking at what's been going on with that team in the past few years, anyone with half a brain in her head could see they were on the cusp of something great. This is the year it all starts coming together for them. In the meantime, you may remember the 2005 draft, when Aaron Rodgers was taken in the first round, but not until pick 24. Remember who was drafted #1? Yep, Alex Smith. For the past six years, he's looked like a HUGE bust. Then a little thing happened I like to call "Competent Coaching." Jim Harbaugh is having a tremendous effect on that entire football team, not least their QB. I give the edge to the Lions because I feel like their climb from the cellar of the NFL is on a stronger footing, because they're at home, and because their division is much tougher. Also, Team of Destiny! Lions.

Rams at Packers: There's at least one game per season where I advise one of the teams to forfeit. This would be that game. Just forfeit, Rams, and save yourselves the shame of being the first team in NFL history to lose by three digits. Packers, with the gimme pick.

Bills at Giants: I was reading Big Blue View and the Giants fans seem, to me, to be irrationally optimistic about their ability to handle the hot Bills. Face it guys: the NFC East is just not very good this year, and these Bills are not your daddy's Bills. Bills.

Jaguars at Steelers: You know what other long-tenured head coach's days are looking numbered? Jack Del Rio. Steelers.

Texans at Ravens: This is a tough one to call. Both teams have posted BIG wins over the Steelers. I know the Texans are dealing with some injuries at this point, and I know the Ravens are playing at home, but I have to go with my recently graduated Team of Destiny. Texans.

Browns at Raiders: Look for the Raiders to extend their Al Davis Memorial Winning Streak to two this week.

Cowboys at Pats: Even if Tony Romo doesn't completely melt down at some point during the game - which is starting to look like a weekly occurrence - there is NO WAY the Cowboys win this game. Yeah, I know the Pats have, statistically, the worst defense in the entire league. I also know that the Cowboys will NOT be able to keep up on offense. No way. Pats. Yes, that means three NFC East teams will lose this week. Told you we aren't very good this year.

Saints at Buccaneers: The Bucs seem to be regressing, which is too bad, because they were showing some promise. Back to blacked out games, Tampa. Saints.

Vikings at Bears: The Bears o-line is putrid this year, which just might be enough to keep the Vikings in this game. But I still think Lovie's team will walk away with a W, as long as Jared Allen doesn't completely flatten Jay Cutler. And even that might not be enough.

Dolphins at Jets: Finally, the Jets are facing an opponent they can DEFINITELY beat in the 0-4 Dolphins. At least they better, or Rex's head might literally explode on the sidelines. Jets.

On bye: Broncos, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Seahawks, Titans

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 16, 2011

2011-10-13T20:20:00.001-04:00

Chef Spouse and I will finally be home to watch the games this weekend! However, we do need a solid headcount for Sunday because we will just be getting home from Seattle, so if you're planning to come, we need to know by text, email, or call NO LATER than Saturday, October 15.

On to the schedule:

1 pm: Eagles/Redskins (of course) - second game will be Bills/Giants

4 pm: Pats/Cowboys - second game either Texans/Ravens or Saints/Bucs (we'll take a vote)

SNF: Bears/Vikings (aka, "Everyone gets to go to bed early!")

MNF: Dolphins/Jets (aka, "Everyone gets to go to bed early again!")

Menu: since we'll have just gotten home, we're going to get some kind of takeout. Chef Spouse is thinking that we'll try Inspire BBQ, which recently opened in our neighborhood and is supposed to be quite good. And unlike all the OTHER BBQ joints in our 'hood, it's actually open on Sundays.

2011 Week 5 Recap

2011-10-10T01:32:00.001-04:00

Eagles at Bills, Sunday, October 9, 2011

In attendance: just me and Chef Spouse. I'm on a business trip in Seattle, and his dad lives out here, so he came with.

Menu: room service

Stud of the Week: there isn't one. Seriously. No one.

The DirectTV Sunday Ticket To Go was experiencing some significant buffering issues during the game today. It could've been the fact that I was on hotel wireless. But I prefer to think that DirectTV was trying to protect me from witnessing what Bleeding Green Nation referred to as the "vortex of errors and futility that has ensnared the Eagles."

If you had put some money on the Bills being 4-1 and the Eagles being 1-4 in week 5 a month ago, you'd probably be able to afford some REALLY good booze to help you dull the pain right now.

Those few seconds of hope I enjoyed when it looked like they might just pull off the comeback win were fun. I enjoyed them. They might be the last I get this season.

What else is there to write about this team? Can't tackle? Check. Like, epically, historically bad at tackling? Check. Offensive turnovers at critical times? Check. Dumb penalties that extend opponents' drives? Check. Lack of defensive take-aways? Check. Doing nothing with whatever takeaways they do get? Check. Ineffective in the red zone on both sides of the ball? Check. Inexplicable coaching decisions? Check, check, check.

"Why wasn't Mike Vick the stud? After all, he broke Randal Scramble's all time QB rushing record today." Well, sure - and he threw four picks (although they weren't all his fault). And let's not forget the brain fart at the end of the half that cost the Eagles three points.

"What about Jason Avant? He had a career day!" Yep, and two critical turnovers. Hands Avant had TWO turnovers. And both at the worst possible times.

Fellow Eagles Maniac and I were Facebooking during the game. I suggested it might be time to sacrifice a goat. She feels like the goat we should start with is Juan Castillo.

How can this team find so MANY different ways to lose?

In the battle between five hundred total yards of offense and five turnovers, five turnovers will always win out. Well, lose. You know what I mean.

I really don't know where the guys go from here. I'm pretty sure Juan Castillo has to go. If not now, then during the bye week. Actually, if the Eagles drop next week's game to the Redskins (which I fully expect them to do), Andy Reid might not have a job after the bye week.

It used to be that, when the Eagles needed someone to step up, he did. Whether it was a big defensive stop, or a takeaway, or a pick-6, or a 14 second McNabb scramble, or Brian Westbrook turning a sure tackle for a loss into a 40 yard gain, or even Freddie f-ing Mitchell catching a 4th and 26, somebody would always step up. Not anymore.

The Eagles have plenty of guys with great fantasy stats. What they don't have is a team. And I don't know how they fix that.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Saints over Panthers: But just barely and on a last-minute (literally in the final minute) TD. The Panthers are going to be really good in another year or two.

Raiders over Texans: If I had known Al Davis was going to up and die, I would've called this game differently. Hey, you think if someone whacks Jeff Lurie, the Eagles might win another game this season?

Chiefs over Colts: I called it! Also, at least there's one team that's worse off than the Eagles! For the moment!

Bengals over Jaguars: I really need to actually WATCH a Bengals game at some point to check out young Mr.Dalton.

Vikings over Cardinals: Looks like the Vikings have finally figured out how to win games. Hand off to Adrian Peterson. And it took them FIVE WEEKS to remember that?

Seahawks over Giants: You know that thing I said above about how you can't win games if you keep giving the ball away to the other team? Yeah, that. And the Seahawks even lost Tavaris Jackson.

Steelers over Titans: Just when you think the Titans are getting good, they screw up. Just when you think the Steelers are dead, they spring back to life. I should've remembered both of these things in calling this game.

49ers over Bucs: HOLY CRAP. 48-3. And the Bucs are a pretty decent team this year. Frank Gore's clearly back, and maybe, just maybe, Alex Smith is actually turning into a QB.

Chargers over Broncos: Beginning of the Tebow era? Probably. He didn't win, but he did play well, in sharp contrast to Kyle Orton, and he's fun as hell to watch.

Pats over Jets: Their record is better, but the Jets are almost as big a disappointment this year as the Eagles. Almost.

Packers over Falcons: It was all (or nearly all) Falcons in the first half, but you just can't keep the Packers down. Damn, they look good.

Sunday Schedule, Sunday, October 9, 2011

2011-10-06T12:50:00.000-04:00

Another game, another weekend when we're out of town. Yep, we're closed again - in Seattle for work.

Good games to watch this week include:

1 pm - well, I'll be watching Eagles/Bills, thanks to Sunday Ticket To-Go, but I think Raiders/Texans will be a much better game

4 pm - I'll be working. You should catch Jets/Pats

Back next week!

2011 Week 5 Picks

2011-10-05T18:24:00.000-04:00

This week, the Eagles travel to Buffalo to take on the 3-1 Bills. The Bills give up a ton of points, but the Eagles are even weaker on D, particularly with the loss of Trent Cole (who is suffering from the same injury I sustained back at the Eagles Academy in February, which I happen to think is a weird coincidence - he's my favorite player, so maybe that means I'm his favorite fan?). And I'm not so sure the offense can keep pace in a shoot-out, which is what's going to happen Sunday. Bills.

In the rest of the matchups:

Saints at Panthers: Saints. The Panthers are way better this year, but they're not THAT much better.

Chiefs at Colts: I'm gonna do it. Even though the QB and the coach are having screaming matches on the sidelines, I'm calling the Chiefs. Yep, the Colts are that bad this year. Does anyone else think that Jim Caldwell always looks like he's not sure where he is or how he got there?

Seahawks at Giants: Giants. Even when they were good, the Seahawks had trouble winning on the road. And they aren't good anymore.

Bengals at Jaguars: Bengals. After years of having O but no D, now the Bengals have D and a young QB. Sounds like a winning combo to me, at least this week.

Titans at Steelers: Another upset pick - Titans.

Raiders at Texans: Texans all the way, baby. Although the loss of Andre Johnson does worry me. But Adrian Foster should have a HUGE day against the Raiders' porous run D.

Cardinals at Vikings: In the matchup of Former Eagles QB v. Former Eagles QB, I'm going with youth. The Cards have been right in all their losses. The Vikings have, too, but I think the Cards are trending the right way. Also, I picked them to win the west, so I have to show a little faith, right? Cardinals, who will get their first win EVER in Minneapolis.

Buccaneers at 49ers: The Bucs were uncharacteristically sloppy last week putting away the Colts. The 49ers were uncharacteristically sharp upsetting the Eagles. To me, that says Bucs.

Jets at Patriots: Patriots. The Jets are too inconsistent, and the Pats are, well, the Pats. And Nick Mangold is still iffy for Sunday. Centers: unsung, often unknown (other than Jeff Saturday), vitally important.

Chargers at Broncos: Chargers.

Packers at Falcons: Packers. Who look damned near unstoppable so far. Aaron Rodgers just gets better and better.

Bears at Lions: Lions, baby! And how often would you be able to make that call in, like, EVER?

On bye: Browns, Cowboys, Dolphins, Rams, Ravens, and Redskins

2011 Week 4 Recap

2011-10-03T19:42:00.001-04:00

Eagles v. 49ers, Sunday, October 2, 2011

In attendance: Life-long Eagles Fan Mom, Chef Spouse, You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad, and about 50 of their closest friends and our assorted relatives. (We were up in PA celebrating a milestone birthday for my pops and warming their newly renovated kitchen.)

Menu: all kinds of yummy goodness cooked by Life-long Eagles Fan Mom, birthday cake, and something else...what was it?...oh yeah: don't forget the tears, recriminations, and bile.

Stud of the Week: well, of course, it was Mike Vick, who had a career day for all the good it did. Given the way this season is going, I'm thinking of renaming this feature Goat of the Week, only there are WAY too many candidates.

It probably comes as no surprise to hear that many people who know me casually are aware that I love the NFL. One of the first questions I always get is about fantasy football. The thing is, I don't play fantasy football. Why? Because I'm much more interested in team chemistry and how players function as a team than in people's individual stats.

I'm sure you can see where this is going.

Week 4 passing leader: Mike Vick. Number 2 in receiving yards: DeSean Jackson. Jason Babin had three sacks. Jason Avant had at least one circus catch. Tight end Clay Harbor had a great day, too.

That does not a team make.

For years, we've all mocked lil' Danny Snyder and the LOLSkins for putting together a fantasy football team and thinking it was the same thing as a functioning football team. Now that the shoe's on the other foot, I think we can all say it's damned uncomfortable.

How does a team this talented blow their third second half lead in as many weeks?

Even with the re-jiggered linebackers, the Eagles still can't stop the run. Worse? They have (purportedly) three of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and they can't stop the pass, either. Was it just me or did Asante Samuel quit on the play on the 49ers last TD? You know - the one that won the game? And I'm thinking about putting Nnamdi Asomugha's picture on the side of a milk carton because I have no idea where in the hell he's gone.

While the defense deserves the heat they're taking, the offense isn't blameless. For the second? third? year running, this team is terrible in the red zone. What was Ronnie Brown thinking? Even worse, it appears to have been a designed play. DUMBEST. PLAY. EVER. Have the coaches turned the creation of plays over to a bunch of sugared-up Pop Warner 6 year olds? The team seriously has NO WAY to power it in from the one? NO WAY? That seems like a rather urgent problem to address.

How does the team put up nine MILLION yards of offense and only score THREE points in the ENTIRE SECOND HALF?

Watching Maclin's fumble right before the two minute warning was pretty much the equivalent of ripping out my still-beating heart, stomping on it, and then turning it over to a Cowboys fan, but honestly, prior to that when Alex Henery missed that second field goal, I knew in my gut the team was going down.

Speaking of missed field goals, it was a terrible day for both teams' kickers. Chef Spouse has a theory that The Linc was so confused at seeing Akers there in red and gold, the stadium itself was literally rejecting field goals. I do not know, but I do know that missing two field goals from inside the 40 is ridiculous.

You know how when you're watching a game, you'll sometimes get that feeling that a big comeback is starting? Your team is down, but you just know, you KNOW, that they're going to pull it out? Why does it feel like the Eagles are never that team? They're always the team that is come-back-ed upon.

What it comes down to is that the Eagles have a bunch of guys to whom they paid a bunch of money running around on the field wearing the same uniforms, but they aren't a team.

And then the Phillies lost, y'all. Damn. At least the Cowboys blew an even bigger lead than the Eagles - it should divert a little of the national media attention.

Around the rest of the NFL...

Bears over Panthers: Well, sure, but Cam Newton had another solid performance and the Panthers actually had a chance to win it. Also, special teams coaches? Write this down in pen: do NOT kick it to Devin Hester. Also, keep an eye on Matt Forte.

Bengals over Bills: Trap game. Letdown after the big win over the Pats last week. Ouch.

Titans over Browns: Looks like the Titans weren't as wrecked by the loss of Kenny Britt as I thought they would be.

Lions over Cowboys: I'm not certain, but I think Tony Romo may have thrown more TDs for the Lions thean he did for the Cowboys. To quote the SportsBlog Nation recaps: "Calvin Johnson will drink your milkshake." Yes, he will. He'll even have seconds. The Lions are 4-0 y'all. Team of Destiny! Also, Tony Romo doesn't need a coach - he needs a psychiatrist.

Texans over Steelers: The final score makes the game look much closer than it actually was. Is it time to start asking how good Mike Tomlin is? Or did he Gruden his way to greatness?

Saints over Jags: Duh.

Chiefs over Vikings: Oh my God, I hate to see McNabb going down like this.

Redskins over Rams: Again, duh. How much do I hate that the Redskins are leading the NFC East? I live in DC. You guess.

Giants over Cardinals: Calls like the "Victor Cruz gave himself up" BS make me wonder if the games are fixed. Seriously.

Falcons over Seahawks: Barely. What was with the second half rallies this week? Man! On the one hand, it's not easy to win at Qwest Field. On the other hand, it's the Seahawks. THE SEAHAWKS.

Packers over Broncos: Again with the Duh. The Packers are scary good this year. Repeat? Maybe.

Pats over Raiders: Well, yes.

Chargers over Dolphins: Again, duh.

Ravens over Jets: It was either Al or Cris, but I think it was Al, who remarked that you had a better chance of scoring while on defense on Sunday night. He's not wrong.

2011 Week 4 Picks

2011-09-29T22:02:00.000-04:00

This week, the Eagles host the 49ers. Working in the Eagles favor will be the fact that kickoff will feel like 10 am to the 49ers. Right now, it feels like there's not a whole lot else is going the Eagles way. But it's do-or-die time for our boys in green. Dropping two at home in a row is not acceptable. Losing to the NFC West is not acceptable. Starting the season 1-3 is not acceptable.

I hope Andy, Marty, Bobby and Juan have had some sort of chat with the players this week that vaguely resembles the above.

Win. Now. Please.

Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups:

Lions at Cowboys: Lions. And it won't even take a muffed hold on a field goal by Tony Romo, I promise.

Saints at Jaguars: Saints. It's early days, but it's not too early to rule on the Jags. They suck.

Titans at Browns: Browns. I would've gone with the Titans, but I think the loss of Kenny Britt is going to be a huge problem for them.

Bills at Bengals: Bills. Who are looking great so far. The victory over the Pats last week was HUGE. Hope this week isn't a letdown.

Redskins at Rams: Redskins. The Rams also suck, for what it's worth.

Vikings at Chiefs: Vikings. Who fortunately get to play a team that's even worse than they are. This week.

Steelers at Texans: Texans. I know, I know. But the Texans are on this year, and the Steelers are not, at least not so far.

Panthers at Bears: Bears. Hope poor Cam doesn't get bummed by that very short winning streak.

Falcons at Seahawks: Falcons. NFC West strikes again.

Giants at Cardinals: Giants. See above.

Broncos at Packers: Packers. The Packers are looking like a possible repeat.

Patriots at Raiders: Pats. I almost called Raiders, particularly since they'll be playing in Cali. But I just can't quite get there.

Dolphins at Chargers: Chargers. The Dolphins are, well, the Dolphins. The Chargers will probably pull their usual BS around the playoffs, but you know what? They'll be in the playoffs. The Dolphins, not so much.

Jets at Ravens: Ravens. The Jets may be joining the Eagles on the hot seat as biggest disappointment of the first quarter of the season.

Colts at Buccaneers: Bucs. No way that's possible if Peyton were playing, but he's not.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, October 2, 2011

2011-09-29T12:40:00.000-04:00

Chez Engel is closed again this weekend, as Chef Spouse and I will be in PA helping You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad celebrate a milestone birthday (hint: it's NOT 21) while also helping him and Lifelong Eagles Fan Mom warm their newly renovated kitchen.

We'll be watching Eagles/49ers, of course, but the other games that look like good bets this weekend include:

1 pm: Lions/Cowboys
4 pm: Patriots/Raiders

And of course Jets/Ravens on Sunday Night Football.

MNF is ANOTHER prime-time appearance for the Colts. Bet the NFL honchos wish flex scheduling was already available to them.

2011 Week 3 Recap

2011-09-27T18:19:00.001-04:00

Eagles v. Giants, Sunday, September 25, 2011

In attendance: we were at the beach, so us, a bunch of the people we were at the beach with, and all the loud Eagles fans at Fred's Tavern. Plus this one guy who was a Bills fan. Man, did he have a good day!

Menu: bar food.

Stud of the week: we're three games into the season, and Shady's already repeating. He was pretty much the single bright spot on Sunday. Well, Shady and the wings at Fred's.

OK, y'all - why didn't somebody tell me it was End the Streak Week in the NFL? I might've called our game differently if you had. People! Need the info here!

Mike Vick is not happy about how the hits he takes are getting called, or, to be more precise, NOT called. Two things occur to me: first, he could be right. Secondly, does he remember his first year with the Eagles - you know, when McNabb was still the starter? Did he actually WATCH any of the games? Or wait - he thought it would be different for him. Welcome to Philly, man. I have to admit, when I first heard the quote, I thought Vick was calling out the offensive line, for whatever that's worth.

Two things killed our boys on Sunday: they couldn't finish once they were in the red zone, and they couldn't get off the field on third down.

So why couldn't the guys get off the field on third down? Because it sure as hell looks like NO ONE can tackle. NO ONE. C'mon man! But one hopes that can be fixed with some practice. Or possibly some yelling. Or threats to trade guys to the Chiefs.

Taking field goals when the other team is scoring TDs? That's a HUGE problem.

You know what else is a huge problem? The Falcons and Giants have gotten TDs on pretty much every trip to the red zone the past two weeks. The defense has given up EIGHT TDs in the last two games. And they're getting MASSIVELY outscored in the fourth quarter. Is it lack of talent or lack of coaching?

Another thing that really concerns me is that the past two weeks, the Eagles have had a lead, Mike Vick has gone down, and the team has completely fallen apart. Seems to me I remember not so long ago a key player could go down and the rest of the team would respond by pulling together (remember 2008? or 2006? or 2004?). Where's the locker room leadership? Where's the guy who rallies the troops or kicks their butts as the situation requires? Used to be rookies were drafted, guys were traded or acquired, but McNabb, Westbrook, Dawkins, and, even in his Bad Assador days, Hugh Douglas provided a core around which the team could come together. Right now, they're just a bunch of guys playing football, and when adversity hits (as it ALWAYS does in the NFL), they fall apart.

Somebody has to start stepping up. Fast. Where's the heart?

Around the rest of the NFL...

Panthers over Jaguars. Cam Newton did NOT have a big day, but the Panthers were still able to deliver his first win over the not-very-good Jags. Also, welcome to the Blaine Gabbert era (anyone else flashing on "Pretty in Pink"?).

Saints over Texans. Thanks to the Sunday Ticket, mobile edition, we were able to watch this game in its entirety from Fred's on my phone. Which burned my entire data plan for the month, but whatever - it was a barn burner. Both of these teams promise a shoot-out to any team they play this year. Oh, and you know that whole field goals versus TDs thing? Yeah.

49ers over Bengals. Great. Not only do the 49ers have momentum, Frank Gore is likely to be back next week. Sigh.

Titans over Broncos. On the topic of Pyrrhic victories, the Titans lost Kenny Britt for the season.

Browns over Dolphins. The Browns are winning ugly, but they're winning. The Dolphins, on the other hand, are toast. Have you seen their division?

Bills over Patriots. See above RE: End the Streak Week. The Bills fan at Fred's was so happy, it almost took the sting out of the Eagles' loss. Almost. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed watching Rocks Brady lose. Also, I look like a genius for picking the Bills. Or at least I would if it weren't for:

Ravens over Rams. Why did I pick the Rams again? Temporary insanity? Poor Spags - they're vying with the Chiefs for Worst Team in the League. Sam Bradford is regressing so badly, I'm pretty sure someone's going to have to re-teach him to read and do basic math next week.

Lions over Vikings. The Vikes are another team that can't seem to remember that football games are FOUR quarters long. Also, the Lions snapped something like a THIRTEEN year streak of losing to the Vikings in Minneapolis. Wow.

Raiders over Jets. The Jets, putative Super Bowl contenders this year, did NOT play like it on Sunday. Aren't the Jets supposed to be solid against the run? Not this time. It's good to see Jason Campbell enjoying success.

Chargers over Chiefs. I think the Chargers should be really worried that they only won this one by three. I'd be worried if I were them.

Bucs over Falcons. Interesting. And so the wheel turns again in the NFC South? Maybe.

Packers over Bears. No way Devin Hester should've been penalized and not Sam Shields. Sorry, but BOTH guys were equally at fault. Not that it would've changed the ultimate outcome, but it definitely put paid to any Bears attempt at a comeback.

Seahawks over Cardinals. All I saw of this game was a BEAUTIFUL completion from K2 to Fitz. Apparently, that was about the only thing that went right for them all day.

Steelers over Colts. The Steelers just barely squeaked by...Curtis Painter. Really? Yep. I think it was Warren Sapp who pointed out that the Steelers are old and slow this season. He's not wrong.

Cowboys over Redskins. How in the bloody hell do you manage to muff EVERY SINGLE DAMN SNAP all night long and take ALL your points as field goals and still WIN? Oh right - Rex Grossman remembered that he's Rex Grossman.

2011 Week 3 Picks

2011-09-27T16:49:00.000-04:00

This week, the Eagles finally get to host their home opener. Aside from Mike Vick's concussion (which may not even be an issue by Sunday), the team has managed to survive the preseason and the first two weeks relatively unscathed, particularly when you look at this week's opponents: the Giants.

One of my good friends is a Giants fan, and he and I have been having an exchange on Facebook this week about the sorry state of the Giants roster. The pre-season was not kind to the Giants' D, and last week, Eli Manning lost both Domenik Hixon and Mario Manningham from his receiver core. As I observed to my friend:

At this rate, the Giants will be out of players by their bye week.
How's the practice squad looking?
Have they thought about sacrificing a goat?

Their secondary is particularly in trouble. To quote Big Blue View, right now, they have two defenses against passing plays: the other team calls a running play, or their front guys manage to get to the QB and force a sack or throwaway.

Somehow, I think a defensive plan that consists of: "Maybe Andy Reid's Eagles will opt to run 75% of the time! No wait - maybe we can sack the hell out of Mike Vick. Or Mike Kafka. Or Vince Young. You know - whoever's under center on Sunday!" is not likely to be effective.

Of course, our cagey coach is being, well, cagey, about which quarterback will start Sunday. And apparently, all three guys will be active. If I were a betting woman, I'd bet that Vick goes. But it's nice to know that if he's not ready or if, God forbid, he goes down again, we have TWO good options. Although he couldn't quite pull out the win last week, I must admit I was surprised at what a good game Mike Kafka was able to put together.

In the end, I think this game comes down to the fact that the Eagles are in the Giants' heads at this point. And that I don't see the Eagles dropping their home opener. And that I think there's an excellent chance DJax, Maclin or both have huge days against a very ineffective Giants' secondary, regardless of who's throwing them the ball. Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups:

Jaguars at Panthers. Cam Newton will get his first win this week. Congrats, rookie! Panthers.

Texans at Saints. These two teams look GREAT through week two, and I think it will be a shoot out. But you just can't pick against the Saints when they're in the Superdome. That's some serious homefield advantage. Saints.

49ers at Bengals. I don't have much in the way of comment on this game, other than to say: Bengals.

Dolphins at Browns. See above. Browns.

Patriots at Bills. The Bills are looking good through week 2. Guess we'll find out how good this week. Bills. (Yes, I seriously just called the Bills to beat the Patriots. I'm either crazy, or I'm going to look like an f-ing genius Sunday.)

Broncos at Titans. The Broncos are looking rough so far this year. Titans.

Lions at Vikings. Do you think McNabb will get the boot when the Vikings go 0-3? Lions.

Jets at Raiders. Jets. Duh. (Although the Raiders aren't looking too bad.)

Chiefs at Chargers. Chargers. Also duh. (The Chiefs, on the other hand, look like ass.)

Ravens at Rams. I know they're 0-2 so far, but I think the Rams (and Sam Bradford) are going to be able to hit the Ravens' somewhat depleted D pretty hard. Rams.

Falcons at Buccaneers. Falcons, who rebounded after their inexplicably flat opener against the Bears to school the Eagles last week.

Packers at Bears. Remember last year, when the Bears beat out the Packers to win the division? Yeah, me neither. Packers.

Cardinals at Seahakws. Cardinals. It's a little early, but the Seahawks may be this year's "Oh, the humanity!" team.

Steelers at Colts. Colts, take my advice and forfeit, then use the extra down time to audition quarterbacks. And head coaches. Steelers.

Redskins at Cowboys. I SOOOO want to call Redskins. But I don't know if I can truly convince myself that they'll go 3-0. Cowboys (and at the rate they're losing players, this might be the LAST game they win this year).

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, September 25, 2011

2011-09-21T21:20:00.000-04:00

Chef Spouse and I are going to be at the beach this weekend, so Chez Engel is closed to guests. But here are the games we'll be watching, for your edification:

1 pm: Eagles/Giants

4 pm: Packers/Bears (or possibly Falcons/Bucs)

8 pm: Steelers/Colts (or maybe we'll bag it - bet that looked like a much better idea 6 months ago)

MNF: Redskins/Cowboys

2011 Week 2 Recap

2011-09-19T21:00:00.002-04:00

Eagles at Falcons, Sunday, September 18, 2011

In attendance: Chef Spouse, Shoegal, and her new beau Oscar

Menu: grilled cheese and cream of tomato soup. Fall seems to have arrived in DC.

Stud of the week: how could it be anyone other than my boy Trent Cole? 5 tackles, an assist, and a sack. And he spent the whole damn game in the Falcons backfield. He's a beast!

I also have to give a major shout out to Mike Kafka. When Vick went down on what was just a truly unfortunate play - no cheap shot or anything, just bad luck - Kafka was in a tough spot. I actually yelled: "Our season has become Kafka-esque!" And while the coaches had to simplify the playbook down to about 1 page, still, Kafka, had the team in position to win the game if it wasn't for Jeremy Maclin's inexplicable 4th down drop. Gotta make that catch, son. Also, Vince Young? Man up with that hammy or move on, yo. We need a REAL backup, not someone who's limin' on the sideline when the shit's going down.

What a frustrating game! The secondary shut down the Falcons' receivers - with the exception of Tony Gonzales, for whom they had NO answer. The lineman blew it up into the Falcons' backfield most of the night - Matty Ice must've been having nightmares about Trent Cole, Cullen Jenkins and Jason Babin all last night - but the linebackers got repeatedly manhandled as Michael Turner ran wild, particularly in the 4th quarter.

The offense put up 400+ yards, but also committed 3 turnovers. Jeremy Maclin had a great game, even coming back from a ridiculous cheap shot by asshole Falcon Dunta Robinson, but then he also had that inexplicable 4th-and-4 drop. Andy had one great challenge, and a TOTAL whiff on the non-interception by Kelvin Hayden where intended receiver "Hands" Avant begged him to throw the red hanky.

And the red zone defense was terrible - the Falcons were 5 for 5 in the red zone. C'mon man! That is NOT a potential playoff team.

Nor is having ONE great quarter. Scoring 21 unanswered points to take the lead is fantastic - but not if you can't hold it. I know, I know - Vick concussion, Kafka, drops, etc. Let's be honest: the defense looked gassed at the end, and the Falcons turned the Eagles' typical game plan against them - get a lead and run, run, run once the D gets tired.

Why is it always the same? Amazing talent, lack of consistent focus. Sigh.

And let's talk about Dunta Robinson for a minute. I don't know if this is typical behavior, but I do know in the Eagles' last two games against the Falcons, Dunta Robinson has clearly been headhunting whichever Eagles offensive player is having the best game. NFC South fans: is this normal? Regardless, he's a dirty, cheap player who should've been expelled from the game and suspended afterwards.

Around the rest of the NFL...I got killed in my picks this week.

Lions over Chiefs: Team of destiny! What did I tell you? And Matthew Stafford has made it through TWO games without getting injured! That might be more than we can say about Todd Haley, who may have to enter the witness protection program.

Bills over Raiders: OK, they've beat the Chiefs and the Raiders, so it's not like they've taken out the Pats and the Jets (who are both, sadly for the Bills, in their division), but the Bills are 2-0. That may be the biggest surprise of the first two weeks.

Titans over Ravens: Are we sure that was the same team that destroyed the Steelers last week? Like, did the actual Ravens accidentally go to the wrong stadium? And that was some completely other team in their jerseys? Because that was bizarre.

Jets over Jags: Well, yes. I'm amazed the Jags successfully executed a field goal. And given how bad the Colts look, they might not even be the worst team in their division this year. Speaking of...

Browns over Colts: Think you feel bad today after the Eagles' loss last night? Check out Stampede Blue - those folks are suicidal. I'm guessing Peyton Manning will go on IR within the next week or two, and then Jim Caldwell, Chris Polian and Tom Telesco can start looking for a replacement for Kerry Collins.

Redskins over Cardinals: Great game, too! As a colleague who's a Redskins fan pointed out to me, eventually Rex Grossman will remember that he's, well, Rex Grossman. But for now, the Redskins look vastly improved in 2011. Maybe Mike Shanahan does still have a few tricks in his bag.

Bucs over Vikings: As I'd predicted, Big5 did have a better game this week, but it still wasn't enough. I have a bad feeling about this.

Packers over Panthers: It's official. Cam Newton is the real deal. I know, I know, the Panthers are 0-2. But these two losses aren't like ANY of their losses last year. There's hope in Carolina today. Mark my words - they'll be a contender in that division within the next few years.

Saints over Bears: The Saints are almost as hard to beat at home as the Falcons. And Jay Cutler apparently woke up Sunday morning and remembered that he's Jay Cutler. The 6 sacks the Saints recorded didn't hurt, either. Well, in the metaphorical sense - I'm sure Jay felt like ass today.

Steelers over Seahawks: Yeah...Tavaris Jackson...yeah...From the NFL.com recap, the Seahawks didn't have a SINGLE offensive snap in Steelers' territory until the 4th quarter. Yikes.

Cowboys over 49ers: I tend to think Tony Romo is over-rated and that blowing it under pressure is FAR more his style than coming up clutch, but I have to give him credit for coming back yesterday afternoon with a punctured lung. Then again, it might be that looking over his shoulder and seeing a solid backup in Jon Kitna has him worried about losing his starting job. Also, WTF was up with all the Cowboys fans in Candlestick Park? This isn't Phillies versus Nats in DC, y'all!

Pats over Chargers: The Pats are looking scary-good this year, at least so far. And that really galls me.

Broncos over Bengals: And Kyle Orton is spared another week. You have heard about the billboard thing, right? That's gotta hurt.

Texans over Dolphins: Yeah, baby! I knew it would be their year eventually - all it took was Peyton going out.

On MNF, the Rams just turned a pick and a great offensive series into...a field goal. Not a good sign. Then again, Eli's making that face a lot this evening - you know the one I mean. So it might not be over for the Rams. (Written too soon as the Rams muff a punt return - and a week of great football, even with an Eagles loss, prepares to go out with a whimper.)

2011 Week 2 Picks

2011-09-15T19:35:00.001-04:00

This week, Michael Vick leads the Eagles to the Georgia Dome to take on his old team. If you recall, the Falcons had the best record in football in 2010. And, despite the win, Vick did not have a brilliant game against the Rams last week. Well, other than this:

He looks like a greased pig. And the Rams look like the yokels trying to catch the pig.

The Eagles offensive line is a concern. And even though they lost to the Bears last week, the Falcons defense did record 5 sacks. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles defense against the run is a concern. And while the Falcons aren't exactly a power rushing team, they're in the top 1/3 of teams (well, at least so far this season).

Mike Vick remains a hugely popular figure in Atlanta - I anticipate there will be plenty of red AND green #7 jerseys worn to the Georgia Dome on Sunday. And that has to count for something.

Eagles.

In the rest of the matchups:

Chiefs at Lions: Lions! Team of destiny! Also, the Chiefs appear to be f-ed. Yes, already.

Raiders at Bills: We may discover that last week was a fluke, but I think I'm going to have to go with the Bills, who utterly destroyed a 2010 playoff team last week.

Ravens at Titans: Ravens. They aren't going to go undefeated or anything, but they ARE going to go 2-0.

Jaguars at Jets: Jets. Just Jets. Nothing else to say.

Browns at Colts: Is Peyton playing? Actually, it doesn't even matter - the Browns lost to the BENGALS last week. I CANNOT pick them. Colts.

Cardinals at Redskins: Tough pick. The Redskins looked surprisingly good last week (admitted, against a Giants squad that's already at November levels of injury). Then again, I did pick the Cards to win their division. On the other hand, the division I picked them to win was NFC West. I couldn't decide, so I asked Chef Spouse. I quote: "I believe in Rex Grossman's ability to blow it." There you have it. Cardinals

Bucs at Vikings: Kills me to pick against Big5, and I do think things will go better than last week, but Buccaneers.

Packers at Panthers: Well, that's just not fair to the rookie. Packers.

Bears at Saints: I don't think the Bears can keep up with the scoring, and I don't think they can count on Drew Brees to make the kinds of mistakes Matt Ryan made last week (actually, I'm pretty sure Matty Ice won't make those kinds of mistakes again THIS week). Saints.

Seahawks at Steelers: Oh my God. The NFC West has to play NFC East and AFC North this year. Damn, that's a shame. Steelers. Even if, as Warren Sapp claims, they are old and slow at this point.

Cowboys at 49ers: I wish I could convince myself to call 49ers for this game, but I don't think Tony Romo's THAT much of a mess. Yet. Cowboys.

Chargers at Patriots: I know I picked the Chargers to win their division and the Pats to go wildcard, but the Chargers play in the west, y'all. Pats.

Bengals at Broncos: If the Broncos don't win this one, we'll be able to hear the yelling for Tim Tebow to start all the way on the East Coast. And I don't mean that in the metaphorical sense. So y'all better buy some earplugs, because I'm calling Bengals.

Texans at Dolphins: Texans all the way, baby!

Rams at Giants: Both teams are dealing with injuries, but I truly believe the Giants are the better team. Giants.

Sunday Schedule, Sunday, September 18, 2011

2011-09-14T20:20:00.000-04:00

Can our 1-0 Eagles make it 2-0? Well, if we get the same Falcons the Bears got last Sunday, yes.

1 pm: likely Cardinals at Redskins, but possibly Bears at Saints

4 pm: Cowboys at 49ers

8 pm: Michael Vick goes home as the starting QB and takes on the Falcons! In prime time!

MNF: Rams at Giants

Menu: Chef Spouse is thinking grilled cheese and cream of tomato soup. Bring something to go with.

2011 Week 1 Recap

2011-09-12T19:33:00.001-04:00

Eagles at Rams, Sunday, September 11, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, Ex-Navy Cheesehead, a good friend from grad school and her kids, Chef Spouse

Menu: fajitas and 'ritas and apple pie and bourbon - it's football, baby!

Stud of the week: How is NOT Mike Vick? Well, maybe because it's LeSean McCoy. Shady had 122 yards and two TDs. This is the year he breaks out big time. Bet on it.

Dear Rams:

We broke your team. Sorry about that. Hope you enjoy the fruit basket.

Love,

The Eagles

I really hate to see guys get hurt (well, other than Cowboys). Bad, bad day for the Rams. When AJ Feeley showed up, I was all: "Hey baby! What's up?" Good to see AJ's still working. If the Rams can't protect Bradford better, he could see a lot more time this season.

How many passes can a receiving corps drop in one game? The Rams were closing in on "all of them." The Eagles will not be that lucky again this season. And the run defense was not brilliant, particularly considering that Steven Jackson went down early. The o-line started out rough, although they did get better as the game went on, but there were still too many hits on Vick for my comfort.

And penalties, penalties, penalties. Jesus, what else is new? Then again, road domes are LOUD. We have to see what happens outside next week in Atlanta and/or when the Iggles get home against the Giants on the 25th (assuming the Giants have enough guys left to field a team at that point). But penalties that extend drives make the Baby Jesus cry.

Still, good win on the road over a team on the rise to start the season. And sacks for everyone! I'll take it. (Oh, and points on D? I'll take that, too, thanks! Also, could someone please tell Dion Lewis that it's OK to take the touch back?)

Around the rest of the league:

Packers over Saints: That was a hot damn exciting way to kick off the 2011 NFL season.

Ravens over Steelers: To everyone who said I was crazy to pick the Ravens to win AFC North: you sure about that?

Bears over Falcons: Man, what happened to the NFC South this week?

Bengals over Browns: Whatevs. Neither of these teams will be in contention for anything this season.

Texans over Colts: OK, the Colts lost their QB/coach, and the Texans have always been able to put up points, but where the hell did the Colts defense go? Seriously - I didn't watch the game. Did they all skive off to nurse Peyton back to health or something? And if so, did it work?

Jaguars over Titans: I went to nfl.com to see the game highlight videos, and there were none. I joke. Still, how can two teams in both AFC North and South already be irrelevant? Don't know, but they are.

Bills over Chiefs: And it just gets worse for the Chiefs, with Eric Berry out for the season with a jacked up left knee.

Lions over Buccaneers: Even more amazingly, Matthew Stafford made it through the entire game without a season-ending injury.

Cardinals over Panthers: Two bright spots: one, Cam Newton had one hell of a first game. Two, Kevin Kolb won his first game with Cards.

Chargers over Vikings: In the 4 pm time slot, we were watching Giants at Redskins, but we kept flipping to Chargers/Vikings since the DirecTV Sunday Ticket online was a total FAIL yesterday (it may have even risen - fallen? - to the level of EPIC FAIL. Maybe even EPIC FIAL.), so we had to rely on flipping channels to watch two games. Every time we flipped to Chargers/Vikings, the Chargers were on offense. That probably tells you everything you need to know about this game. Well, that and the fact that DMac's first pass as a Viking was a pick. And that he only threw for 39 yards yesterday. Ouch.

49ers over Seahawks: Ted Ginn is the new Devin Hester. Whatever you do, do NOT kick to him. Think Harbaugh can get consistently good play out of Alex Smith? He did yesterday. And David Akers was money for his new team. Of course. Miss you, #2.

Redskins over Giants: How crazy was that? Did ANYONE have the Redskins? And frankly, it wasn't as close as 28-14 makes it look. The Giants made Sexy Rexy look like freakin' Tom Brady out there. Decimated by injury much? Yes, and Eli looked totally out of sorts. Speaking of totally out of sorts...

Jets over Cowboys: What the hell happened to Tony Romo in the 4th quarter? That snap bouncing off his chest was the second funniest dumb ass move I've seen him make (the first being the infamous bungled hold for the field goal attempt against the Lions where he didn't even have the presence of mind to pick the ball up and rush for the, like, 1 yard the Boys needed for a first and goal). Conclusion: God hates the Cowboys every day, and twice on Sundays.

And I just watched Chad Henne #pwn the Patriots for 6. Sorry, Ochocinco - gotta root against you. You shouldn't have gone to play for the devil.

Are you going to stay up for Broncos/Raiders? Yeah, me neither.

2011 Week 1 Picks

2011-09-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

The preseason was so brief and chaotic this year, how can I possibly pick the games for week one?

I have to give priority to the teams I picked for the playoffs, and other than that? Coin flip.

The Eagles open the 2011 season traveling to St. Louis to take on San Bradford and his Rams. I had the opportunity to visit St. Louis for the first time for a conference in August. I wasn't super excited to go - this same conference has recently been in Chicago, San Diego, LA and Toronto - but I was very pleasantly surprised by St. Louis. The city really rolled out the red carpet for us, from an opening party on the grounds of the Arch complete with fireworks to shutting down several blocks of the Washington Avenue entertainment district for us for the closing party. The people were super nice, and the city itself was lovely.

What does that have to do with the game? Not a damn thing, but I wanted to say some nice things about St. Louis to try to take some of the sting out of the beat down they're going to experience Sunday. Do you think it helped?

Eagles.

Saints at Packers: This is a tough one, since I picked BOTH teams to make post-season appearances, but I'll have to go with home field advantage and pick the Packers.

Steelers at Ravens: See above. Ravens.

Bengals at Browns: Coin says Browns.

Colts at Texans: Texans.

Titans at Jaguars: Coin says Titans.

Bills at Chiefs: Coin says Chiefs.

Falcons at Bears: Falcons.

Lions at Bucs: Lions. Go Team of Destiny! Let's see if you can get Matthew Stafford through a game without suffering a major injury.

Giants at Redskins: Giants. Didn't need a coin for this one. The Redskins are going to be TERRIBLE this year.

Panthers at Cardinals: Cards.

Seahawks at 49ers: Coin says 49ers. Coin may be wrong.

Vikings at Chargers: Two more Snark-predicted playoff teams. Home field says Chargers.

Cowboys at Jets: J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!

Patriots at Dolphins: Patriots. Poor Dolphins. They are also likely to be TERRIBLE this year.

Raiders at Broncos: Gotta go with the Raiders, who I think are on an upswing. Really.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, September 11, 2011

2011-09-07T15:10:00.000-04:00

After months of fear and uncertainty about whether we'd even HAVE a 2011 season, it's FINALLY here! Hallelujah!

The season kicks off with Saints at Packers on Thursday night, and I CAN HARDLY WAIT!

OK, for Sunday:

1 pm: Eagles at Rams

4 pm: Giants at Redskins

8 pm: Cowboys at Jets

Menu: Chef Spouse is going traditional with fajitas and 'ritas (and of course guacamole). If you're coming PLEASE let us know by Saturday so we buy enough food and please bring something to share (food or beverage).

Fresh-n-Tasty: Get Your Picks Here!

2011-09-02T14:55:00.000-04:00

It's the annual preseason picks post!

Why do I insist on doing this year after year, when all that happens is I get embarrassed in January?

It's all for you, dear readers. I make an annual ass of myself for you. You're welcome.

AFC East

Can an attacking defense and a quarterback who can manage the game overcome offensive fireworks? Well, I certainly hope so, because I'm calling Jets.

AFC North

Can an attacking defense and a quarterback who can manage the game overcome Troy Polamalu? I think so. Ravens.

AFC South

I have long been on the Texans train - so long, in fact, that I've been promoted to conductor. And I keep waiting for the Colts to start stumbling. Tony Dungy leaves - no problem. The Edge leaves - no problem. Marvin Harrison retires - no problem. I'm thinking that Peyton's injury might be a problem this year, though. Texans.

AFC West

Philip Rivers reminds me a lot of DMac: great quarterback who can never quite seem to get there. I think the Raiders are on the rise, but the window's still open for the Chargers, who will win the division at least one more time. Oh, and I predict Tim Tebow is going to pull a Matt Leinart.

AFC Wildcard

Easy - Steelers and Patriots. Who, by the way, might very well swap with the Ravens and Jets for their respective divisions.

NFC East

Well, Eagles of course, although all this Super Bowl talk is making me a little nervous. Everyone was saying the same thing about the Cowboys last year, and, while I didn't buy that, I at least bought in enough to think they'd win the division. And look how that turned out (6-10 in case you don't remember). Once the playoffs start, all bets are pretty much off, because a lot of it is about getting hot at the right time, but with all the ink (and electrons) that have been spilled talking about my Iggles this offseason, they damn well BETTER win the division.

NFC North

Soooo tempted to call Vikings. But while I do think that we'll see the return of Big 5 to more typical playing form, leaving the quarterback-less Redskins kicking themselves by mid-October, I don't see any reason the Packers can't at least win the division this year after winning the Super Bowl last. Oh, and the Lions are the Team of Destiny (of course) and they're about an inch away from being good. Tough division, though.

NFC South

This is a tough division to call. The Saints and Falcons are both loaded for bear this year, and the Bucs are improving rapidly. And then there's the Panthers. Who are definitely NOT in contention for the division, Cam Newton or no Cam Newton. I'm tempted to call Saints, I want to call Saints, but this is NFC South, where repeating the division is practically unheard of. Falcons.

NFC West

Gotta go with my boy K2 and his new team, the Cardinals. That hook up with Fitz is going to be sweet. Confidential to the Seahawks: Tavaris Jackson is NOT the answer. Confidential to the 49ers: Alex Smith is a hot mess. Cut bait already.

NFC Wildcard

Easy - Saints and Vikings. Who could also swap with the Falcons and Packers for their respective divisions.

More Thoughts on the Preseason

2011-08-30T18:07:00.000-04:00

Part of the reason I don't write much in the preseason is clearly demonstrated by the response to our first two pre-season games:

Game 1, August 11, in which a victory over the Ravens includes Riley Cooper going up over Ed Reed to snag a 40 yard pass: "We're totally going to win the Super Bowl this year! Why even bother with the season? Just give us the Lombardi trophy right now and save everyone a lot of trouble!"

Game 2, August 18, in which a loss to the Steelers includes approximately 437 picks by Michael Vick (actual number: 3): "OH MY GOD! Disaster! What's wrong with these guys!?! We're going to go 2-14 this year!"

Me: "Yawn. Andy doesn't even break out the playbook until the regular season. Preseason wins and losses mean nothing."

And I'm sticking by that. I actually like to see the Eagles lose preseason games. That usually means all the guys who may or may not make the team are getting plenty of time to show what they've got. And that our notoriously cagey head coach is keeping ALL the good stuff a secret until the regular season starts. Fine by me.

In other news, Michael Vick just got his long-term contract - $80 million over 5 years, with $36 million guaranteed (in case you somehow missed it - like you've been asleep for the last 24 hours straight). I like it, personally. The Eagles lock him down long term while actually freeing up cap space in the process. Tricky, tricky. I'm guessing it's on to DJax next. Pay the little man already!

Also Howard Mudd has completely remade the Eagles offensive line. I hope it works, because Mike Vick is only worth $80 million if he stays in one piece and ambulatory.

Also, the roster is now down to the requisite 80 guys. Thursday's game against the Jets is a big night for guys contesting roster spots. Which means we're likely not going to recognize anyone on the field. But the roster needs be down to 53 by Saturday, so it's decision time.

Next up: my annual preseason divisional picks, aka The Post That Sets Up My Annual January Walk Of Shame.

Thoughts on the Preseason

2011-08-11T21:54:00.000-04:00

Well, this has been an unusual off season for the Eagles. A team that usually builds through the draft has been picking up free agents like You-Two-Calm-Down-or-I'm-Turning-Off-the-TV Dad picks up free mints after dinner out.

On the one hand, I keep thinking: "Andy has his problems as a coach, but he's a personnel genius. He sees potential in players no one else does." Not that a whole lot of people are confused about Nnamdi Asomugha's potential.

On the other hand, I keep thinking: "The team that wins the off season rarely does well during the actual season." See below RE: Snyder, Dan, and Redskins, The.

On the third hand - yes, I'm borrowing one of yours - Andy's not randomly adding any old anyone. And he's not paying guys ridiculous amounts of money over many, many years. Steve Smith, for instance, is getting a 1 year deal for $2 million.

So I'm hoping that the Front Office figured they had some cash to spend, there were some guys available, and they could give the whole "free agency fire sale" thing a try for a year or two, and see if any of the gambles work out.

I hope.

The real worry right now, I think, is injury. That's always the worry in the preseason, but this year's worse. None of these guys from any team have been in camp very long, and they're starting to pummel each other, well, now. I know a bunch of guys on a bunch of teams are trying to make teams, and they should definitely get a chance to play and make their cases. But keep the starters OFF the field, yo.

Oh - and pay DeSean already.

It's a Madhouse! A madhouse, I tell you!

2011-07-27T18:44:00.001-04:00

As I predicted (What you don't follow me on Twitter? What are you waiting for? An invitation? Consider yourself invited), free agency is now pretty much spinning into barely controlled chaos. I quite literally can't even keep up with what's going on with the Eagles, much less the entire league. I have a day job, here, people. So I'm cheating and sending you other places for free agency news.

Tommy Lawlor is covering all the trades at Iggles Blitz and all the rumors on Twitter (yes, you should follow him, too)
Bleeding Green Nation is blogging at a blistering pace, covering all the rumors and including periodic open threads where you can share your thoughts on who's going to end up where - they also have a sidebar ticker of news from the other teams' SportsBlogNation blogs
Bird's Fan is also doing a good job of periodically (like "multiple times a day") summarizing all the trades and rumors of trades (seriously, am I the only one who works here?)
Even The 700 Level has taken a time-out from Phillies coverage to talk Kolb, Cromartie and McNabb (and while we're on the subject, two SIXTH ROUND picks?!? C'mon man!)
Inside the Iggles wants us to pick up Albert Haynesworth, which just...no. No. A thousand times no, Fat Albert.
At least the Favre rumor looks to have been bogus. Thank God.

Lockout Ends

2011-07-22T18:03:00.000-04:00

But now what?

Before we bust out the champagne, cupcakes, and 8-foot inflatable LeSean McCoys for the lawn, remember a few things:

The players' union has to reform and approve the deal. Now, that's likely, but it's not guaranteed.
Free agency is about to take place, in about 10 minutes. It's going to be a mess.
Rookies will need to be signed, also in about 10 minutes. And there are new rules for their contracts. Also likely a mess.
The salary cap has been lowered. That's going to mean trouble for some teams.
The Hall of Fame game has already been canceled. Who knows what's going to happen with the rest of the pre-season.
The teams have to get ready for the full season in 6 weeks. As the WaPo pointed out this morning, the teams that are in particular trouble include those with rookie QBs, those that plan to pick up a lot of free agents, and those that rely heavily on a passing game and timing routes. That's definitely our Eagles on at least that last count, and possibly on the free agent issue too. As Bleeding Green Nation has pointed out more than once, the Eagles front office has at least been making noise about having a big free agency push this year. Guess we'll know soon.

In short, I'm not yet convinced that all will be well for the 2011 season, but I am at least now fairly hopeful that there will BE a 2011 season.

Tick...Tick...Tick

2011-07-07T11:07:00.000-04:00

Well, the owners and the players are meeting - again - to try to work out their differences. Meanwhile, training camps are scheduled to open mid-month (and given that everyone missed all the mini camps, they're going to need every minute of prep time), and the pre-season opening Hall of Fame game is supposed to go down one month from today.

Time's running out, y'all. I don't think we want a repeat of the 1987 season, not least of which because the Redskins won the Super Bowl that year, and if the Skins win a Super Bowl under their current front office before my beloved Eagles win their FIRST EVER, I will seriously go postal.

So, sports fans, who do you think will blink first?

Trade Rumors

2011-06-01T10:02:00.000-04:00

I don't usually post about these because it's mostly just a waste of time, but there are two I can't ignore:

It's looking like Kevin Kolb might be headed to the Cardinals - I KNEW it!
Plax might be coming to the Eagles. Are they trying to corner the market on ex-cons? Of course it's all "if the price is right" talk. The Eagles don't need receivers, but ever since they dumped Hank Baskett, they don't really have anyone good for end zone fade routes, since all their excellent receivers are four feet tall. As long as they can get him for used DVDs of the Waterboy and The Longest Yard, plus two packs of smokes, I figure why not take a chance?

Welcome to the Eagles, Danny Watkins

2011-04-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

I don't usually write much about the draft. I don't follow college ball, so I generally don't have anything original to say. I could recap scouting notes and combine results, but why would I add myself as a middleman? Waste of time.

But last night I saw something truly unexpected: the Eagles took a 26 year old ex-fireman and ex-hockey player who's only played football for about 5 years with their #1 pick.

Reasons why I'm not freaking out this morning:

Andy Reid picked up someone to protect Mike Vick's blindside. Thank God, because Max Jean-Gilles wasn't getting it done.
Danny may be 26, but he's regular 26 not football 26 thanks to his relatively short career to date.
I quote Fellow Eagles Maniac: "Love this quote about Watkins: 'Watkins is a mature, physical player with a nasty disposition.'" That'll work.
How fun was watching his fire fighter posse go nuts when he was picked?

Yes, I know we still need a CB opposite Asante Samuel. Yes, I know Jimmy Smith was still on the board when we picked. You think after the T.O. mess Big Red will EVER voluntarily take a hot mess player again? Because I don't. I figure Andy's got a plan that involves Kevin Kolb and a team that needs a QB like the Raiders or the Cardinals.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to the presser at 4 today.

My First Day as an Eagle...

2011-03-02T19:22:00.002-05:00

And I'm already on IR.

This past Sunday, Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom and I went to the Philadelphia Eagles Academy for Women at the NovaCare Complex.

Let me get the "IR" part of the story out of the way immediately.

Part of the day included on the field time in the bubble. I managed to severely strain my left calf about 10 minutes into it. After which I texted Chef Spouse: "My first day as an Eagle, and I'm already on IR."

The day opened with registration of what I would estimate to be 250-300 attendees. Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom and I were assigned to Team Maclin. Sadly, that did not mean that we spent the day with Jeremy Maclin.

A team rep welcomed us to the day in the auditorium of the NovaCare Complex, then introduced Kevin Reilly, former Eagle, cancer survivor and motivational speaker. He told a little of his life story, an old but funny joke about a parrot, and basically siked us up with "never underestimate the power of the human spirit." Little did I know how useful that tip would come later in the day.

Then it was Team Maclin's turn in the practice bubble. We did some warm ups, during which I did the damage to the leg, then met rookie Austin Howard. He was really sweet and called everyone "ma'am" and was the biggest human being I'd ever actually stood next to. He seriously could comfortably rest a drink on my head, and I'm not that short.

We moved on to a little 3 on 3. Team reps were on defense and at QB, and we were supposed to be going out to catch passes. Which Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom did, for a TD! I found that, while I couldn't really run forward, I could go backwards, so I played a little D, too.

Then it was on to passing, the obstacle course, and receiving drills. Oh, I still did the rest of the on-field activities. Eagles are tough, and we play injured. You know who else did all the on-field activities? Life-Long Eagles Fan Mom. I'm not going to tattle on her age here, but my first significant football memory was when Dick Vermeil came to Philly. That was 1976, I was 5 and she's my mom, so you do the math.

Then it was time to hit the cafeteria for lunch, followed by touring the complex and classroom time.

Chef Spouse was a little worried about the concept of the classroom time going into the day. He was all: "If they're like, 'This is a football. Now, you get FOUR tries to go TEN yards or you have to give the ball to the other team...' you're going to bust a cap in somebody's ass." He needn't have worried. The Eagles know their fans, and they know that even the ladies don't screw around.

We started with a tour of the training room and the locker room (where I noticed that David Akers' locker was completely cleaned out, not a good sign), then had a sit-down with special teams coach Bobby April where he broke down how they set up punt coverage. My one complaint with all the classroom sessions was that there wasn't enough time for Q&A. I really wanted to ask Coach April how he was able to take Sav Rocca from one of the most inconsistent punters in the league to one of the best in just two seasons, and what his take is on whether or not David Akers will be back next year (that one, he probably wouldn't have answered), but there wasn't time.

Then it was through the workout room, where I got that great photo of the weights above, and on to defense with former defensive tackle Darwin Walker. He walked us through film, talking through how the defensive line sets up to blitz and stop the run. Favorite Darwin Walker comment? "I would give it everything out there. I would pretty much die out there."

After that, Tra Thomas, the guy who protected Big 5's blindside for a decade, walked us through film on how the offensive line sets up big runs or big-time protection to give the receivers time to go long. Favorite Tra Thomas comment? In response to my question about his best memory as an Eagle: "The day I was drafted. I didn't want to go anywhere else."

We wrapped the classroom portion of the day back in the auditorium, with Merrill Reese talking about everything that goes into calling the play-by-play (it's a lot more than you might think). It's good to know that in the heat of a play, Merrill sometimes has as much trouble as I do determining whether the guy with the ball is DeSean or Jeremy Maclin. An 8 and a 0 can look a lot alike, and neither of them is very big.

And then on to the gift bags, which included a BIG blowup of DJax scoring at the Miracle at the New Meadowlands, with Tom Coughlin throwing his clipboard to the turf in the background. Good times.

Check out my photos from the day on Flickr.

Oh, and if your mom or sister or wife or girlfriend or daughter or whoever loves the Eagles? Send her to this event next year.

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

Final Thoughts on the 2010 Season

2011-02-21T18:41:00.000-05:00

It's now two weeks post-Super Bowl, three post-Pro Bowl (Not that I watched the Pro Bowl. The only thing that would induce me to sit through the Pro Bowl is if I were actually Hawaii. Which is a thought. But I digress...) - seems like a good time to reflect on the Eagles season that was. Particularly since everyone else seems to be, too.

To me, the major story is that our Eagles totally outperformed. I was not alone in expecting them to go 6-10 or 7-9. They fooled us all and went 10-6 on their way to the playoffs, which they proceeded to exit in the first round, and let's hope this is not a new trend, but at least it was to eventual Super Bowl winners the Green Bay Packers.

Another big story: the emergence of Michael Vick as a complete QB. African-American quarterbacks hate the "he's a great athlete, but..." stereotype, and justly so, but Vick really was just a gifted athlete when he was in Atlanta (if one can even use the term "just" in regards to his athletic gifts). It took the Eagles coaching, culture, and the team around him, plus the maturity to understand what he nearly threw away due to his illegal actions, to help him develop into the work ethic and the skills to begin realizing his potential.

Much like Steelers Transplant has a type (blonde, skinny, neurotic), Andy Reid clearly also has a type in QBs: Superman. Fortunately, he also seems exceptionally good at recognizing these guys when they come along, or at least constructing them out of the available materials. (And what would unassembled Superman parts look like, anyway?)

McNabb took the Eagles to playoffs his first year as a full time starter. So did Vick. Let's see if he can continue to follow in Big 5's footsteps, with some NFC Championship games, and maybe another Super Bowl. Only I hope it doesn't take another four years to get there, because I'm not sure Vick's going to make it another four years with the risks he takes.

Another should've been a big story: LeSean McCoy. He seriously is Brian Westbrook 2.0, new and improved and ready to make some noise. He also seems like a really nice guy, just like West36.

I'm not going to weigh in on coaching situation too much, since I really don't have the necessary knowledge, other than to observe that Andy Reid cleaned house on the defensive coaching side, which he's never done in 12 years. He's more about "nurture the little birdies until they can fly:" Harbaugh, Chilly, Spags, Ron Rivera, and I'm sure I'm missing some. Of course, Big Red is still doing that pace Juan Castillo, but apparently, he decided Sean McDermott had had enough time and wasn't going to turn into JJ2. Ever.

This move, to me, also says Andy thinks the time to win is now. Of course, in order for that to happen, the Eagles need a secondary that can cover and a red zone defense that, you know, exists.

Finally, a word about the collective bargaining agreement. An 18 game season is BS. The 16 game season is already a war of attrition - look at what happened to the Packers this year. Yeah, they overcame, but that shouldn't be taken as a sign that it's OK, but rather that they were exceptional this year.

And I happen to think the owners make enough money. And aren't at risk of their career ending at any moment. But that's just me.

Goes Together Like...

2011-02-10T19:34:00.000-05:00

Beer and watching sports!

Sports fan who lives outside your team's media market? Frequent traveler?

There's a new site for you - BarChannels.

So far they only cover NYC, but they're working on expanding to other cities.

So Eagles fans who don't live in Philly, where do you go to watch our boys play? BarChannels wants to know.

And eventually, they'll be able to help you find where to bleed green from anywhere.

Super Bowl XLV Recap

2011-02-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

Packers over Steelers, Sunday, February 6, 2011

Well, at least if the Pack was going to knock my Eagles out in the wildcard round, it wasn't in vain.

Random observations:

A red carpet? At the Super Bowl? Dear Fox: Are you f-ing kidding me? Thank God for NFL Network and ESPN.

I realize Jennifer Anniston was flacking a movie, but who cares what she thinks about, well, anything? But particularly about football?

I love football, and even I think that 9 1/2 hours of pre-game coverage is too much.

I know it's mean, but I still think it's hilarious that Xtina forgot the words to the national anthem. Also, it's really not a singable tune. Put me down in the "in favor of switching to America the Beautiful" column.

I don't think I've ever heard ANYTHING as bad as the Black Eyed Peas halftime show. And I grew up in a church where that sappy faux-karaoke "music" is considered acceptable, so I know from teh suck.

SLASH! SQUEE!

Why were those poor anonymous dancers wearing lit up file boxes on their heads? As my friend Em said: File under #FAIL.

The commercials mostly left me yawning other than this one:

That cute kid? A patient of one of my organization's member hospitals.

.....

Oh? The game?

The story of the game was turnovers. As in, the Steelers committed a lot (two Big Ben picks and a Rashard Mendenall fumble), the Packers committed none, and the Packers turned every single Steelers miscue into points.

The other story was that the Packers seriously almost ran out of players. Again. Why should the playoffs be any different than their whole season was, though?

The only reason Mike McCarthy didn't buy Jordy Nelson a one-way ticket to Carolina straight from Dallas was the TD and the great catch & run that led to what turned out to be the field goal that put the game away, because I ran out of fingers to count how many passes he dropped.

At my place we were mostly pulling for the Pack, so when the Steelers cut their lead to 4 and Charles Woodson went out, we were all like, "Oh man, here we go."

Only we didn't.

Can we finally put Brett Favre to rest now? Please? Pretty please?

So the #6 team pulls it off for, I think, only the second time. The only other #6 to win it all? The Steelers. Who have enough rings. Maybe we can get one for the east side of the state after the 2011 season. If there is a 2011 season.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, February 6, 2011

2011-02-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

In case you've been living under a rock, this Sunday the Packers and the Steelers meet up at Cowboys Stadium for Super Bowl XLV.

If you're reading this and know where I live and my phone number, you're invited to my Super Bowl party. But please email or call to let me know to expect you, so Chef Spouse and I make enough food.

Party starts at 5 pm.

Kick off is at 6:30 pm.

Living room seating is reserved for those who are serious about watching the game.

The kitchen is for those who at least want to know what's going on with the game while they eat and socialize.

The dining room is for those who are just here for the food and conversation.

Speaking of, we'll be preparing our usual Tex-Mex bacchanal, with burritos, fajitas, and quesadillas, plus Chef Spouse's fab homemade guacamole. Bring something to share. What? Pre-game snacks, beverages, and desserts are all good ideas.

Children are welcome, but remember that I tend to swear like a sailor around football, even when my team's not playing, so if they learn colorful new expressions at my house, you've been warned.

Super Bowl XLV Preview

2011-02-02T20:14:00.001-05:00

Confession: it's just not as fun to preview the Super Bowl when your team's not in it. But you knew that.

The Packers go into the Super Bowl smokin' hot. Aaron Rodgers has had inhumanly good QB ratings pretty much since he came back from the concussion. Clay Matthews was right behind another guy who'll be playing Sunday for defensive player of the year. James Starks came out of nowhere to buck up the Packers decimated RB core. And they have some pretty decent receivers - you might've heard of them? Donald Drive and Greg Jennings? The Packers have a better claim than that team from Dallas on the title "America's Team" - hey, it's called the LOMBARDI trophy.

And I'm conflicted about the Steelers. They have, for a long time, been my AFC team, but I have a really hard time rooting for them as long as Ben Roethliseberger's still under center. Bust magazine explains it far better than I could. But to all the people who continue to ding Mike Vick, just remember: he hurt dogs. And served his time. Big Ben is a sexual predator who hurts women. I love dogs, I really do, but they aren't people.

So my heart is with the Packers. Who, you might remember, were the NFC's sixth seed. The only sixth seed team ever to win a Super Bowl? The Steelers.

Which I'm pretty sure is what's going to happen again on Sunday, extending their lead as the Super Bowl winningest team in the NFL.

Steelers. And it should be a good game.

2010 Conference Championship Recap

2011-01-24T22:10:00.001-05:00

Packers over Bears: As (I) expected. Two good halves of football were played Sunday. Unfortunately, they weren't by the same team. The Packers looked unstoppable for the first half. And then Jay Cutler went down, Todd Collins played like, well, Todd Collins, and they handed the game over to rookie Caleb Hanie, who had never taken an NFL snap. "OK, kid, here's the situation. It's f-ing freezing. We're in the NFC Championship game, down by 14 points to a division rival. The fans are out of it - we think they may actually have been cryogenically frozen by the stadium conditions at this point - our starting QB is hurt and our backup QB is a mess. Good luck!" Surprisingly, the kid did pretty well - better than Jay Cutler was doing, at any rate. How hurt was he? I can't say, but it was the NFC Championship game. Moving on, Matt Forte had a good game. And the Bears D came alive in the second half. But with a rookie under center, it just wasn't enough. And the Pack are going to Texas. Think they can win it all? Well, not if they play like they did in the second half yesterday.

Edited Tuesday, January 25 to add: an astute reader pointed out that Hanie's not technically a rookie. I should've come up with the better term for "newbie," but what I was trying to stress was: how many games had he started before Sunday? Answer: zero.

Steelers over Jets:As (I also) expected. The thing is, if the Jets' receivers could catch a ball or the Jets' defense could've tackled ANYONE, this game could have gone completely differently. It's a different kind of football than Eagles fans are used to - actually, that's the case with both teams here - with a QB managing the game with a strong defense and a strong ground attack, when his main job is to not make any big mistakes. And Mark Sanchez can totally handle that. And the Jets have gone to the AFC Championship game - and lost - both of his first two years in the league. That's something that's quite familiar to Eagles fans. Sigh. Reading Gang Green Nation sounds really familiar - lots of looking on the bright side, lots of "we had a great season," lots of "we're contenders," lots of "other teams fear us now," etc. That's familiar to Eagles fans, too. Whatever. Show me the Lombardis. Oh yeah - that would be the Steelers all over. Sigh again.

2010 Conference Championship Picks

2011-01-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

Packers at Bears: These are well matched teams. The Bears look terrific. Mike Martz has got the Jay Cutler attitude problem AND interception problem under control. Brian Urlacher seems rejuvenated, and Julius Peppers is playing great. He played great in Carolina, too, of course, it's just that the rest of his was a mess. Charles Tillman creates turnovers the way American Idol creates crap one-hit-wonder pop stars. Matt Forte provides a significant ground attack, which helps keep Cutler from trying to do too much. And two words that strike fear in the heart of every special teams coach in the NFL: Devin Hester.

On the other hand, the Packers are heading for their 3rd road game in a row. They're the #6 seed, and they just pulled off the big upset win over the Falcons a week ago. Their issues with injury this season have been well documented, well, everywhere. And they're playing a divisional rival, which is always just that much harder.

But I'm still picking the Packers. And not just because they took out an Andy Reid team in the first round of the playoffs for only the second time in his 12 seasons as head coach. Aaron Rodgers is on FIRE and not only can't you stop Clay Matthews, you really can't even hope to contain him. Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are going to have to play a lot better than they did on January 2, though.

Jets at Steelers: The Jets are looking surprisingly good at this stage, too. Mark Sanchez seems to be over his sophomore slump from earlier in the season. The secondary combo of Revis and Cromartie is as good as it's supposed to be. Santonio Holmes has his playoff face on, making "Did I just see that?" catches every time you turn around. LaDanian Tomlinson is playing like he's 21, not 31. Jason Taylor, too.

Wait - is Troy Polamalu playing? Yes? Steelers.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, January 23, 2011

2011-01-20T12:42:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it's Conference Championship Sunday already? Where did the 2010 season go? Seems like just yesterday I was at checking out the talent at training camp and getting ready to kick into high gear here at StN. Now? Only 4 more games and we close the book on 2010. And with the NFL labor situation looking increasingly bleak, we might be seeing our last football for quite a while. Too bad the Iggles couldn't pull out the miracle run this year - they might've gotten to reign as Super Bowl champs for two years.

Anyway, the games this weekend are:

3 pm: Packers at Bears
6:30 pm: Jets at Steelers

Menu? Chef Spouse is pulling out all the stops - ribs, mac-n-cheese, and collards. Soul food heaven, baby. Bring something that will go with, and we'll see you Sunday!

2010 Divisional Weekend Recap

2011-01-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

I did a lot better on my picks this week. Just sayin'.

Steelers over Ravens: So, you know, the Ravens were up 21-7 at halftime. And they were getting to Big Ben so much it was like they had a few extra guys out there. But they had no counter for one unassailable fact: Troy Polamalu was playing. OK, he didn't have a big game or anything, but he's like Kryptonite for other teams. Mistake prone game on both sides, with a total of what, 5 or 6 turnovers? But in the end, the Steelers at home were too much for the Ravens. Again. Also, a little tip to players on both sides? Even if the whistle has blown (which it hadn't on Saturday), cover up the ball. Apparently, everyone but Cory Redding missed that week in football school.

Packers over Falcons: I feel a little less bad about losing to the Packers last week now that, if I had to guess, they're going to the Super Bowl with a reasonable chance to win it. Why? Aaron Rodgers is on fire. ON FIRE. 48-21 makes the game look closer than it actually was. The Pack never punted. Not once. Roll that around in your head for a minute or two. And the Falcons started the game well. Unfortunately, they exhausted all their scoring magic in the first 10 minutes. I barely watched the second half, in common with the Falcons "fans," who all headed for the exits by the third quarter. I know your team was getting whupped, but it's the playoffs, man. Sit down and watch it! Even if the Packers do put in their backup QB. Oh, the humanity!

Bears over Seahawks: Did you know that was Jay Cutler's first playoff game since high school? I'll bet you did, since they mentioned it about every 10 seconds. Nothing like starting off with a softball pitch right over home plate, to mix my sports metaphors for a minute. 35-24 also makes it look a lot closer than it was. I'm pretty sure the Bears' starters all left the field to start the celebration in the locker room before the start of the 4th quarter. That's the only explanation I can come up with for 21 points by the Seahawks in the 4th.

Jets over Patriots: This was the surprise of the weekend. I know a lot of people think Rex Ryan is an obnoxious loud mouth. Personally, I think he's hilarious, and the Ryan/Sanchez combo is far preferable to Big Cheater Bill Belichick and his pretty-boy dunderhead QB Tom Brady, at least in my world. Also, Bill? Buy a shirt with sleeves. You look homeless. Tom Landry is turning over in his grave, buddy.

2010 Divisional Weekend Picks

2011-01-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

The Eagles may be out of it at this point, but I'm still soldiering on with the blog. And the picks.

Ravens at Steelers: These two teams are really evenly matched. Both 12-4, both similar style - grind it out on the ground, tough defense, Great Big White Guy quarterbacks, from tough, blue collar cities that are passionate about their teams. This could finish 7-6. Every inch will be contested, every point hard fought...oh wait. Is Troy Polamalu playing? Yes? Steelers.

Packers at Falcons: I'm only picking one road team this week, and despite Mattie Ice's success in the Georgia Dome, it's the smokin' hot Packers. So now you know how the rest of the picks are going to turn out.

Seahawks at Bears: The Seahakws won't be able to bring 65,000 home fans with them to Chicago. And I don't think Jay Culter's going to throw 5 picks. And even if he does, it might not be enough anyway. Bears.

Jets at Patriots: Rex? I don't like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick either, so I'm feeling you, but that payday loan's come due. Pats.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, January 16, 2011

2011-01-13T12:16:00.000-05:00

Well, the Eagles are out of is, but that means we can all relax and enjoy the games without having a coronary every 10 minutes. Hey, I'm trying to look on the bright side here, people!

Anyway, as usual for playoffs, there are games both days, but we'll plan to do the big party and cooking on Sunday.

Saturday games:

4:30 - Ravens at Steelers
8:00 - Packers at Falcons

Sunday games:

1:00 - Seahawks at Bears
4:30 - Jets at Patriots

Chef Spouse is going to make gumbo. He was planning to make it in honor of the Saints' 2011 playoff run. Since that came to an early and abrupt end, he's making it in honor of the fact that it's carnival season. Also, Biker Nick and his gf are planning to join us! And if I gt inspired, I might make us beignet for dessert. Anyone have an Abita connection?

2010 Wildcard Weekend Recap

2011-01-10T20:50:00.000-05:00

Eagles v. Packers, Sunday, January 9, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, Ex-Navy Cheesehead, Chef Spouse and me

Menu: cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese, plus shrimp and crudites for snackies from the gang and yummy desserts courtesy of Shoegal. And bourbon. LOTS of bourbon.

Stud of the week: Seriously? There isn't one. I can't think of a single player who didn't make at least one major mistake yesterday.

So the 2010 season was bookended by losses to the Packers. Can I get an "F that!"? I think I can.

I was right about the 3 road teams pick - I just messed up WHICH road teams. Oy.

This was the game of almost - the Eagles almost had sacks and picks and field goals and big catches and tackles and 2 point conversions and almost broke big runs.

Almost.

But they didn't.

I really don't have it in me to recap the game, other than to point out that if David Akers made even one of the field goals he missed...if Brent Celek didn't inexplicably go out the back of the end zone, negating the 2 point conversion...that last pick never even happens, because Andy knows they can take the 3 and go to overtime.

At least the guys went down swinging.

So here's the thing: back in August, I predicted the team would go 6-10 (or maybe 7-9) and be at the bottom of the NFC East. They way overperformed my expectations. Even getting to the playoffs was definitely icing on my cake, as was another NFC East championship.

Looking to the offseason, the Front Office needs to lock down our QB situation. My guess? Trade K2 for a high draft pick - there are plenty of teams with high first round picks who need quarterbacks, and no, I don't think that's an unreasonable ask - and sign Mike Vick to a deal that would've been a lot fatter had they signed it a month ago. The FO also needs to pick up another corner back to play opposite Asante Samuel. Because it sure as hell ain't Dimitri Patterson. I hear a guy named Nnamdi Asomugha might be available - maybe you've heard of him? And if they're going to stick with Mike Vick at QB - and I think they are - they need to do something about the O-line, because he seriously will not make 16 games at this rate. Akers seems to think he won't be back in Philly, and his contract is up, but I don't see that happening. Good kickers are not so easy to come by, right Mike Vanderjagt?

But really, Andy Reid said it best: very few teams can completely retool the way the Eagles have in the past two years and still get to the playoffs both years. The future looks good. As long as we can stop this emerging trend of losing in the first round of the playoffs at 2.

In the rest of the matchups:

Seahawks over Saints: OK, as bummed as we all are over the Eagles loss, it's not shocking. Two 10-6 teams, evenly matched, popular vote, bloggers, and professional sports commentators pretty much splitting 50/50 on predicting the winner - it could've gone either way. But the defending Super Bowl champs losing to a 7-9 team in the wildcard round? WTF? I totally attribute this win to the Seahawks 12th man. And the Saints played like they'd all taken the Nyquil Drew Brees has been shilling for prior to the game. Anyway, I don't guess the Bears will take Nyquil before next weekend and the Seahawks don't get to bring ALL their fans to Soldier Field with them, so I'm guessing their freaky playoff run will end, but in the meantime, seriously, Saints, WTF? Best line? On Twitter: "Marshawn Lynch just stiff-armed Tracy Porter into Puget Sound." I hope they fished him out for the flight home.

Jets over Colts: Great game. Also, how weird is it to watch a team that's mostly about "run the ball and don't make the QB do anything too hard where he might screw up and blow the game for the team"? I wonder what that's like. Also, perhaps the Colts should pick up an ACTUAL head coach and an ACTUAL offensive coordinator? Peyton seems to be a smart guy, but asking him to be the QB, the OC and the HC all at once seems like too much, you know?

Ravens over Chiefs: This was the only game that really sucked. Not that it was unexpected, but still - Chiefs' fans? It's the FREAKIN' PLAYOFFS, which your team hasn't sniffed in years. SIT YOUR ASSES DOWN AND WATCH YOUR TEAM LOSE. That stadium was EMPTY mid-way through the 4th quarter, and that is just unacceptable. It's the PLAYOFFS, man!

2010 Wildcard Weekend Picks

2011-01-06T18:12:00.001-05:00

Saints at Seahawks: Unfortunately, the Saints are down to their last running back. Fortunately, it's Reggie Bush. Unfortunately, he hasn't exactly been having a brilliant season. There's no time like the present to turn that around, Reg. Saints. Not least of which because then we can all put the shame of having a 7-9 team in the NFC playoffs behind us.

Jets at Colts: Rex Ryan's mouth may be writing checks his team can't cash, but I'm pretty sure he'll be able to swing a payday loan at least for this week with "17 Colts on IR" as collateral. Jets.

Ravens at Chiefs: Lots of sports commentator talk about how well the Chiefs match up with the Ravens and home field advantage and Todd Haley this and Matt Cassel that and what a great season Jamaal Charles has had and the Chiefs' great offensive line and rookie safety Eric Berry (who, you might remember, I wanted the Eagles to draft). Whatever. Ravens.

Packers at Eagles: I don't see the Birds going deep into the playoffs this year - not that I wouldn't love to be proved wrong - but (stop me if you've heard this one before), the Eagles are overly dependent on quarterbacking pizazz, and that's not exactly an on demand kind of thing. It's also a highly vulnerable asset. And, with a collective age (other than Akers and Vick) of about 12, they're prone to rookie mistakes. I do see them clearing the Packers at home, not least of which because the starters have had two weeks to prepare, but I think that might be as far as it goes this year. The team has the youth and the talent to remain a strong contender for several years. I'm pretty sure this just ain't our year, but it IS our week. Eagles

Wait - I've picked 3 road teams. Clearly I'm wrong about at least one of those picks. Then again, on the NFL Network earlier this week, Kurt Warner picked all 4 road teams. Which doesn't mean we're not both wrong, but at least I'm in good company.

2010 Wildcard Weekend Schedule

2011-01-06T13:38:00.002-05:00

We'll be watching football both days (well, actually, we'll miss at least part of the early game Saturday due to a wedding - I know, I know who schedules a wedding during the playoffs?), but we'll do our weekly party on Sunday, since that's when the Eagles play.

Here's the schedule:

Saturday, January 8

4:30 pm - Saints at Seahawks
8 pm - Jets at Colts

Sunday, January 9

1 pm - Ravens at Chiefs
4:30 pm - Packers at Eagles

Chef Spouse is planning to revisit favorites during the playoffs. Up this week: cream of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Annual Humiliation Post

2011-01-04T19:16:00.001-05:00

aka, The Post Where I Detail How INCREDIBLY Wrong My Pre-Season Playoff Picks Were.

And make fun of myself in the process.

Picks for the playoffs versus who actually got there:

AFC East

I picked: Dolphins
Actual winner: Patriots

I claimed to have a "good feeling" about the Dolphins. Clearly, that was the booze talking.

AFC North

I picked: Ravens
Actual winner: Steelers

Hey, at least the Ravens are in the playoffs. Unlike the Dolphins, who may end up firing their head coach. But that's a post for another day.

AFC South

I picked: Texans
Actual winner: Colts

Ah Texans. I wish I could quit you. I have to point out that I did have the Colts as a wildcard.

AFC West

I picked: Chargers
Actual winner - Chiefs

OK, yeah - but raise your hand if you saw THAT coming.

AFC Wildcards

I picked: Colts and Jets
Actual wildcards: Jets and Ravens

So overall I got 3 out of 6, but with some seriously messed up seeding.

NFC East

I picked: Cowboys
Actual winner: Eagles

YAY! Love to be wrong on this one! I do have to point out that, had K2 started all year, I think my 6-10 or 7-9 prediction would have come true. And the Giants would've won the division. I was also wrong about the Redskins going at least 8-8 with Donnie Mac. Then again, he didn't start the full season. I'm not saying he would've definitely gotten them to .500, but I'm not saying he wouldn't either.

NFC North

I picked: Packers
Actual winner: Bears

But the Pack are one of the wildcard teams, and were a sexy Super Bowl pick back in September, and I didn't go THAT crazy.

NFC South

I picked: Saints
Actual winner: Falcons

But it came down to the final week, and both are in the playoffs, so again, not so wildly off.

NFC West

I picked: 49ers
Actual "winner": Seahawks

The bloody Seahawks. Who are 7-9. No, I don't plan to let this go, at least until the Seahawks are out of the playoffs.

NFC Wildcard

I picked: Falcons and Vikings
Actual wildcards: Saints and Packers

So again, looking at all 6, I had 3, just in the wrong positions.

Wow - I got to .500 this year. In the NFC West, that's more than enough for a home playoff game.

2010 Week 17 Recap

2011-01-03T19:29:00.000-05:00

Eagles v. Cowboys, Sunday, January 2, 2011

In attendance: Shoegal, the triumphant return of Ex-Navy Cheesehead, Chef Spouse and me

Menu: brats, saurkraut, homemade soft pretzels, brussels spouts - have to ensure good luck in the New Year, after all!

Stud of the Week: Chad Hall. Pipsqueak had a great day, even scoring his first TD in the NFL. He even managed to jump up into the stands with a little bit of a boost from his team mates. Feel good story for sure.

So the Cowboys' entire first team (other than QB Stephen McGee) managed to beat the Eagles' practice squad, plus some guys they signed in the parking lot during pre-game tailgating. I think maybe one or two starters were out there, only by virtue of having no one else left to back them up. And the Cowboys won by one point. Uh...congratulations? I guess?

Remember how at the beginning of the season a bunch of people (including me) thought the Cowboys were going to dominate? Talk about going out with a whimper. The practice squad seriously gave the Cowboys a run for their money, and had it not been for the DeMarcus Ware TD off the Anthony Spencer forced fumble that came about because K2 was holding the ball out on a tray for him, we would've won. There was a fair amount of "Good job...uh....who IS that guy?" going on in my living room.

Anywho, on to the Packers! And let's hope Vick doesn't go down, because Kolb did not look brilliant. Somebody tell Clay Matthews the game is on Saturday, OK? At Lambeau?

Around the rest of the NFL...

Pats over Dolphins: Seriously, why would you play your starters?

Jets over Bills: The Jets didn't need their starters to whip up on a bad team. Just sayin'.

Ravens over Bengals: Think TO will be playing anywhere next year? He seems to think so, but homie is mostly delusional, so that's not reliable.

Steelers over Browns: And Eric Mangini's been fired. How many does that make this season? 4?

Raiders over Chiefs: The Chiefs weren't going to do better than the #4 seed. And apparently, the Raiders might get a new QB next year: Donovan McNabb. He and Jason Campbell are bros, so that should work out. And they can both kick back and talk about how glad they are to be the hell out of DC.

Lions over Vikings: Next year, Lions. Next year.

Falcons over Panthers: So during the 4 pm games, we were talking about who we'd want the Eagles to face in wildcard weekend. "Can I pick the Panthers? I want the Panthers." Yeah, no.

Bucs over Saints: Well, the Bucs did what was in their power to try to get to the playoffs. It wasn't enough. Odd loss, though.

Texans over Jags: Yeah, the Jags gave up.

Giants over Redskins: Whatevs. They'll both be watching the playoffs from their rec rooms, accompanied by umbrella drinks.

Chargers over Broncos: Same as above.

49ers over Cards: Wow. The 49ers kicked the Cards' asses. What lit a fire under them all of a sudden? Head coach gets fired, all of s sudden no one is safe?

Packers over Bears: I think this is a good thing for the Eagles. I definitely didn't want to see the Giants again this year, and it does lend a nice symmetry to the season, with the Packers coming back to the Linc next week. Hopefully with a different outcome.

Colts over Titans: Raise your hand if you think the Colts are going down to the Jets wildcard weekend. Me. I have my hand raised.

Seahawks over Rams: OH. MY. GOD. The West was won by a 7-9 team. I think the Seahawks should voluntarily cede their playoff spot to a better team. The fact that the 11-5 Saints have to travel to Seattle to play a 7-9 team is just NOT acceptable.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, January 2, 2011

2010-12-30T12:54:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, football fans! In a year that we all thought would be about rebuilding, the Eagles won the NFC East (again) and are going to the playoffs as the #3 seed. Time to celebrate, because they aren't going to beat the Cowboys on Sunday, what with the almost certain resting the starters and all that.

1 pm: Panthers/Falcons and Bucs/Saints

4 pm: Eagles/Cowboys, Giants/Redskins and Bears/Packers (No, we do not currently have the capacity to watch 3 games at once. But we'll figure it out.)

8 pm: Rams at Seahawks

Menu: I just asked Chef Spouse and (I quote) "I still haven't thought about Food Lab: Hors D'Oeuvres (our planned New Year's Eve afternoon activity). I have NO idea." But I'm planning to make some homemade pretzels, since I haven't done that yet this year. So maybe brats? It is traditional in my family to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's to ensure good luck. And January 2 is practically New Year's...

2010 Week 17 Picks

2010-12-29T19:38:00.002-05:00

Our game is meaningless - AR's going to rest the starters. It kills me, but the Cowboys will win this game. They have players fighting for their jobs, and an interim head coach fighting for his.

Dolphins at Pats: This game is meaningless for the Pats, but they're going to win anyway.

Bills at Jets: Bills. Rex Ryan has said Mark Sanchez is unlikely to play. Guess the Jets are happy with the seeding.

Bengals at Ravens: Ravens. The Ravens could actually still win the division if the Steelers lose (which they won't, but the Ravens have to go all out regardless, since they're both playing at 1).

Bucs at Saints: Saints need this one, and they'll get it.

Panthers at Falcons: Same as above.

Vikings at Lions: Another one of the meaningless games. Vikings. Think Leslie Frazier will be the head coach next year? Think Joe Webb will start at QB? This game might provide some clues.

Raiders at Chiefs: The Chiefs are also still playing for position, although it's only 3 versus 4, but I think they'll win.

Steelers at Browns: The Steelers need this win to win the division, and I think they'll get it.

Jags at Texans: The Jags need this win to stay in contention for the division. But David Garrard and MJD are both out, so it seems like the Jags are conceding surrender. Not that it really matters, because the division is the Colts' to lose, and they won't. Texans. Speaking of...

Titans at Colts: Colts. They're not gonna miss the playoffs for the first time this, uh, millennium.

Cards at 49ers: Good luck to...who is the 49ers interim coach anyway? Is this the most coaches that have ever been fired during the season? Because it seems like it might be. Anyway, I think the 49ers will win. Noth that it really matters.

Bears at Packers: The Bears are a good team. The Packers are a good team. The Bears do not need this game. The Packers do. You know what that means - Packers.

Chargers at Broncos: The Chargers will win, but it will be cold comfort, since they'll miss the playoffs this year.

Giants at Redskins: The math indicates that the Giants will win. And Chef Spouse thinks I'm crazy. But I think we broke the Giants on December 19. Redskins.

Rams at Seahawks: Rams. I love me some Spags, and this is the only way to save the West from the ignominy of being won by a team under .500.

2010 Week 16 Recap

2010-12-29T19:04:00.001-05:00

Eagles v. Vikings, Tuesday, December 28, 2010

In attendance: Just me & Chef Spouse for the historic Tuesday Night Football game

Menu: Chinese, because I was running around like a crazy person trying to get theater tickets exchanged while the box office was closed for the holiday on Monday, so there was no time to plan anything else.

Stud of the week: ...

...

...

Damn. Even David Akers missed a field goal. Even Sav Rocca had a bad punt.

I think I'm going to have to go with Chad Hall who, while he didn't do anything particularly amazing, did manage to earn himself a place in training camp then on the practice squad then on special teams by sheer heart. We're probably not going to be talking about retiring his number in 10 years or anything, but you gotta love the little guy anyway.

Man, did I get killed in my picks this week. And not just on this game.

I also have a confession to make. I didn't watch the end of the game. About mid-way through the 4th quarter, the following things happened in quick succession:

Video paean to Brett Favre. WHO WASN'T EVEN PLAYING.
Cris Collinsworth started in on how Asante Samuel should have been ejected for helmet hit on Sidney Rice. Leaving aside the fact that Rice was the one who ducked his head and that both of them walked away from it, what is up Collinsworth's ass with regards to the Eagles this year? Is he like a huge dog lover or something? Even PETA's Ingrid Newkirk is cutting Vick some slack these days (although she continues to entertain by comparing dog fighting to pedophilia. Um, Ingrid? No. Just no.). Get over it, man.
The defense couldn't come up with a crucial 3rd down stop.

At that point, I announced that some of us have to go to work in the morning (Chef Spouse has mostly been working from home this week), this whole thing was just pissing me off, and I was going to bed.

The offensive line couldn't protect Vick. And he couldn't run away like usual. Apparently, he has a quad injury, and watching him last night, you could tell something wasn't right. In the second half, and after pitching a first half shut out (that fumble recovery TD wasn't THEIR fault), the defense couldn't make key stops. They'd managed to virtually shut down Ahmad Bradshaw AND Brandon Jacobs last week, but then they couldn't handle Adrian Peterson. Or Joe Web. Also, DeSean, don't run your route and then just stand there. The defensive secondary will jump you every time, and you're not tall enough to compete for jump balls. And did anyone notice that the only thing that seemed to be working on offense was running Shady? SO WHY IN THE HELL DIDN'T THEY DO IT MORE?

Just an overall sloppy game. The team played like they'd had too much Christmas turkey. Or, to quote Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "as if they had fat Polish sausages tied to their fingers."

Thanks to the always-sensible BGN for talking me down off the ledge.

The key point is this: 3 games in 12 days. And the Eagles could've gone all out last night and Sunday against the Cowboys...and still missed the #2 seed. I'm hoping it really is better this way. At least we know most of the starters will get next Sunday off and get a chance to heal up and prepare for the wildcard game. (Well, they better. If Andy Reid plays the starters Sunday, he's going to need to hire bodyguards to protect him from the irate fan base. Big ones.)

But to all the people who've been talking Super Bowl, you might want to check yourself. By my calculations and projecting/guessing just a little, that will require a home win against the #6 Packers (who, you might remember, almost beat the Pats with their backup QB), a road win against the #2 Bears (and remember what that field was like the LAST time we played there), and then a road win against the Falcons (and both of those teams have SIGNIFICANT home field advantages) or a home win against the Saints (not impossible, but then again, Drew Brees). I'm not saying there's no way, but it's pretty damn improbable, particularly considering that we got whupped by a team that was 5-9 going into last night's game and was led by a rookie QB and an interim head coach.

Unless last night was all a calculated plan, in which Andy Reid, knowing the #2 seed was far from assured, intentionally had the guys play crappy so that next week wouldn't matter, he could rest the starters without criticism, and he could lull the entire rest of the NFC playoff teams into believing that the Eagles aren't a threat. In which case, it worked perfectly, because no one looking at the team that played last night would consider them a threat to anyone.

Also, I think the Vikes might have the answer to their QB question.

Around the rest of the NFL...

I was not the only one who got a lot of picks wrong. Wacky week.

Steelers over Panthers: OK, this one went as expected. Turns out, the Steelers can't win without Troy Polamalu...unless they're playing the Panthers. In which case they probably only need about 12-15 guys total.

Cardinals over Cowboys: Who misses an extra point? Seriously? Not that I'm sad the Cowboys lost (other than it's not good for my picks stats), but C'mon Man!

Pats over Bills: Another one that went as expected. Lots of people have mentioned to me that they would love to see another Eagles/Pats Super Bowl. All I know is that, if that happens, the result better be different or I'm going to start taking hostages.

Bears over Jets: I can't decide if the Jets are a good team that's maddeningly inconsistent, or a bad team that manages to overperform on a regular basis. I know what I think of the Bears - they're damn good. Cutler seems to have found the system, the coaches, and the team that will help him start living up to his potential, Devin Hester remains a major threat on returns, and if the Brian Urlacher/Julius Peppers combo doesn't scare you, you might want to check for a pulse. I don't want to see the Giants again in the playoffs, but I'm not very enthusiastic about seeing the Bears again, either.

Ravens over Browns: The AFC playoff picture is coming into focus, with most of the in/out teams decided, but the seeding is still almost totally open. In week 16. LOVE!

Redskins over Jaguars: OK, had I known that MJD was going to be out, I might've picked the Redskins. Right. Who am I kidding? Did the Jags not know that they had to win to keep pace with the Colts? In the meantime, Redskins fans seem shocked that a bunch of no-name young guys won a game. Because that whole "overpaid guy at the end of his career" thing has been working out so well for them. Here's a tip: those young guys care more, because that game was their job interview to play somewhere, if not in DC. And they haven't already made their fortunes. Also they're far less likely to be gassed by the 4th quarter.

Chiefs over the Titans: Taking care of business, and winning the AFC West. Wow. Chiefs. Not Chargers. Chiefs. How weird is that?

Lions over Dolphins: Did I mention that I think the Lions are on the cusp of being really good? Not that a win over the Dolphins is necessarily indicative of that, but they are.

Rams over 49ers: Did you hear that Mike Singletary got fired? He and Dennis Green should totally hook up and do an NFL-only version of PTI for the NFL Network. Genius!

Bengals over Chargers: Did the Chargers not realize that they had to win this game to stay in playoff contention? Guess not.

Broncos over Texans: Oh, former Team of Destiny. You let me down this year. And I'm not even one of your actual fans. Fortunately, they seem possessed of the same spirit as the Saints fans back in the Aints days. Either that, or they're all hammered all the time.

Colts over Raiders: The Colts also had to win, and this was a close, close game. Which makes sense given that the math said the Raiders would win. But never count Peyton Manning out. Well, until the playoffs. Although I suspect not hitting cruise control by Thanksgiving will actually help the Colts in January.

Packers over Giants: And the December melt down continues. Adding insult to injury, the Giants are stuck in Wisconsin (as of Monday night, when I'm writing up this part of the recap). Given how badly things have gone for them in the past two weeks, they might just want to stay there. I think there's a real possibility the Redskins beat the Giants next week. Plus, cheese!

Bucs over Seahawks: So the Seahawks and the Rams will be playing for the NFC West on Sunday Night football next week. And if the Seahawks win (say it with me), the West will be won by a team under .500. Ugh.

Saints over Falcons: A great road win by the Saints secures at worst the #5 wildcard slot and gives them an outside shot at the #1 seed. OK, the Falcons would have to lose to the Panthers for that to happen, and that is quite literally impossible, but the #5 seed is like getting a bye week, since the Saints will play either the Rams or the Seahawks in the Superdome.

2010 Week 16 Picks

2010-12-23T18:53:00.001-05:00

Home stretch! Literally. The Eagles play their last two games at the Linc, hosting the Vikings this week and the Cowboys next.

So now we're on to will he or won't he? Farve and play of course. This feels so familiar.

And if he doesn't, there's no real way to prepare for Joe Webb since there's about a minute of film on him.

And there's the spread: 14 points? Yikes.

And the Eagles really need to win out if they have any hope of earning that bye and not having to play the Giants again (please God, I don't want to see the Giants again this year. They HAVE to be pissed).

And there's the whole "trap game" worry.

Oddly enough, I'm not worried about any of that. Which worries me. Typical Eagles fan.

My pick? Eagles, of course, and to win out (so I'm giving away next week, too).

In the rest of the matchups:

Panthers at Steelers: This game should be rated NC-17 for Excessive Violence. You might not want to let the kids watch. Is there any chance the Steelers don't stomp the Panthers? No, there is not. Steelers.

Cowboys at Cardinals: Dear NFL, THIS is your idea of a Christmas gift? Were they out of flaming bags of dog poo? Cowboys.

Titans at Chiefs: Chiefs. Who just might win the AFC West this year. I know this is probably the fifth time I've written that, but I have to keep saying it because it still doesn't seem possible.

Ravens at Browns: Chef Spouse has been obsessing about playoff scenarios since before Thanksgiving, and he assures me that it's nearly impossible for the Ravens to steal the AFC North from the Steelers, not least of which because that would involve the laughable notion that the Steelers would lose to the Panthers or the Browns. So we could see two teams at 12-4 in the same conference, because the Ravens are definitely going to beat the Browns this week and the Bengals next.

49ers at Rams: I don't think it's going to matter which Smith starts. The 49ers will win this one.

Redskins at Jaguars: My prediction? Sexy Rexy will play pretty well again, and lead the Skins to another loss against the Jags unstoppable ground game.

Patriots at Bills: Bills. SIKE! But wouldn't that be crazy? Sadly, it's also impossible. Patriots.

Seahawks at Buccaneers: I'm picking the Bucs. Which, assuming I'm right about Rams/49ers, would leave the West with three 6-9 teams with two one game to play. In other words, whoever wins the division would not have a winning record. Think about that for a minute.

Jets at Bears: Jets. I'm not just picking the Jets because it helps the Eagles. The math really does indicate a Jets win. And it would really help the Eagles.

Lions at Dolphins: Dolphins. Also, if this is the only game playing in your area, there's no time like the present to get those snow tires put on! Yes, even if you live in Miami. And you might want to sack up and get the Sunday Ticket.

Texans at Broncos: Texans. But I suspect The Tebow will at least be worth watching.

Colts at Raiders: The math says Raiders. Wow. Really? Yep - double checked it. Ok, Colts. Come on, the Colts are NOT going to miss the playoffs. And they have to win out to stay ahead of the Jags.

Giants at Packers: The math says Giants. But it doesn't know what went down last week, either on the side of the Packers almost beating the Pats with a rookie QB or with the Eagles pretty much crushing the Giants spirits. Plus Aaron Rodgers should be back, and the Pack are playing for their playoff lives. Packers. Message to the Pack: there's a bonus in it in the form of delicious homemade baked goods if you pull off the upset win. Ask around. I'm worth it.

Chargers at Bengals - Chargers. I can't think of anything funny to write about this, other than you've probably heard by now that Ochocinco and Marvin Lewis have been sniping at each other in the media. Junior high much? I knew TO would be a bad influence on him.

Saints at Falcons: I know the Falcons are unbeatable at home. But this is the Saints we're talking about here. And the math is clear. And the Saints are also playing for almost the best spot in the NFC playoffs: #5, where you actually get a bye in the form of playing the NFC West Wildcard Weekend.

Sunday Schedule: Sunday, December 26, 2010

2010-12-23T12:47:00.002-05:00

Time to keep the pedal to the metal, Eagles, just as Big Red exhorted you in his post-Giants victory speech. This week, our boys score their SIXTH prime time game of the season. Ratings magic, baby. Don't worry, ya'll - there's plenty of room for one more in Bleeding Green Nation!

1 pm: Jets/Bears (go Jets!)

4 pm: Giants/Packers (go Pack!)

8 pm: Eagles/Vikings

Menu: Christmas leftovers. We'll have beef bourgignon and cookies. Bring something that goes with, like wine or vegetables.

An Open Letter to Jeff Lurie

2010-12-22T19:47:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Lurie,

I'm sure we can both agree that this has been a very exciting year for our beloved Eagles. To recap:

The surprise trade of Donovan McNabb on Easter Sunday (which turned out to be a very prescient move, sir)
Kevin Kolb's the starting QB.
No, Michael Vick.
No, Kevin Kolb.
No, DEFINITELY Michael Vick.
You and the lovely Ms. Christina put in motion making the Linc carbon neutral (and coincidentally the greenest stadium in history) by the start of the 2012 season.
Andy Reid completely remade the team in two years.
And now, in what many people (myself included) assumed would be the dreaded "rebuilding year," the Eagles find themselves, at 10-4, leading the NFC East with 2 weeks left in the 2010 season.

In a season with many highlights, two of the highest of the Eagles 2010 season highlights have been the utter domination of the Redskins at FedEx Field on Monday Night Football and the wild and statistically nearly impossible comeback against the Giants on December 19.

Was there anything in common between those two games?

Yes.

I was at both.

Now, I can't definitely say that I was the cause of those two amazing victories.

But I can't definitely say I wasn't the cause, either.

Athletes are notoriously superstitious. Some refuse to change their socks if they're on a winning streak. Every member of every playoff hockey team grows playoff beards every year. Everyone knows you NEVER speak to a pitcher who might be in the middle of a no-hitter. And I'm not saying that I believe in the Curse of William Penn, but I do know that as soon as those guys put his statue atop the Comcast Center, the Phillies won the World Series.

The Eagles have everything in place they need to make a deep run into the playoffs:

A young, hungry, talented team
The most electrifying QB in the NFL
A head coach with significant playoff experience and success
Ample supplies of Gatorade

The only thing that's missing from this picture?

Me, preferably in the owner's box.

Don't you think it's better to be safe than sorry?

Do it for your team.

Do it for your city.

Don't let this be another year of dreams deferred.

Sincerely,

The Snark