Eagles Win 4th Straight

The Eagles closed out their time in Giants stadium most likely, putting on an offensive show, and winning the game 45-38, in a much needed divisional matchup. The Eagles now sit alone atop the NFC East with a record of 9-4.

The Eagles came out of the gates strong, took the opening kickoff, and marched right downfield and scored a touchdown, and made it look easy. The Giants first possession didn't go so well for them, as Sheldon Brown scooped up a Brandon Jacobs fumble and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles were up 14-0 five minutes into the game. From that point on, it would be an offensive shootout for both teams. The Giants got the game to 14-10, and the Eagles then pushed it to 24-10. The Giants responded with a touchdown, and then the Eagles marched down the field right before halftime to score another touchdown, but missed the extra point to take a 30-17 lead.

In the 2nd half, the Giants continued to play strong on offense, and took a 31-30 lead in the 3rd quarter. It didn't last long, because literally the very next offensive play, McNabb found DeSean Jackson for a 60 yard touchdown. The Eagles then went on a very successful, long 91 yard drive throughout most of the 4th quarter, capped off by a 1 yard Leonard Weaver touchdown run to put the game away.

The Eagles offense played very well. McNabb continues his strong play, and ended the game 17-26 for 275 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. McNabb threw a couple very nice deep balls, bought some time on some other plays, and hit his check downs well. Mike Vick also continued his strong recent play, and threw a 32 yard dart to DeSean Jackson on the first drive, which set up the first touchdown of the game. Vick also ran the ball 3 times for 11 yards, including a touchdown. Not only does Vick look like he is getting better every week, the play calling that involves Vick has been a lot better. I will give credit to the Reid-Mornhinweg play calling combo when Vick has been in the game lately. By letter Vick throw a couple passes each game, it doesn't allow the defense to stack the box when Vick is in the game. Also, I like the use of the trick plays they have tried when Vick has been in there. 2 trick plays were used. The first one being a reverse to Vick in which he almost threw a touchdown pass to Reggie Brown. The 2nd one was a Vick handoff to McCoy, who pitched to McNabb, who looked to go deep back to Vick. Even though he didn't have anything deep, McNabb made the right read and dumped it short to Celek. So, not only is Vick getting better and better each week, and becoming more a weapon in the rushing and passing game, the play calling has made more sense as of late.

Donovan McNabb led 4 very important drives in this game. The Eagles took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field the score, which was very important to get a 7-0 lead. Then, right before halftime, the Eagles marched down the field and scored a touchdown with 10 seconds left in the half, which was also very important. Sometimes McNabb often gets criticized for is not playing well with 2 minutes and under in the half or game. The Eagles came into this game 2nd in the NFL in scoring with under 2 minutes left in the half and end of the game, and they continued to add to that total. The 3rd drive was the 1 play drive, which was the 60 yard pass to Jackson. The Giants had just taken a 31-30 lead and had all the momentum at that point. And the final and most important drive was a 91-yard drive which took up most of the 4th quarter, and was eventually the game winning drive.

The rushing attack wasn't as successful as it has been recently, but McCoy and Weaver both got their share of carries, and Weaver and Vick both has a touchdown run. The story on offense however was DeSean Jackson. Without Jackson's return from his concussion, the Eagles do not win that game. Jackson had 6 receptions for 178 yards, and a touchdown. He also had a huge 72 yard punt return for a touchdown. You see people who are fast, but Jackson is ridiculously fast. Brent Celek also played well and ended with 64 receiving yards and a touchdown.

However, I am not so optimistic as some other people are going forward... mostly now because of the defense. I hear people talking today about how they are now starting to get this feeling with this Eagles team that we could go far into the playoffs, and into the Super Bowl. Well, I think that if that Eagles team from yesterday played the Saints, the Saints would have scored 60+ points. The Eagles defense was horrible. It was one of the worst defensive performances I've ever seen to be honest. Sheldon Brown, Quintin Mikell, Sean Jones - all guys who I like and have praised, played horribly. Too many missed tackles, too many penalties still, too many blown coverages, and not enough pressure on Eli. The Giants put up 512 yards of total offense in the game. They ran the ball and threw the ball effectively.

I do think the Eagles defense is a proud defense, and Sean McDermott and the players on the defense will not be happy with this victory. I think they will treat this week of practice like they really almost lost this game for the team, and bounce back. However, if the defense continues to play the way they played on Sunday, this team is not going to the Super Bowl.

Eagles-Giants Preview

The Eagles travel up to New York, I mean New Jersey to play the Giants in what could be their final game at Giants stadium. The Giants and Jets are moving into a new billion dollar stadium next season. The Eagles have owned the Giants lately, winning the past 3 games, including a playoff game last season, and a 40-17 victory earlier this season at the Linc.

The Eagles have played well as of late, but I don't think as well as some people are making it out to be. A 4 point win at Chicago is good, but the Bears aren't very good, and if Cutler made any plays, the Eagles would have lost the game. A 3 point win at home against Washington is also good, but we had to come from behind to do so, and the Redskins are not a very good team either. The game last week was solid, but the Eagles were playing a depleted Falcons team that really was overmatched and had no chance. But, bottom line is the Eagles have taken care of business and won the past few games, which were must win games. The Eagles have to continue this current run against a Giants team that is really struggling, despite winning last weekend against the Cowboys.

The Giants come into this game losing 5 of 7 games, but did win last weekend. The Giants have not looked like the Giants teams of year's past recently, and the Eagles need to take advantage of that. The Eagles should be able to get receivers open all game, as the Giants secondary is banged up, and not playing very well. The return of DeSean Jackson should obviously also help in the passing game. However, being a night game in Giants stadium in December, the Eagles will need to establish some type of run game. The Eagles should try to run the ball early with McCoy and Weaver, and then go to the play action.

On defense, the Eagles really need to make sure the Giants don't get their rushing attack going. If Brandon Jacobs gets going and has a good game, the Eagles could very easily lose this game. The key to beating the Giants is stuff the rushing attack, and make Eli beat you. Eli has won big games in the past by himself, but more often than not, he will make mistakes if he does not benefit from a successful rushing attack. If the Eagles can get the Giants into 3rd and long plays, you know they will bring a heavy dose of pressure Eli's way.

I will say there seems to be a lot of optimism about this game locally, which makes me nervous. It's a division rivalry game on the road in December, with both teams needing the game for playoff positioning. If the Eagles execute their game plan, they should win the game. However, we have seen let-downs before in positions like this, and I could also see this being a frustrating game in which the Eagles offense never really gets clicking. Either way, Sunday night, playoff atmosphere - should be very enjoyable.

Jeremy Maclin is listed as questionable, as is Kevin Curtis for some reason. I really kind of figured with Maclin emerging as a good receiver, they should just shut down Curtis for the year. I have no problem with Curtis if he is used in the slot with Jackson and Maclin on the outside, but I do not want to see Kevin Curtis take his outside position again, and take time away from Jeremy Maclin, who is improving every weekend, and has much more skill than Curtis.

New York Post Amateur Hour

As most Philly fans are probably aware, the NY Post yesterday led with a headline article, "Gotham Trembles: The Frillies are Coming to Town,"complete with a doctored picture of Victorino sporting a tutu. The article itself contained such witty gems as comparing the iconic Statue of Liberty to Philly cheesesteaks as an illustration of NY's cultural superiority and,of course, trumpeting the Yankees dominant record in the Series (although,naturally, they failed to mention that such domination took place so long ago that most fans of those teams are now drooling in nursing homes -- and they're the lucky ones!).

Now, Kotite's Corner has no problem with trash talking, and we get the time-honored sporting fan tradition of putting down the opponent's city. It works both ways, so no problemo. But -- there should be some standards of intelligence, wit, creativity, or at least a modicum of cleverness to such displays of homerism. The problem KC has with the Post article isn't that it attempts to trash Philly, but the fact that the attempt is so lame, childish, and brain dead as to be genuinely disrespectful. Hell, if you're going to publicly trash a city, at least have enough respect to bring out the heavy artillery! The Post article is like a little boy in short pants shooting a popgun...But, then, what else would be expected from a raggy tabloid like the NY Post? In this regard, a few observations are in order:

The NY Post: Widely considered a trashy tabloid along the lines of the National Enquirer -- but without the latter's covertly sardonic humor --the modern Post is the brainchild of Rupert Murdoch, the Australian robber baron responsible for the truly un-American atrocity known as Fox (Fixed)News -- that haven of fringe right wing blowhards and nut cases who spew fascist and racist paranoid delusions over the public airways. The NY Posits nothing more than the print version of this nasty, hate-mongering,elementary school-level of bogus "journalism."

The Statue of Liberty: Interesting that NY claims "ownership" of this American icon. Geographically, it's actually located 2,000 feet from Jersey City, NJ, but 2 miles from New York City! While sitting in New York Harbor,Liberty Island is officially federal territory, not an extension of NY.This is simply another case of that boorish city's outrageous sense of entitlement and ego. NY has even dishonestly appropriated the address of this landmark! The federally recognized address by the US Postal Service was Liberty Island, Jersey City, NJ 07305. A bunch of typically dirty NY politicians corruptly engineered a change of address to 1 Liberty Island,New York, NY 10004. This would be like Philly annexing Delaware, and declaring it a section of the city. Pure BS!! And, anyhow, is a statue constructed and donated by the French -- of all people -- really something to get excited about? At least cheesesteaks are home-grown; they weren't concocted and sent over the Atlantic by effete Europeans who couldn't even defend their own county in two world wars...

The Myth of the New York Fan: Unlike Philly, there is no united fan base in NY. A good half of NYers despise the Yankees even more than we do --they're Mets fans. In fact, the majority of Yankee supporters don't even live in NY -- they're from North Jersey. Now this really isn't a surprise since several "NY teams" are actually located in Jersey -- the Giants,Jets, & Nets. But, as with the Statue of Liberty, NY simply declares ownership of whatever it wants.

The Luminaries of NY: Here's a partial list of great Americans born in NYC (thanks to the Inky's Gonzo for pointing this out): Al Capone; pop culture disasters Mariah Carey; Vin Diesel; shameless self-promoter Sean Combs/Puff Daddy/Puffy P/Diddy Diddy, etc., etc.; IQ-challenged Fixed News wingnut Sean Hannity; pitiful ex-NBAer Stephon Marbury; Nazi hate-mongerer Ann Coulter; father of the atomic bomb Robert Oppenheimer; and possibly the most toxic of all -- Lindsay Lohan. Thanks, New York, for your sterling contributions to American society!!

As Mark Twain once noted, there are generally two types of people: those who accomplish things and those who claimed to have accomplished things --and the first group is less crowded. Given the population of that city, I think we know to which group New Yorkers belong...

Eagles Back in NFC Championship

The Eagles beat the Giants 23-11 to advance to the NFC Championship game... again. The Eagles were in the NFC Championship game in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and now 2009, which makes five times in the past eight seasons. Impressive? Very. Unfortunately, this team and the players on it will not be judged by how many NFC Championship games this team plays in. The fans are also not interested. We want a Super Bowl, and the Eagles trophy case is currently devoid of this hardware.

As far as the game goes, it was a nerve racking, intense, back and forth game, in which the Eagles finally pulled away in the 2nd half. The Eagles went into halftime with a 10-8 lead, and actually showed signs on a successful two-minute drill at the end of the first half, which resulted in a field goal as time expired. Both teams exchanged field goals in the 3rd quarter, but then the Eagles finally launched a 10 play, 63 yard drive, which resulted in a touchdown to Brent Celek on the first play of the 4th quarter.

The Eagles offense was average, but the Giants defense really played well. McNabb again had a lot of pressure on him throughout the game, and even though he threw 2 INT's, he moved around well which allowed him to convert some big plays, and ultimately played a good game on the road in cold weather, and a hostile environment. McNabb had a touchdown pass, and also rushed for a touchdown. Brian Westbrook, who the Giants were obviously keying on, only ended up with 36 yards rushing on 18 carries. The Eagles did a good job however of continuing to rush the ball even when it wasn't working, just like they did against the Vikings. DeSean Jackson led the receiving corps with 81 yards receiving, and a huge 48 yard reception down the sideline late in the 4th quarter to ultimately put the game away.

The story of this game on the Eagles side of the ball was the defense. The defense has really been playing well all season, and continued to do so in this game. If you look at the Giants 4th quarter possessions you will see, Turnover on Downs, Turnover on Downs, INT, Fumble Lost. That's four possessions in the 4th quarter, and four times the Eagles defense gave the ball back to the offense. And that doesn't count the 1st quarter INT by Asante Samuel, which he returned back to the Giants 2-yard line. That is exactly why they brought Samuel in this offseason. We saw him make a big play against the Vikings, and he did it again this game. The Eagles had not one, but two four down stands in the 4th quarter on defense. They stuffed Eli on 4th and inches, and then stuffed Jacobs on 4th and 2. To keep the Giants offense out of the end zone in their own stadium in a huge playoff game is amazing.

To certain veterans, getting this far in the playoffs is nothing new. McNabb, Westbrook, Runyan, Tra Thomas, Dawkins, Sheldon Brown, Akers and others have been this far before. Let's hope that the Eagles, and the entire city of Philadelphia can keep this sports momentum we have going.

McNabb booking his trip to Arizona

Eagles-Giants Keys to the Game

The Eagles will travel up to New York (I mean New Jersey) to play the division rival Giants in the 2nd round of the playoffs. The Eagles were in this position two seasons ago, and were unable to stop the Saints powerful rushing attack. The Eagles will need to stop the Giants rushing attack if they want to win this game.

There are a few important keys to this game, which may be the difference between a win or loss in this game. One of the keys will be to stop the Giants rushing attack. The Giants feature two 1000 yard rushers this season, and aren’t afraid to run the ball over and over again, and dare the other team to stop them. The Giants feature a very solid offensive line, which allows Jacobs, Ward, and Bradshaw to be successful in the running game. Brandon Jacobs, the Giants feature back will pound the ball up the middle this game. The Giants know it, the Eagles know it, the Giants know the Eagles know it, it is just a matter of whether we will be able to stop it. The tackles, Patterson, Bunkley, and Laws will need to stuff the holes in the middle, and Stewart Bradley will need to come up big with a lot of tackles.

If you are able to shut down the Giants rushing attack, it makes things look good on the defensive end, because we should be able to force Eli into some 3rd and long situations. This is the situation that the Eagles defensive thrives on, because they can then get to the quarterback with some complex blitz schemes, and hopefully force Eli into throwing some interceptions. And this time, Eli does not have Plaxico Burress to throw the ball to. His safety valve will not be there, mainly because Plaxico does not know how to use a safety valve.

Another key to this game will be how the Eagles call plays. The Eagles have been successful during this late-season run, and it has mostly been due to the rushing attack. Even if the Eagles have not been able to run the ball successfully, like last week against the Vikings, they still stuck to the run. The one game Reid decided to go back to his pass-happy offense, the Eagles put up 3 points and lost to the Redskins. Brian Westbrook had 100 yards rushing in the Eagles 2nd game against the Giants, and will need to be used a lot in this game as well. Another person who Andy Reid needs to realize is on the team is Correll Buckhalter. Buckhalter has been amazing in the 2nd half of this season, and lately it seems that every time he touches the ball, he makes a big play. The Eagles have used Westbrook and Buckhalter a lot on the field together, and I hope we see that formation a lot in this game, because right now, Buckhalter is one of the best offensive playmakers on the team, no matter what position he plays.

Those are just a couple keys to what should be a very good, tough, hard fought game, as it usually is when these two teams play. The Eagles and Giants know each other well, and do not like each other, so it should be a great playoff matchup in the Meadowlands.

PREDICTION
MR. GREEN: 20-17 EAGLES

ROGET: 24-20 EAGLES

Eagles-Giants Breakdown

Breaking down the Eagles-Giants showdown this weekend--

QB
Donovan McNabb has better career numbers, and at his best, is probably better than Eli at his best. However, Eli has something McNabb doesn’t – a Super Bowl ring. McNabb has never been able to get over that hump, and the Super Bowl experience from Eli last season will help in this game.
EDGE: PUSH

RB
The Eagles probably have the most dangerous weapon of all, probably on the entire field this game, but Brandon Jacobs is a monster, and he’s only 1/3 of the Giants potent rushing attack.
EDGE: GIANTS

WR
If Plaxico Burress didn’t shoot himself (Yes, we still find this funny), this advantage would go to the Giants, but without him, the Giants have an average receiving corps. The Eagles receivers aren’t much better, but DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, and Jason Avant have really played well during this Eagles turnaround.
EDGE: EAGLES

O-Line
The Eagles offensive line did not look good against the Vikings, when it came to rushing and passing the ball. The Eagles offensive line is still very good, but the Giants may feature the best O-Line in the league.
EDGE: GIANTS

TE
Kevin Boss is an average tight end, definitely a downgrade from Shockey, but the Eagles don’t get much out of this position. Brent Celek is emerging, and had a good game against the Vikings, but L.J. Smith is a waste of space, and neither Eagles tight end can block very well.
EDGE: GIANTS

D-Line
Both defensive lines are solid, and have good players are each position. Both teams are very good against the run, and both teams get pressure on the opposing quarterback. This goes to the Giants because when Tuck, Kiwanuka, and Robbins are playing well, they are dominant.
EDGE: GIANTS

Linebacker
This may be the most important position when looking at this game. The Eagles linebackers are maybe the best young group in the game, Stewart Bradley is a beast in the middle. How the Eagles linebackers do against the Giants rushing attack is a huge key to this game. Antonio Pierce got punked by Westbrook last game, and Pierce will never get any respect from us.
EDGE: EAGLES

Secondary
This may be where the Eagles have an edge on almost anyone in the league. 2 pro bowlers, and the other 2 could easily be pro bowlers if they were bigger names. They should be able to do well without Burress in the lineup. The Giants secondary is better than advertised, but still not as good as the Eagles.
EDGE: EAGLES

Special Teams
In a game with two evenly matched teams, the special teams will be very important. The kickers may be similar, even though Akers always has a tough time kicking in Giants stadium, but DeSean Jackson gives the Eagles a home run shot every time he returns a punt.
EDGE: EAGLES

Coach
If Andy Reid keeps his head out of his ass, this might be a push, but we have to be wary of Andy Reid resorting back to the pass 80% of the time. Coughlin actually has a Super Bowl as head coach, Reid just acts like he does.
EDGE: GIANTS

Intangibles
Eagles are the hotter team coming in, and the team you don’t want to play in the playoffs, and the Giants struggled down the stretch. That said, the Giants still have had a week to rest, and are at home, which is always a big deal in the playoffs.
EDGE: PUSH

Below is from a New York Giants fans prospective, from our friend Jersey Boy--

QB- push (you guys will obviously disagree, but i think both QBs can either be great, so-so, or suck it up every sunday)
RB- Eagles (overall i would say push, but no question westbrook is the best player on the field sunday)
WR- push (both teams have a bunch of solid average receivers-- damn plaxico!!!)
O-Line- Giants (no question)
TE- push (both are average)
D-Line- push (great d-lines on both sides. you could make an argument for either way)
Linebacker- Giants (i can't even name an eagle LB)
Secondary- Eagles (no question)
Special Teams- slight edge eagles (kickers are a push, but desean jackson on punt returns gives you the edge)
Coach- Giants (on Sunday mornings Coughlin polishes his superbowl ring and Reid eats donuts.)
Intangibles- Giants (Confidence. I think if the Eagles take the lead in the game the Giants have the confidence to keep fighting and win it in the end. As for the Eagles, if they are trailing I think the ball game is over. Too many players will realize that they are just an average team this year and it's all over.)

Eagles Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

The Eagles beat the Giants on Sunday, 20-14, to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. The Eagles now sit at 7-5-1, and still need some help if they want to make it into the playoffs.

There is a simple way to explain why the Eagles were able to beat the Giants. It's amazing what happens when you run the ball effectively. The Eagles ended the game with 41 runs and only 30 passes. Westbrook carried the ball 33 times for 131 yards and had a rushing and a receiving touchdown. It was good play calling for the 2nd straight week. The Giants could never mount a comeback in the 2nd half, mostly because their defense could not get off the field. The Eagles gave the Giants a taste of their own medicine, by running it right at the Giants over and over again. The Eagles ended up with 144 yards on the ground, and held the Giants potent rushing attack to 88 yards. It was comical to see one of the games biggest assholes, Antonio Pierce getting abused up and down the field by Westbrook. The only way to slow down Westbrook would have been if Pierce would have layed down on Westbrook after he tackled him. Ohhh wait, he tried that one time, and get flagged for it. McNabb played effectively, mostly because the play calling was good, and did not turn the ball over, while keeping the Eagles offense on the field.

On defense, the Eagles once again played a very good game. The first game the Eagles played the Giants was one of the few poor games this Eagles defense has had, and they made up for it today. The Eagles were able to stop the Giants rushing attack, and make Eli Manning beat that. Unfortunately, Eli Manning is still not very good without a good rushing attack, and especially without Plaxico Burress. If you can shut down the Giants rushing attack, you have a decent chance of beating them, and that's exactly what Jim Johnson did. Even though the Eagles defense did not register a sack, or create a turnover, they did a great job of getting off the field when the Giants would have 3rd and 4th and short.

Aside from a couple special teams blunders, the Eagles clearly outplayed the Giants in the Meadowlands. The Eagles definitely looked like the team we all expected them to look like all season long, and need to continue this momentum through the last three games of the regular season, and hopefully secure a playoff berth, because in the playoffs... anything can happen.

Eagles Visit Meadowlands in Must-Win

The Eagles travel to New Jersey to play the New York Giants in a must-win game this Sunday at 1:00.

The Eagles, coming off an impressive victory on Thanksgiving night against the Cardinals, look to continue the momentum from that game into this Sunday's showdown. In Week 10, he Giants beat the Eagles 36-31 in Philadelphia, running the ball all over the Eagles defense. The Eagles front 7 will be very important this game, as it is no secret that the Giants want to run the ball. Few teams, in fact close to none have been able to stop the Giants rushing attack this season. If the Eagles are able to stop the Giants rushing attack, Eli Manning is not good enough to beat them himself. Manning can put up numbers, but lives off of the rushing attack that the Giants possess.

On offense, Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook both had great games on Thanksgiving. McNabb threw for 4 TD's, and Westbrook totaled 4 TD's. They Eagles play calling was also on point, as they mixed the run and pass well, and used an effective rushing attack to set up the pass. Westbrook has had success in the past against the Giants, so there is no reason the Eagles shouldn't try to establish the run early again, which in turn will hopefully open things up in the passing game for McNabb.

The Eagles need this game to keep their season alive, so should come out fired up. Even though the Giants came into Philly and beat us already this season, the Eagles know the Giants well, and won't be intimidated by the Giants record. This should be a must-see game on Sunday.

Eagles-Giants Review

The Eagles lost to the Giants 36-31 Sunday night, dropping them to 5-4 overall, and allowing the Giants to take a commanding lead in the division, all while watching our own playoff hopes fade farther and farther away. Mr. Green and Dr. G broke the game down afterwards--

Dr. G: Direct quotes from Reid after last night's fiasco: "We're a very good team. We're good enough to beat all these teams. We should have won these games." And then the usual, "There are just a few things we have to change a bit, and we'll take care of them." Truly an alternative reality... He really seems to believe he's 7-0 and on the way to yet another championship...Unbelievable! No concept of what a tight end should do; no concept of what a fullback should do; no concept of how to defend tight ends; no concept of how to defend the run; no understanding that if you pass the ball 90% of the time, you're probably not going to be very successful suddenly switching to a power run game when you need 3-4 yards on 3rd down; no appreciation that the opponent's coaches and players -- and everybody in the stands -- can easily predict what lame plays will be called in these short yardage situations. No clue in general. This is a disgrace! And I wonder if McNabb can start playing the game from the beginning, rather than taking the 1st quarter off. After all these years, I wouldn't think he'd need an entire quarter to "warm up...."

Mr. Green: I know, its ridiculous. It's gotten to the point where its just so frustrating, its unbelievable. And to have to listen to the Reid press conferences. I hate Reid so much, I think I am officially beyond the point of just being frustrated with him, I officially hate Andy Reid. I don't have anything else to add, I agree with everything you put down there. You're right, McNabb needs to start playing better from the start, I kind of feel like not only McNabb, but Westbrook and everybody are confused, because the Eagles don't actually seem to have a game plan. When you watch other teams, like the Giants last night, it was very clear what their game plan was, whether they can execute it or not, most teams do things, and it makes sense why they do them. Reid just kind of seems like he is like alright, well lets try this, and lets try this, and lets try this, and none of it really makes any sense. Westbrook says all the time, and did last night after the game that the Eagles need to run the ball more at the beginning of the game. The Eagles just have too many problems. And we disagree on how good McNabb is, and I think McNabb is really good, but hes not good enough to overcome receivers who can't get off the ball, and not having any consistent threat from the Eagles to run the ball. I mean, perfect example of now knowing certain positions, I like Kevin Curtis, I have nothing against Kevin Curtis, but hes not a #1 receiver. Did you see some of the routes he ran last night, he cant get open if you put a cornerback right on him at the line of scrimmage. And thats not really his fault, he was always a slot (#3) receiver before he came here, and still should be. The only problem is, we dont have anyone better, so we is our best threat there.

Dr. G: Your analysis almost exactly matches R. Diddy's on the morning show: everything seems to be cobbled together and made up on the spur of the moment -- no consistent game plan. Everything is "let's try this and see if it works." This applies also to player decisions. "Let's have Klecko as FB; no let's not, let's put Tony Hunt in there; no, on second thought, let's put Klecko back...." Seems to be no respect for what the various positions really require, just like last year's punt returner fiasco. We don't need #1 WRs, we don't need TEs who can block and actually hold onto the ball, we don't need experienced FBs, we don't need power backs who can spell Westrbook and pick up those 3rd and 3's, we don't need quality linebackers since that's not really a key position....and on and on and on. This is really starting to look like a semi-pro organization rather than an NFL team. I don't get it. I'm obviously not the McNabb supporter that you are, but I do agree that he's not been given the tools to be successful, except for that one season.

Eagles Giants Preview

Chat wrap up:

Jersey Boy: Any thoughts on the big game this week? Or are you guys still not even thinking about football and still wrapped up in the phillies championship?

I think it will be a very solid game and a tough matchup for both teams.Of course I think the Giants are currently a better well balanced team than the Eagles, but I will give a slight edge to your team because being in Philly at night will be a very difficult place to win. In my mind the game comes down to the teams offensive lines. We know that both d's will apply tons of QB pressure and whoever can protect their QB the best will probably win the game. If you look at the Giants only loss to Cleveland,the o-line couldn't protect Eli and he made some terrible throws and the d-line couldn't put pressure on Derek Anderson and he was easily able topick apart the giants secondary. The giants secondary is their biggest weakness and if McNabb has time he will be able to have a few big deep plays.

my prediction- giants win 16-14

Roget: Honestly I am surprised by the Eagles being a favorite. I agree it comes down to the o-lines also.

My prediction: Eagles 20-17

Willard: First post-Runyan/Straham game.

Mr. Green: I think the key is the Giants running game. If the Giants can't run the ball, I think the Eagles will win. I think if the Giants run the ball well with Jacobs, it will be difficult for the Eagles to score more than the Giants. The Giants can control the clock if they run well,limit the Eagles possessions, and the Giants have a good defense already,so the Eagles will need as many possessions as possible.

The Giants have a very good pass rush obviously, as do the Eagles. I'm not sure how the Giants do against the run, I think the Eagles will be smart to use Westbrook as much as possible all over the field, and just run simple patterns with the receivers. Just run up the field and stop, take what the secondary gives you, get a 6 yard reception here, another one there.Easier said than done obviously.

20-17 Eagles.

Willard: We are coming in expecting a close, low scoring game, similar to the Eagles-Cowboys game week 2. Is there anyway there is going to be a complete shoot out/blow out? I mean would it be a surprise if McNabb got knocked out early and Eli shows up as Eli and just has an awful game.

Jersey Boy: i think the game will be similar to the giants-steelers and eagles-steelers game.

Giants Season Preview

New York Giants suck.
Over/Under: Giants season wins: 7.5
Over/Under: Stupid looks on Eli Manning's face when he comes back down to earth this year, and realizes he will never get back to where he was last season: 5000