Eagles win the division

The window of opportunity is open again.

After missing the playoffs for the first time in seven years last season, the Eagles are back in the postseason. Not only that, but they have won their sixth NFC East division championship in the last seven years after Dallas lost to the second worst team in the NFL, the Detroit Lions, in an earlier game today. The Eagles beat Atlanta, 24-17 to close out the regular season.

By far, this was the most improbable run of the Andy Reid era.

After flying out to a 4-1 start, the Eagles fell into a huge slump, losing five of their next six. Not only that, but quarterback Donovan McNabb went down with a season ending injury.

But after an embarrassing loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Eagles and quarterback Jeff Garcia got new life. The former pro-bowl quarterback has won four in a row since then, including three straight on the road versus division opponents.

The Eagles finished as the third seed in the NFC and will play the New York Giants (8-8, sixth seed) next weekend in Philadelphia.

With how week the NFC is and how well the Eagles are playing, they have a great shot to make it to the Super Bowl.

And why not?

Chicago's defense has been struggling and their offense is nothing to be scared of. New Orleans only beat the Eagles by three earlier in the year and lost two late season games to non-playoff teams. To round out the bracket, Seattle had a down year and the Eagles have already showed they could beat the Cowboys.

The Eagles were able to rest their starters after just a few plays against Atlanta on Sunday. Hank Baskett had a career day, catching seven passes for 177-yards and a touchdown.

Playoff football is back in Philadelphia. It can't get much better. Except for you know what, a Super Bowl title.

Eagles give fans Christmas present, move into first

Merry Christmas Eagles fans. Our team is in first place.

Many people, including myself, thought the schedule was going to be a nightmare down the stretch with three straight road division games. But it is what has the Eagles flying high.

The Eagles took it to the Dallas Cowboys tonight, dominating them in every facet of the game and running away with a 23-7 victory. A win next week or a Dallas loss gives Philadelphia a division title. The Eagles clinched a playoff spot with today's win.

None of this seemed possible just a month ago, when the Eagles were 5-6 and star quarterback Donovan McNabb went down with an injury. But Jeff Garcia and a rejuvinated team have come in and played phenominal and the Eagles are rolling.

Garcia completed big passes and made big runs when the offense needed them against Dallas.

But it was the defense, again stellar against the run, who made the big plays. They forced three turnovers.

An early goalline stand, which saw the Cowboys go for it on fourth down, really turned the momentum towards the Eagles.

The Eagles started the game well, stopping pro bowl quarterback Tony Romo, then drove 89-yards capped by a touchdown pass to Matt Schobel.

Terrell Owens was again not much of a factor, catching only two passes for 23-yards and dropping a few key passes. As usals, he complained after the game about not getting enough balls thrown his way.

And now the table is set. The Eagles are peaking at the right time. The division is theirs to be won. And then, who knows. A home playoff game is a very good possibility. Every team in the NFC is beatable.

Could this be the year?

Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. The Eagles still need to beat Atlanta next week.

But it sure is getting exciting.

Week 16 - Plays of the Week

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Christmas has a new twist this year

It's almost here - a day we celebrate the birth of our savior, a day children look forward to opening gifts, a day everyone looks forward to spending with family.

But there is more to Christmas this year. There is a football game between with Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys with first place in the NFC East on the line.

And what a day it will be.

Forget all of the T.O. hype the first time around in October. This time the focus is on one thing and that is taking over the division lead from the Cowboys.

Oh, this game will be different. Both teams have a different quarterback - Tony Romo in Dallas, Jeff Garcia in Philadelphia. This game will be in Dallas. And this game is the biggest of the year for both teams.

It is kind of amazing how we ended up at this point.

Dallas was 3-3 when they made the switch to Romo. Since then they have gone 6-2 to move into first place. The Eagles were 5-6 when Donovan McNabb went down, but they have been 3-1.

In what many considered to be the toughest schedule of any team down the stretch, the Eagles have won two straight games on the road versus division opponents. They will look for the trifecta on Monday.

This game means so much to both teams. A win for Dallas and they clinch the division. A win for the Eagles and they clinch a playoff spot and move into first place.

Many gave up on the Eagles after McNabb went down. But they have been a different team since then.

The Eagles are a team playing without any expectations from outside of the organization.

They are not the best team this year. But like last year's Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, they are getting hot at the right time.

So I will sit back and enjoy. This is probably the biggest regular season game for the Eagles under the Andy Reid era.

This one is for all the marbles.

Eagles move towards division title

I am not sure how much of this my nerves can take.

In yet another must win game, the Eagles won in thrilling fashion for the third straight week. Now it is time for the Cowboys and a chance to move into first place in the NFC East.

Things seemed pretty bleak after getting pounded by the Indianapolis Colts on a Monday night game to fall to 5-6. But the Eagles have been nothing but thrilling since, winning three straight. And all of this without Donovan McNabb.

Backup quarterback Jeff Garcia led the Eagles over the New York Giants on Sunday, in a gut-wretching 36-22 win. The game was a lot closer than the score looks.


The Eagles were ahead late in the game and driving, but Garcia was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty after spiking the ball at a Giants defender after scampering for a first down. The penalty was followed with an interception that led to a Giants touchdown, giving them a 22-21 lead with seven minutes remaining.

But Garcia came right back, leading the Eagles on an 80-yard drive to put them ahead for good. On a huge third down, Garcia pumped and handed off to Brian Westbrook, who went almost untouched for a 27-22 lead.

With a little over two minutes remaining and memories of blowing a fourth quarter lead to the Giants earlier in the year, Sheldon Brown hit Giants quarterback Eli Manning as he threw on the Giants first play. The ball popped up into the air and defensive end Nick Cole went up and took the ball away from Giants runningback Tiki Barber, who was trying to knock the ball down. Cole high-stepped into the endzone, putting the game away.

As I jumped out of my seat screaming "TOUCHDOWN," my daughter Katie, who was sitting at the table in her booster, stood up in her seat, screaming "TOUCHDOWN."

And now the Eagles look forward to a showdown with the much hated Cowboys on Christmas day.

Hopefully the best present of the day will come around 8 pm as the Eagles move into first place in the NFC East.

Week 15 - Plays of the Week

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Everything is on the line for the Eagles this weekend

The year was 2003, and just like this weekends game against the New York Giants, the Eagles were in a must win situation.

Philadelphia was trailing late in the game and headed towards a 2-4 start. They needed someone to make a play. Brian Westbrook was the man.

With less than two minutes in that game, Westbrook, who then mainly served as just a special teams player, took a punt and returned it 84-yards for a touchdown and to steal a victory.

Since that season, Westbrook has not served as a regular punt returner with his role in the offense increasing more and more. But this is the weekend to pull out all of the stops. The Eagles need to get Westbrook involved in the return game. He is a playmaker and they need someone to make plays.


The Eagles and Giants are both 7-6 and both are trying to claw their way into the playoffs. A win for the Eagles would guarantee a Christmas day game against Dallas with first place in the NFC East on the line.

Has there ever been a bigger regular season game in the Andy Reid era?

Probably not.

The Eagles have had so many dominating teams over the years, the battle was more for a first or second seed in the NFC. But so many things are still possible this year.

Philadelphia could win the division. Or they could not make it to the playoffs.

How wild is that? It sure is interesting.

The Eagles, with their backs against the wall, have won two straight. They will likely have to win all three games remaining to win the division, or two to make the playoffs.

There are so many possibilities at this point.

It will be a lot clearer after Sunday's game. I am hoping for an early Christmas present of looking forward to a game against Dallas for the division title.

Eagles almost blow game, stay in playoff hunt

The Philadelphia Eagles live yet another week - butit sure did not come easy.

Leading 21-3, they allowed Washington to bring the score all the way to 21-19 in the second half. Unlike in previous games though, the Eagles were able to sustain their last drive long enough to be able to take a knee and stay in the NFC playoff picture.

Possibly the biggest play of the game came late in the fourth quarter by the defense. With a first and goal, the Eagles stopped Washington on the first two plays. On third down, Dawkins chased down Washington quarterback Jason Campbell, sacking him at the 18-yard line.

The Redskins connected on a field goal, but big runs by Westbrook and big completions by Jeff Garcia sealed the deal.

Philadelphia improves to 7-6 and remain tied in the standings with the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, both of whom won today. Carolina fell to 6-7.

With the Eagles and Giants winning, it sets up a huge showdown at the Meadowlands next week. If the Eagles defense plays anything like it did in the second half today, they could be in for a long day.

After falling behind 3-0, rookie linebacker Omar Gaithier came up with a big interception, leading to a touchdown pass to tight end L.J. Smith. Michael Lewis also intercepted a pass for Philadelphia. Washington was in Eagles territory and a pass deflected by William James landed in the hands of Lewis, who ran in for an 84-yard touchdown.

The Eagles defense was yet again poor in stopping the run. Ladell Betts ran for 171-yards.

They also struggled stopping the Redskins on third down, as Washington converted seven of 16 tries.

But the score is all that matters and for the first time since October, the Eagles have won two in a row. With games remaining against the Giants, Cowboys, and Atlanta the Eagles control their own destiny. If they go 2-1, they should be in the plyoffs. Even if they go 1-2, they will have an outside shot in the weak NFC.

But for now, they just live one more week.



Week 14 - Plays of the Week

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Phils working on pitching

I must admit, I was really disappointed when Alfonso Soriano decided to sign with the Chicago Cubs. What can I say, having a stud like that to protect Ryan Howard in the lineup was really exciting.

But the Philles knew, as well as I did deep down, that pitching is what they really needed. Especially bullpen help. And they are well on the road to filling that need, and in the meantime added a sure thing to their starting rotation.

Without having to move centerfielder Aaron Rowand, the Philles traded for Freddy Garcia, who will join Rowand as two players who won the World Series just two years ago with the White Sox. It was believed Philadelphia would have to move Rowand to get a quality starter, but it instead took two young pitchers. Keeping the excellent defensive center fielder is a huge plus for the Phillies.

Now, with six quality starters, it looks as though the Phillies will move Jon Leiber for bullpen help. No big deal, Leiber was not that good anyway.

So as the season approaches, yes, I am still disappointed they did not add a big bat. But the real issue they had was pitching. Their rotation is looking good and within no time their bullpen will be looking good to.

With how quickly time is going, it will be time for pitchers and catchers to report before we know it.

Eagles move back into playoff picture

There's still hope.

The defense finally made a play and the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves right smack in the middle of a scramble to win a spot in the NFC playoffs.

But it did not come easy.

With a three point lead and about three minutes remaining in the game, the Carolina Panthers moved the ball down the field with ease. It seemed as though they were going to tear the hearts right out of the Eagles and steal a victory and all but end the playoff hopes for Philadelphia.

But cornerback Lito Shephard, who had a game saving interception against Dallas earlier in the year, went up and made a spectacular catch on a poorly thrown ball in the endzone.

Receiver Keyshawn Johnson threw his helmet in frustration, wanting a penalty for pushing off. But he got no such call. And after reviewing the play to make sure Sheppard got both feet in bounds, the Eagles took a knee to seal the victory.

It was the fifth time this year Carolina lost after entering the fourth quarter with a lead.

Carolina took an early 7-0 lead, but the Eagles came right back to tie the game on a touchdown pass to Brian Westbrook. The highlight of the drive was a 51-yard one-handed reception by Donte Stallworth down the sideline.

Although tied, the Eagles seemed to have the momentum. But with a little over two minutes left in the half, Carolina stormed down the field to score a TD with four seconds left. Once again, the Eagles looked like they were headed for another loss.

But the Eagles faught back, tying the game on a 30-yard strike to Stallworth. Carolina answered with another touchdown. The team then traded field goals and then Jeff Garcia hit Reggie Brown for a 40-yard touchdown to take the lead. A Brian Dawkins interception led to a field goal before Carolina's final drive.

So where does this leave the Eagles?

Well, 6-6 is not too impressive. But the NFC is weak and they are right in the thick of things. Four teams are at 6-6, but because of tiebreakers the Giants hold the fifth seed and the Eagles are in the 6th spot. Atlanta and Carolina trial them.

Philadelphia hits the road for three straight divisional games before coming home to face Atlanta in the finale.

Tough, sure. But they control their own destiny. Win three of four and they will most likely find themselves in the playoffs.

It's up to them. I am still hanging on to my thread of hope.



Week 13 - Plays of the Week

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The Life of a Philadelphia sports fan

Howard winning MVP is questioned

Ryan Howard earned the MVP award. He carried the Phillies on his back after they gave up on the season by trading away star players like Bobby Abreu. If it were not for Howard, the Phillies would not have come nearly as close as they did to making it to the playoffs, finishing only two games out.

Oh yeah, his stats were pretty darn good too. A .313 average, 58 homeruns, 149 RBI, and 104 runs scored.

So when runner up Albert Pujols said earlier this week that Howard should not have won the award, I was a little shocked.

His reason was that he thought an MVP should come from a team that actually made the playoffs. Maybe he is forgetting that the Cardinals actually won two less games that the Phillies in the regular season. Sure, they won the WOrld Series, but the MVP only includes regular season performance. Had St. Louis been in the NL East they would have finished in third place and not made the playoffs.

And not to mention, his stats did not match up. He hit .331 with 49 homers and 137 RBI.

Pujols is a great hitter, no doubt. In fact, he is probably the best hitter in the game.

But when I look at where each team would have been without their star, the Phillies would have been nowhere close to making the playoffs without Howard.

So I say to Albert Pujols, take your World Series ring and stop complaining. Are you going to complain next year when Howard wins the MVP again and the Phillies win the World Series?