iggles, week five
11 October 2006
Even though I’m still shifting through the hatemail from the two sports-related posts I wrote last week (Jesus, people), I would be remiss if I didn’t say anything about this Sunday’s Eagles-Cowboys game. So I will say this: holy fucking shit.
That was a pretty complete victory and a true statement game if I ever saw one. That game was about as close to a must-win as they come so early in the season, as 4-1 and a 1.5 game lead in the division is a lot better than 3-2, a half game back, and 0-2 in the division.
Not to mention that is was a good fucking game. After the emotional roller coaster of the last 90 seconds, I just wanted to have sex and then have a big meal (guess which part actually happened?). And yes, the Eagles almost blew it at the end with that pass interference penalty, causing me to have a minor apoplectic seizure and poop myself just a little bit, but when I regained consciousness I realized that we were talking about Drew Bledsoe here (there?). And I was right.
And I could not have asked for a better "homecoming" for TO. Of course, in an ideal world, a Philly fan, probably someone related to me, would have rushed onto the field and punched him in the face. But the media frenzy and Philly-hating that that would have brought down would have been too much. Instead, TO was undisturbed and allowed to do what he does best, which is apparently play football. And the result? Three catches for 45 yards. So good job, TO. You really showed us.
[For the last time, the worst part of the TO saga was that is was entirely unnecessary. People forget that in their first season with TO, the Eagles were 13-1 - including 6-0 in the division and perfect in the conference - before benching everyone in their last two games and losing them. Then they had an easy time in the playoffs before poor clock management and - oh yeah - a dynasty beat them in the Super Bowl by three points. With Donovan McNabb, TO, Brian Westbrook, and that defense, the Eagles had a legitimate shot at becoming a dynasty. Then TO sabotaged just about everything because he's a bitch. So now the Eagles will be just fine with McNabb throwing the best deep ball in the game while TO gets to watch Drew Bledsoe flail around like a goddamn epileptic and throw the football in the air without much rhyme or reason. The good news for TO is the he probably only has one more season of Bledsoe after this one, which means Tony Romo will be throwing to him soon. Of course, by then he'll be 35. You know, if he doesn't kill himself before then. So who knows.]
What I enjoyed most was the incredible disparity between quarterbacks, a difference I can only hope was not lost on Terrell Owens. On the one side, you had Donovan McNabb, looking like a cross between Joe Montana, Jesus, and John Holmes. On the other, Drew Bledsoe. Drew…I mean, wow. I have never seen such a string of poor decisions made by a veteran NFL quarterback in all my years of watching football. I know this is a bold statement, but it is not an overstatement. I give major props to the Birds’ d-line (should I mention now that the Eagles have 23 sacks in five games – first in the league - after having 29 in sixteen games last season?), but some of Drew’s plays, whether holding on to the ball too long and taking bad sacks or making throws ranging from poor to are you fucking serious – were just hard to watch. You know your team whupped the other one when you feel sorry for your opponent’s fans. And I hate the opponent’s fans.
I do have concerns about next week’s Saints game, since I can’t get a read on that team. They’re 4-1 but I don’t know anything about them, aside from Reggie Bush and Reggie Bush and Reggie Bush. And I am concerned that we simply can not run the ball. It’s not a good thing when you’re team can’t get a first down on the ground on 3rd and 3. There is something very unsettling about that, since that means it’s all on your quarterback. McNabb is the MVP of the league right now, but if he has a bad day, the Eagles lose. Plain and simple. And lastly, the Eagles surrendered 146 yards on the ground, but that is forgivable after seven sacks and forcing four turnovers from Bledsoe. The problem has been giving up big pass plays in the secondary, which was obviously fixed in this game. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a little worried about Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister…
So while we celebrate, let’s not forget: we need these wins. The last six Eagles game are simply not fair: at Indy, Carolina, at Washington, at the Giants, at Dallas, Atlanta. That is incredibly brutal. To go 3-3 in that stretch would be very good. We want this team at no worse than 7-3 going into those games. That means the Birds need to go at least 3-2 at NO, at Tampa, Jacksonville, Washington, Tennessee. So let’s buckle down and take care of business.
So things are alright in Philly this week and I’m much happier than I’ve been in weeks. I had a good weekend, won a little bit of money and generally feel pretty good. My only complaint is that after a rousing session of fingerblasting this weekend I have a cut on the tip of my middle finger that hurts when I type, but all things considered, I’ll take it. Also, I got to work the word "fingerblasting" in this post, which I like, and gave y’all a good excuse for the cut on my finger, which I really got when I was dancing and washing the dishes. Such is life.
That was a pretty complete victory and a true statement game if I ever saw one. That game was about as close to a must-win as they come so early in the season, as 4-1 and a 1.5 game lead in the division is a lot better than 3-2, a half game back, and 0-2 in the division.
Not to mention that is was a good fucking game. After the emotional roller coaster of the last 90 seconds, I just wanted to have sex and then have a big meal (guess which part actually happened?). And yes, the Eagles almost blew it at the end with that pass interference penalty, causing me to have a minor apoplectic seizure and poop myself just a little bit, but when I regained consciousness I realized that we were talking about Drew Bledsoe here (there?). And I was right.
And I could not have asked for a better "homecoming" for TO. Of course, in an ideal world, a Philly fan, probably someone related to me, would have rushed onto the field and punched him in the face. But the media frenzy and Philly-hating that that would have brought down would have been too much. Instead, TO was undisturbed and allowed to do what he does best, which is apparently play football. And the result? Three catches for 45 yards. So good job, TO. You really showed us.
[For the last time, the worst part of the TO saga was that is was entirely unnecessary. People forget that in their first season with TO, the Eagles were 13-1 - including 6-0 in the division and perfect in the conference - before benching everyone in their last two games and losing them. Then they had an easy time in the playoffs before poor clock management and - oh yeah - a dynasty beat them in the Super Bowl by three points. With Donovan McNabb, TO, Brian Westbrook, and that defense, the Eagles had a legitimate shot at becoming a dynasty. Then TO sabotaged just about everything because he's a bitch. So now the Eagles will be just fine with McNabb throwing the best deep ball in the game while TO gets to watch Drew Bledsoe flail around like a goddamn epileptic and throw the football in the air without much rhyme or reason. The good news for TO is the he probably only has one more season of Bledsoe after this one, which means Tony Romo will be throwing to him soon. Of course, by then he'll be 35. You know, if he doesn't kill himself before then. So who knows.]
What I enjoyed most was the incredible disparity between quarterbacks, a difference I can only hope was not lost on Terrell Owens. On the one side, you had Donovan McNabb, looking like a cross between Joe Montana, Jesus, and John Holmes. On the other, Drew Bledsoe. Drew…I mean, wow. I have never seen such a string of poor decisions made by a veteran NFL quarterback in all my years of watching football. I know this is a bold statement, but it is not an overstatement. I give major props to the Birds’ d-line (should I mention now that the Eagles have 23 sacks in five games – first in the league - after having 29 in sixteen games last season?), but some of Drew’s plays, whether holding on to the ball too long and taking bad sacks or making throws ranging from poor to are you fucking serious – were just hard to watch. You know your team whupped the other one when you feel sorry for your opponent’s fans. And I hate the opponent’s fans.
I do have concerns about next week’s Saints game, since I can’t get a read on that team. They’re 4-1 but I don’t know anything about them, aside from Reggie Bush and Reggie Bush and Reggie Bush. And I am concerned that we simply can not run the ball. It’s not a good thing when you’re team can’t get a first down on the ground on 3rd and 3. There is something very unsettling about that, since that means it’s all on your quarterback. McNabb is the MVP of the league right now, but if he has a bad day, the Eagles lose. Plain and simple. And lastly, the Eagles surrendered 146 yards on the ground, but that is forgivable after seven sacks and forcing four turnovers from Bledsoe. The problem has been giving up big pass plays in the secondary, which was obviously fixed in this game. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a little worried about Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister…
So while we celebrate, let’s not forget: we need these wins. The last six Eagles game are simply not fair: at Indy, Carolina, at Washington, at the Giants, at Dallas, Atlanta. That is incredibly brutal. To go 3-3 in that stretch would be very good. We want this team at no worse than 7-3 going into those games. That means the Birds need to go at least 3-2 at NO, at Tampa, Jacksonville, Washington, Tennessee. So let’s buckle down and take care of business.
So things are alright in Philly this week and I’m much happier than I’ve been in weeks. I had a good weekend, won a little bit of money and generally feel pretty good. My only complaint is that after a rousing session of fingerblasting this weekend I have a cut on the tip of my middle finger that hurts when I type, but all things considered, I’ll take it. Also, I got to work the word "fingerblasting" in this post, which I like, and gave y’all a good excuse for the cut on my finger, which I really got when I was dancing and washing the dishes. Such is life.
