Week One Wrap

Well week one of the NFL season is in the books and we can say the Eagles won't finish 0-16.  I know, small steps to happiness, but I had such low expectations to begin with.  I figured maybe 6-10 was in reach, but also could see the Chip Kelly experiment going horribly wrong and just getting decimated by injuries and turn-overs.  I am glad that for one night I could enjoy the win.  Well, almost...

I love the pace of the offense.  Whenever I played Madden I would try to eliminate the replays and just get to the next play. I guess Kelly feels the same way.  There was barely time to blink before the Eagles were going full steam on the next play and watching them march right down the field like they were going against their practice squad was thoroughly enjoyable right up until Washington scored on a "maybe" backward pass.  The feeling I got after that was the feeling I expected most of the year; horrendous disappointment coupled with rage.  To my admitted surprise the Eagles marched down the field again and again, often helped by turn-overs from OTHER teams.  Go figure.  

Am I worried Michael Vick will be out by week 4 and this is all for nothing?  You betcha.  Do I worry that the team can't keep the pace up for a game, and that our defense can't hold leads?  100%.  Do I think this team still misses the play-offs and finishes last in the division?  Pretty much.   But, for one night and one morning I got to hear the annoying Washington fans have a moment of concern and I could wear my Monday Morning Eagles Victory Tie, on a Tuesday.

 I think this season will be at least fun to watch which wasn't the case for the vast majority of the 2012 season. 

Other thoughts:

I'm very glad LeSean McCoy is an Eagle.  So is E-Gal who laughed like a little kid when Collinsworth said he was doing stuff you could only do in a video game.

Peyton Manning is absurdly good. 

The 49ers are very much for real.

The Giants and Cowboys might both finish below .500

Boldin will  have a beast year.

My fantasy team is crap in one league and a dominating force in the other.  

Early Season Thoughts

Some early thoughts on an Eagles season in it's infancy.

1. Receivers?!  We don't need no stinkin' receivers!
1. Jeremy Maclin is taking unique approach to a contract year.  Traditionally a player will preform at a high level to lure teams into paying a greater price for him.  J-Mac has decided to go the "serious injury" route and miss the 2013 season.  
2. Riley Cooper - DTD Racism.
1. The N-word is probably used 5,000 times at the average NFL practice.  The F-bomb is probably used more.  What Riley Cooper did was stupid and insensitive, but if Kobe can fay F#gg@t and still be elected to an All-Star game I don't think we should take a man's livelihood from him for showing bad judgement.  The double standard in the country bothers me.  If you say the President isn't doing a good job you are racist.  If you say he is clean and doesn't speak with a Negro dialect you are the leader of the Democrats in the Senate.  Kills me!
3. Who will step up?  I hope Damaris Johnson becomes another DeSean.  He had a great pre-season last year and is explosive on the field.  Plus this would allow me to get a "Johnson" jersey for DAD whose best friend was Greg Johnson.  He died of a heart attack a few years ago and his widow had an old Charlie Johnson jersey framed and gave it to DAD for his man cave.  
2. Jim Johnson is still dead
1. Our defense has not recovered from the death of Jim Johnson and the departure of Brian Dawkins.  I hope they can piece it together this year, but if you opening salvo of the pre-season is any indication, we are totally screwed.  First play from scrimmage is a 62 yard run?!  If you are a Pats fan how good do you feel that you don't even need your QB to throw a ball to score on a team?  What must that feel like?
3. The Running Game
1. McCoy, Brown, Polk - I like the potential.  Enough said.  
4. Fast paced game
1. Chip Kelly moved the offense so quickly that they didn't have a chance to run replays.  One, I like that this will force our defense to practice and get in shape because we play a mobile quarterback once or twice this season.  Two, the replays can really break up the game flow.  
5. Vick or Foles
1. I think Vick is the starter week one.  I think Chip Kelly knows this, but really does want to have Foles train because more likely than not he will need to start a few games for us.  If Vick cuts down on the turnovers he could be great again, I just don't think he will be 2010 again...damn

The Day Finally Arrived!

Our seats!

After over 7 years of waiting last week I finally got the call from the Eagles that season tickets were available for me to purchase.  (What is better is that friends that signed up at the same time did not fair as well.  Sorry, Tom)  Thank you crippling economic downturn, dog killing QB, and 4-12 season!  Buy low and sell high!

There comes a time in a man's life when he realizes he is with the right girl for him.  I've been lucky enough to have a few of those moments.  "What if we put astro-turf in the Man Cave?",  "You should totally buy the signed Dawkins Jersey!", "Yes, I'll marry you.", "We ABSOLUTELY should get those tickets!"

So they are ours; bought and paid for.   The picture roughly shows our seats.  Not sure if the guy in red will always be there.

They were surprisingly affordable considering the wait and if we are lucky, we might break even or make money in the long run.

Schedule:

Preseason

• August 9 - New England Patriots
• We might just have to go because this is the first opportunity for us to attend a game.  Plus we can see the Tom Brady and try to break his arm.  No more Super Bowls for that pretty boy.
• August 15 - Carolina Panthers
• Thursday against the Panthers?  Second team v Second team?!  Again, Thursday night in a city I don't live in?!  SKIP  If we can sell these tickets for beans I would consider that a win

Regular Season

• September 15 - San Diego Chargers
• Opening day at the Linc.  Tempting and I think we might go if McNabb's number is not being retired the following week.  
• September 19 - Kansas City Reids
• Andy comes back into town so this game makes the most sense to retire McNabb.  They will do the ceremony at some point, it then just becomes a matter of if they retire #5 or just let him have a nice weekend.  McNabb was always close with management and they really make the call.  I would love to see McNabb and Dawkins on the ring.  Issue is it is a Thursday night game and after spending a night in the train station when #20 was retired, I'm not sure I can do that again.
• October 20 - Dallas Cowboys
• E-Gals dad really wants to take his brother.  Seeing as how two weeks earlier he is shelling out a lot of money for the wedding I am inclined to give them to him.  Enjoy!
• October 27 - New York Giants
• These tickets are already going double face value.  It could be an NFC East changing game.  I would love to go, but if it is too tempting to sell we sit and watch in the Man Cave.
• November 17 - Washington Redskins
• The likely landing place for our NFC East game of the year.  Let's travel up with idiot Redskins fans and enjoy a beat down of them.  RGIII should have blown out his knee by then.  Right?  RIGHT!?
• December 1 - Arizona Cardinals
• Are there any remnants of the Kolb trade left?  The cut him, we cut DRC.  Waste of caring.  Hopefully Larry Fizt will be a big enough of a draw to get face value.  If the Eagles are in the hunt that will help.  Man Cave more than likely.
• December 8 - Detroit Lions
• Assuming they have enough un-suspended players to field a team, my buddy Jim gets the tickets.  
• December 22 - Chicago Bears
• When I posted on facebook it took all of an hour for someone to ask for this game.  Sold!

Well there you have it.  I'm ready to enjoy this season with zero expectations for success aside from tailgating!

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

I know its been awhile since I have posted anything.  Since no one reads this it doesn't really matter that much.  A lot has changed since last year, new coaches, new players, new feel.  Lets start by talking about Chip Kelly.

I thought Chip Kelly was a FANTASTIC choice for the Eagles head coaching position.  I really liked the idea of a new feel to the offense and reveled at the idea of a tantalizing troupe of scorers.  Then he rejected the offer and said he was staying at Oregon.  I read all these articles that said his system wouldn't work in the NFL.  He lacked leadership with veterans.  I thought we dodged a bullet.  Then he took the job after all.

I'm still excited for this season mostly because I have zero expectations.  I am more focused on building an Eagles Kegerator (If E-Gal is finding out via blog...oops.  If not, well she can't say I didn't try to tell her) and perfecting my wing sauce recipe.  I just want football in the Man Cave again.

The draft is underway so lets talk about the picks thus far:

1) #4 Overall - Lane Johnson OT - Oklahoma.  There were five guys the Eagles really liked and they picked 4th.  Not like Jacksonville was going to take 2 blokes.  I know its not glamorous  but I like the Andy Reid style of building lines through the draft and getting value picks later on.  Of the 3 o-line players taken I hear Mel Kiper's hair say LJ has the highest ceiling.

2) #35 Overall - Zach Ertz TE - Stanford.  Ok.  I thought we were OK on Tight Ends.  I didn't think we were set.  Celek hasn't developed into the star I wanted, but he is still top 10.  I think the defensive backfield is a bigger issue.  Right not I couldn't tell you who our starting corner-backs are, and I'm pretty sure E-Gal could play safety for the birds and not let up as many open bombs as Nate "the great" Allen.  Chip knows offense.  Hopefully we get a defender or two.

3) #67 Overall - Bennie Logan DT - LSU.  I'll get a scouting report from the New Orleans side of the family.  I heard buzz words like "athletic", "talented", "inconsistent".  Jim Washburn is still our coach, right?  No?  Ok, well hard to fault them for drafting a DT when you are switching formations.  Harder to fault them still for drafting him when our two starters from last year were released.

4) #98 Overall - Matt Barley QB - USC.  If there is one thing USC does it is produce underachieving QBs. I guess you could make the argument this is a good value for a guy that many people thought should be a top pick at one point.  I would have rather gone with Geno Smith and taken a flyer on a guy that might develop into a great weapon.  Also, not to be racist, but I've grown accustomed to black quarterbacks on my team.  I just feels normal.

I'll recap fully later.  Until then...

A Race To Rock Bottom

I'm not sure exactly when the Eagles turned the corner this season, but I'm glad they did.  Of course I am not talking about their season in the typical sense of "winning", but rather that their games now are at least semi-entertaining to watch.  On Sunday as E-Gal and I sat in the living room, the Man Cave is now only reserved for video games and Halo, I looked over to her and said, "Well, things can't get any worse."  The Redskins were up 25 points with 1 minute and 45 seconds to go.  LeSean McCoy took a vicious hit and received a concussion.  Our star running back got a concussion with no time to have any impact on the game.  This would be less infuriating if Andy Reid's answer as to why he was still in there wasn't "Because we were trying to catch up and with the game."

That is when I officially realized Andy isn't coaching this team anymore.  He is a walking zombie of a couch that increasingly has made terrible calls.  Maybe the death of his son is still weighing on him.  Maybe after 14 years of Eagles fans he is just warn down.  Maybe the affects of constantly being overweight and unhealthy are breaking him down from the inside out.  All I know is Andy Reid has nothing left to turn the Eagles around.  Not this year, not any year.

There was a time when I had supreme confidence in Andy Reid, his staff, and his coaching decisions.  If we were down at halftime I would just say, "Figure it out, Andy" and the game would seem to tilt in our favor.  But, as the years wore on the success of the Eagles looked increasingly based on luck and circumstance than actual coaching.  A Jeff Garcia would show up and lead the Eagles on an inspiring run.  That would be coupled with a terrible game from Tony Romo, or a terrible month from the Giants.  The Eagles haven't won a playoff game since 2008.

I think the turning point for me, when I started to see the real change was when Jim Johnson died.  He was the Eagles grizzled, old, crotchety looking defensive coordinator that someone once said would blitz his own mother.  He defenses were ferocious, tenacious, and hardened.  When he died the Eagles lost that.  They haven't been able to replace him and their attempts have been ever more comical.  I've noted Andy's decision to hire an offensive line coach to helm the defense.  Well the defense has played WORSE under the replacement.

Andy Reid has to be fired.  If he wants to save face and just look into the camera at his last press conference and say he is tired, drained, and wishes to resign I would take that too.  He has earned the right to walk away, but he needs to walk away.

I ask people that hated Reid and wanted him fired years ago who they would want instead.  My point being that all things considered, Reid was still the best coach out there.  He isn't anymore.  Especially for the Birds.

E-Gal and I will still buy a few beers, turn on the Eagles and watch, but for the rest of the season it is just to laugh.  The Eagles are like the football version of America's Funniest Home Videos.  Tom Bergeron needs to cue up the calls with his usual corny lines.  "Someone needs to tell the eagles right tackle his job isn't to let the corner go RIGHT by him for the TACKLE"  **Laugh Box**

Who knows what the future holds for the Birds.  I just want to go back to watching the games because there is hope of a win and not to laugh at just how terrible they play.  As DAD says, "I gotta laugh or else I'd cry."


Random Notes:  I like Demeco Ryans.  Played hard the entire game and season.  He was just what they said he would be, its just that no one else was.

The Pizza Hut Party Box is great.  E-Gal and I ordered one and loved it.

The Holidays are coming up and I can't wait to watch football in DAD's man cave.  His theme is Beer, Books, and Beethoven.

Next Year

I love the Eagles.  I loved fixing up the Fan Cave with E-Gal.  I'll love having a beer with DAD in his basement over Thanksgiving.  I'll continue to hate the Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins.

I love the Eagles.

But, this season is beyond disappointing.  This team is terrible is every way possible.  Coaching, Offense, Defense, Special Teams.  I don't even want to watch games anymore, but I do because I still love these Eagles.

When I talk about my greatest Eagle memories the Brian Dawkins game will rank #1 (unless a Super Bowl occurs).

At least they gave me that.  I love the Eagles, but I sure do hate this season.

Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Over the weekend a man jumped from 24 miles above the earth and broke the sound barrier as he hurdled toward earth.  That is the closest analogy I can give for my feelings on the Eagles the past two weeks.  I was 24 miles high when the Eagles beat the Giants on Brian Dawkins' night.  We beat a more than solid opponent with something to prove.  It wasn't a blow out, but that night I thought the sky was the limit for the Eagles.  Now I think that was the high point and I am coming back to earth in a harsh way.

I think maybe I knew deep down this season would be a big disappointment because in reality little things hadn't changed for the Eagles; just our luck.  We got two wins on last minute plays to start the season and you thought that maybe just for a minute that when the turn overs stopped and the D-Line started getting sacks that this team could be dangerous.  Then the Arizona game happened and I lost all faith.  It was the same team with the same coach.  Brian Dawkins deserved a win on his night and I think the crowd willed it to happen.  Of course we also ran the ball and showed toughness when we needed it.  Maybe the Giants game was the turning point where this team would finally live up to the hype of 2010 when Vick was an MVP candidate and we locked down all our young talent.

Two games later and I have no hope for this season.  We played ugly and turned the ball over against the Steelers in a game best described by my friend Adam, "This is an Abortion.....of twins".  Glad he was equally  disgusted with his team, but they won and we lost.  The Steelers drove down the field on our defense and scored the winning field goal.  

Fast forward to this past week and we lose to a team I previously thought was more dysfunctional that the Eagles.  Once again, turn overs and poor execution plagued the Eagles.  Our defense gave up 10 points in the final 5 minutes and that was all the wrote.  

When I was a kid I used to get upset at losses but only in the sense a loss wasn't a win.  The Eagles losing was bad and the Eagles winning was good.  Now I see blown coverages. faulty schemes, and idiotic game plans. In wins I can get angry or see a silver lining in losses.  

This team has very few tangible silver linings.  They are young, talented, and locked up for years without killing the cap.  We have an owner I know wants to win.  Our cheerleaders are hot.  That is it.  That is what I have to look positively at.  

Now the negative:

We have a coach with a 20+ month learning curve.  No one in the world thought Juan Castillo, an OFFENSIVE line coach, should take over as our DEFENSIVE coordinator.  It was a stupid idea from day one.  Today Andy fires him. 

Did I say 20+ month?  I meant 13+ year.  Our coach refuses to run the ball and still loves pass heavy offensive game plans.  This would rank far less on the lunacy scale if we had an offensive line that could give a quarterback any time or a quarterback without turn over issues.  We have both.

Turmoil - This team still isn't coming together the way I thought they would.  I used to blame it on the lock-out, but maybe there is something deeper in the locker room.  

Misplaced blame - The D ranks 13 and held opponents to lower than average point totals for most of the games and has had to cover for an unimaginably high turnover rate.  The offense averages 17 points a game and keeps turning the ball over.  Fire Juan.  Sure, that will fix it.  

Jeff Lurie,

You have a young team with a lot of talent, a devoted fan base, and a GM that seems to have a firm grasp on the salary cap.  Please clean house as soon as possible on the coaching staff and rebuild there.  I wanted Andy to work.  I thought this season was the one.  It won't be.  Fire Andy.  Thank him for his time and all the memories, but fire Andy and lets move on.  I'm not asking for 24 miles up.  I just want to be able to lift my head at all.

-Mike