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...