Eagles on a Hot Tin Roof in Dallas... Livefyre game commentary...
This is it. This is our 2011 season on the line.
Maybe the better Tennessee Williams reference would be the immortal line of Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire, which would be paraphrased: "The Eagles are depending on the kindness of strangers..."
The NFL is what happens to you while you're making other plans. Chalk this 2011 season up to "you can't always get what you want"... and only with the help of strangers like the New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys will we get what we need.
We did this to ourselves. We were woefully unprepared and undisciplined this season. We gave stuff away. We left money on the table.
Still, depending on the early game in New York this Christmas Eve, we are still alive...technically speaking.
For the Eagles to repeat as East champions, they must beat the Cowboys today and then Washington at home on Jan. 1. They need the Giants to lose to the Jets today and then have the Giants beat Dallas in their last game.
That would leave all three teams at 8-8, and Philadelphia would own the tiebreaker based on a superior divisional record.
“I’m a big Jets fan this week,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “You control what you control. You have to play the game whether that team wins or loses.”
The Eagles’ playoff hopes remained alive after a 45-19 romp over the Jets on Sunday, their second straight victory.
The Cowboys should be eager for revenge after losing 34-7 at Philadelphia in Week 8. That was just their second loss in the last six meetings in the series since the Eagles kept them out of the playoffs with a 44-6 win in Week 17 of 2008. “We’ve got to get the wins. We’ve got to get in,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. “Best way to do it is win this thing.”
Dallas regained some momentum by beating Tampa Bay 31-15 last Saturday after blowing fourth-quarter leads in consecutive games. “We just can’t let up,” receiver Dez Bryant said. “We know where we want to go and it don’t matter who comes in here, we’re going to keep the same intensity and just play hard and hopefully we can win out. … We just got to keep focusing and keep playing hard.”
Tony Romo is doing his part to get Dallas into the postseason, completing 69.9 percent of his passes for 869 yards with eight touchdowns, no interceptions and a 121.4 passer rating over the last three games.
Romo has thrown 18 touchdown passes and just two picks in the past seven contests since struggling with a season-low 66.7 rating against the Eagles. He finished with 203 yards on 18-of-35 passing with one touchdown and one INT in that defeat.
The onus may again be on Romo and the passing game since Dallas is dealing with a rash of injuries to its backfield, with Felix Jones' hamstring tightness the latest issue. Jones is listed as questionable after running for more than 100 yards each of the past two weeks. He may be joining rookie running backs DeMarco Murray and Phillip Tanner on the sidelines, leaving the Cowboys at RB with 12-year veteran Sammy Morris and practice squad member Chauncey Washington.
Morris made his season debut with 12 carries for 53 yards against the Buccaneers, and is expected to start if Jones can’t play. “Sammy is the most logical choice … and we have another young back on our practice roster (Washington), so he’ll get a chance to do some of that too,” coach Jason Garrett said.
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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: |
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Status Report |
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OUT |
CB Asante Samuel (hamstring) |
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QUESTIONABLE |
DT Trevor Laws (knee) |
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PROBABLE |
RB Ronnie Brown (hamstring), T Todd Herremans (ankle), DT Cullen Jenkins (groin), WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring, shoulder), DE Darryl Tapp (ribs), QB Michael Vick (ribs) |
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Haha it's kinda funny when a team/offensive coordinator (re)discovers a borderline ELITE weapon sitting right under your nose the whole time, on your team, through all the ups and downs... Celery looks like the Celery from what like 2 yrs ago? DMcNabs last year here was it? A lot of it could probably be attributed to the MUCH improved play of the offensive line. You know, even though for the most part this season has been a big time failure, of EPIC proportions, there might/could be some things to look forward to moving forward... Oddly enough, as much as I was sure 3,4,5 or so games ago that Juan Castillo had to go, I am not so sure now. I mean is it, or could it have been, that the PLAYERS just weren't doing what they were supposed to? It's gonna be an interesting offseason. Lots of hard decisions. Personnel changes... Once again... WHO KNOWS!!!
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Juan cost us a couple of games for sure, the players cost themselves way more games though. Juan Castillo had never coached as a defensive coordinator in the NFL (not even at the college level) before this season. New D line coach. New O line coach. New defensive philosophy. New offensive line philosophy. A shit ton of new player additions. A bunch of rookies and second year starters. A shortened off season with absolutely no OTA's. A much tougher schedule then first realized. Injuries to our star QB and star WR. The other star receiver playing like a little bitch most of the season because he was upset about his contract (for good reason but he should have played harder) More flukey turnovers in the redzone than you could shake a stick at. These are all things that you could point at and make a strong case that this year was just a fucked up year and it was never meant to be for our Eagles, so just keep the staff and see if we can keep this momentum into next season.. Just a couple of things fall in a different direction and the Eagles are in the playoffs without a doubt....but they didn't and the Eagles choked a bunch this season up until it was too late. End of story....Hopefully the Eagles will be much more prepared next season, and will stomp assholes and have a season like this years Packers. @Demappulls!
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Yeah. Good amendment to my post. Still, you gotta wonder if the pressure that will be on Reid and Co. to give Juan the axe will outweigh common sense. I agree though, with the way the defense has rebounded anybody with common sense would make the connection that things are finally starting to come together and make sense. I will be sad if Jenkins decides to take his talents to south beach, or whatever other place he decides to go, as well as a few other key pieces of the puzzle we have at or near the end of their contracts, further jumbling up this thing that has taken a almost a full freaking season, just to not look embarrassing on game-days. @Jerky
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The way they have played the last couple of weeks is what we have expected they would play all year. @Demappulls!
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Also I was just naming off some reasons/excuses for fun. I don't know what to really think. I wanted Juan's head served on a platter a few weeks back and I wanted Reid fired about a month ago but have changed my mind since. This season really was a doozy for all of us@Demappulls!
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If no one has ever seen it, YouTube "hitler reacts to eagles beating the giants". Funny!
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I have to start getting the kids to bed and getting myself back into the Christmas spirit. A cowboy sweep isn't the present that I was looking for in full, but I'll take what I can get.
I wish you all Happy Holidays.
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Normally don't call someone dat unless I'm talkin to their face. But one of dem jerks decided it was time fer dem to decide to change the coaching staff.
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There's a #1 at the wall as the asswholes over der are probably still cryin in der beer.
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Here's a positive thought, the eagles should win next week, it would be awesome to Winthrop last 4 games. It would be great mommentum going into next season.
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I'm rooting against dallas next week as always. My only hesitation is that I really don't want to see a certain poster appear with his bullsh*t. Still, my hatred for the cowboys is even bigger than the annoyance that one Sonny-boy brings, so my rooting tradition will stay true.
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@tboned208 Giants would win the division at 8-7-1. They'd have the tie-breaker over the 'girls.
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Eh well, I held onto hope as long as I could. I knew when we had to count on dirty sanchez, we were in trouble.
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It's all right... we showed up... I kinda dig that...statements were made...Dallas heard them...
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You see Alex out there trying to make a tackle? That a boy! Whiffed but changed his slowed him down.
