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Eagles vs. Bears
Sun., Nov. 28,  4:15 PM ET
TV: FOX
Radio: 94 WYSP, Sirius 126


Devin Hester (#23) is the Bears' great ST weapon that threatens the Eagles' current 3-game win streak...


Meanwhile, Eagles Eye is questioned by the renowned author Jonathan Carroll of Bears Headquarters...


I run to Smith Island, Maryland, 12 miles offshore, no internet or cell-phone service, to avoid the backlash...

This is a holiday post that will have to stand up until Sunday when the Eagles (7-3) meet the Bears (7-3) in a meaningful showdown on Sunday afternoon/evening.  Jonathan Carroll of the controversial Bears Headquarters blog on the Rant Sports network is one of the biggest critics of Michael Vick's resurgence with the Eagles. I agreed to take on his questions, and I sent a few back his way, which he graciously fielded:

Eagles Eye: The Bears have a fantastic front seven. Brian Urlacher is beyond compare at the middle linebacker position, having bounced back from an injury-plagued 2009 campaign. Lance Briggs is a standout on the weak side. Julius Peppers moves from one end to the other, and is coming off a three-sack effort in the Bears' shutout win over Miami last Thursday night. What strategy do you think the Bears will use to stop Michael Vick's "Starship 7" passing game?
 
Bears Headquarters: If you look at his history, Michael Vick has never played well against the Chicago Bears. The Bears pursue well and have speed all over the defense. I think that you'll be impressed with what you see from that unit. I'm not terribly worried about Vick, I'm more worried about the other weapons on the field. Remember, the Chicago Bears defense still doesn't feel they're being respected, so this is their chance to prove how good they are this season.

Eagles Eye: A win on Sunday at Soldier Field would go a long way toward establishing the Eagles atop the NFC East, and atop the conference. How do Bears fans feel about this game---confident, anxious, or a little bit of both?
 
Bears Headquarters: All the above. The Bears want to prove that they're for real, and the Eagles are a good target. Of the two teams, the Bears have more to prove.
 
Eagles Eye:  Chicago (7-3) is winning, is playing at home and has an extra few days of rest. This is a tough, tough spot for the Eagles.  Who are the Bears' top three "impact players" --- three guys who at any point in the game could explode with a big offensive or defensive  play to take the Eagles out of their game plan?
 
Bears Headquarters: You forgot special teams...obvious number one is Devin Hester. The second choice is Julius Peppers and third is Peanut Tillman.
 
Eagles Eye: How to Bears fans feel about Julius Peppers?  He has 5 sacks this year...not bad...but do fans feel he is worth the big money contract?
 
Bears Headquarters: We love him. He's amazing. Don't let the numbers fool you, he's a manchild. 
  
Eagles Eye: Who is your favorite character on "Mike and Molly" ? 
 
Bears Headquarters:Wow, I don't even know what network it's on... (Author's note: "Mike and Molly" is a CBS sitcom airing at 9:30 P.M. on Mondays; the lead characters are an obese cop and his obese girlfriend who fall in love...and they both love Da Bears...)
 
Eagles Eye: Game prediction? 
 
Bears Headquarters: This will be an awesome game. We'll be glued to this one. In the end, I think the difference will be special teams and we've got you there...
Bears 20, Eagles 17...

Okay, now it was my turn to take the stand:

Bears Headquarters: Why did Andy Reid hesitate to start Michael Vick all year?

 Eagles Eye: He didn’t exactly hesitate to start Vick, it was more about keeping his word to Kevin Kolb that Kolb would get a fair shot to be QB #1 … and also Reid’s fascination with bringing Vick off the bench during offensive series for the occasional “wildcat” (or “wild bird”) package…Kolb got hurt in the opener against Green Bay and Vick took over from there.  When Vick broke a rib against Washington, Kolb filled in nicely, beating San Francisco and Atlanta, but losing to Tennessee. After a bye week, Vick was ready to start again. Reid turned him loose against Indianapolis, and now Vick’s on a 3-game win streak…
 
Bears Headquarters:  Speaking of Vick, are you buying this whole "new person" thing or is it about the money?

Eagles Eye: Nobody changes completely in two years. It usually takes 3 to 5 years for an actual character “redemption” to occur, according to most sociologists and clinical psychologists.  And what’s wrong with having “money” as an incentive to change one’s work habits, attitudes and friends? Things I’ve realized about Vick is he’s a deeply loyal person to family and now his wife and kid, and also to Tony Dungy, perhaps the one man who knows enough about him to risk his own reputation to recommend Vick to the Luries (Jeff and Christina, owners of the Eagles) and to Andy Reid.

Bears Headquarters:  Who on the Chicago Bears scares you?

Eagles Eye: We have a saying at Eagles Eye, which I borrowed from GK Brizer at PE.com and Howard Eskin at WIP Radio: “If you’re scared, get a dog!”… But putting the word into a fan’s context of what player can “hurt” your team the most in the quickest way, I’m going to say Devin Hester in the return game. Brian Urlacher can still cause a lot of disruption and a turnover or two.  Johnny Knox is my private “fear” of a guy who can be invisible for a while then suddenly break a big play.

Bears Headquarters:  Whom should we be worried about on the Eagles?

Eagles Eye:  Any  one of the Eagles’ offensive weapons can be shut down or contained for a limited time, it’s just harder these days to neutralize all of them at the same time. DeSean Jackson at wide receiver is a guy you should press, harass and generally try to keep  out of the passing game for as long as possible --- he’s a burner with great hands.  LeSean McCoy is a stronger runner and great pass-protection blocker now, but he may be nursing a sore shoulder.  If he can’t go, watch for Jerome Harrison--- you may remember him from a year ago with Cleveland.  Jeremy Maclin has turned into a nice receiver who gets yards after catch.  Vick, you already know what he can do…best to try to force him to roll out to his right.  On defense, Trent Cole is an underrated All-Pro defensive end who can cause a lot of hurries in the pocket…Asante Samuel is an All-Pro corner you’ll probably want to stay away from on the left side, he’s healthy this year and so far has seven picks…

Bears Headquarters: Who's your favorite character on "Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia"?

Eagles Eye:  Ah yes, a group of five depraved underachievers---siblings Dennis and Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds, their friends Charlie Kelly and Mac, and their father, Frank Reynolds, who run Paddy's Pub, a run-down bar in South Philadelphia. They are dishonest, egotistical, selfish, greedy, unethical, lazy, arrogant and antagonistic, and are often embroiled in controversial issues. Episodes usually find them hatching elaborate schemes, conspiring against one another or others for personal gain or the pleasure of watching their downfall. Their tactics often rely on inflicting emotional and sometimes physical pain on individuals both deserving and undeserving. They regularly use blackmail and manipulate one another and others outside of the group.  Obviously, these characters are big Eagles fans! 
 My favorite is Mac, portrayed by Rob MacElhenney. Mac is Charlie’s childhood friend and Dennis’ high school friend and later roommate, co-owner of Paddy’s and the pub’s most active manager.

Bears Headquarters: Game Prediction ?

Eagles Eye: I stink at predictions of single game scores. And I don’t always predict the Eagles to win, either… But for some reason, I feel the Eagles somehow come out of Chicago with the win in a close one: 26-20.  Truth be told, it could go either way.

And so it ended, both Jonathan Carroll and I exhausted from the chess game. Make no mistake, Jonathan wants the Eagles to lose this one, and he is especially suspicious of Michael Vick as a genuine story of redemption and resurgence.

But for this one week, at Thanksgiving, I'm happy to lay down the record and escape to Smith Island. My wife's mother is from there, and there's also a connection through her dad to the local port of call, Crisfield, MD, where you catch the boat that takes you 12 miles offshore to the remote fishing and crabbing island. It's a beautiful and yet primitive refuge. There's maybe a total of 250 hardy souls there, and all of 'em Redskins fans. I am an Eagles fan. But the rockfish and the crabs don't seem to mind. In fact, this little community made up of Chesapeake watermen and boat-builders, with a sense of self-sufficiency and self-discipline so entrenched there is no need for a policeman, a traffic light or a mayor, could care less if I root for the Eagles. Or the Bears. Smith Island has been claimed by the Redskins.

That's why it's a perfect place to regroup my Bird-brain thoughts.  Don't worry, I'll catch the game on Sunday on the local airwaves...and hopefully sweat out a tough Eagles victory within the backdrop of a beautiful Chesapeake sunset... In the meantime, dear readers, feel welcome to take over this column with your Comments...I will check back early Monday morning to answer one and all... Happy Thanksgiving.

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LeSean McCoy took a QB option pitch on 4th-and-1 from the 50 yard-line late in the game and took it to the house to put the Eagles ahead to stay after trailing 17-16. It was a brilliantly simple play-call that nobody would expect with Vick under center and the game on the line...

This game was like a post-modernistic art class --- all over the place.  Both teams played athletically well enough to win---and to lose. There were enough giveaways and takeaways by both sides to justify a new football metric: derivative futures...

Yet in the end (and you had to get all the way through to the end to determine the outcome of this game), it was the Eagles' overall defensive performance, coupled with some great run-blocking by offensive linemen --- and not so much Vick --- that carried the battle.

Which is not to say Vick was a slouch. He threw for 258 yards and zero interceptions, and picked up a rushing TD on a nice bootleg.  But the New York defense took him out of his comfort zone for most of the second half. The Giants' coaching staff did a nice job of designing what is known as a "Zero Blitz"... leaving the middle lanes wide open but forcing Vick on his deep-drop rollouts to move to the wrong side---his right.

The strategy was extremely effectve and no doubt will be copied by other teams the rest of the way. Now it's up to Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg to adjust and counter.

Meanwhile, it was an entertaining game --- but only if you didn't care which team won or lost.  This battle was harsh on the nerves of both Eagles and Giants fans.

For instance, the normally sure-handed slot wide-out Jasan Avant dropped a sure TD on one of the most open and uncontested passes you'll ever witness in the first half.  The Eagles had to settle for 3... and then, just barely, as David Akers seemed to be teasing the right goalpost all night long with his hold-your-breath attempts.

Then it was New York's turn.  Hakeem Nicks seemingly beat the Eagles' cover defense down the right side for a big 50-yard gainer in the first quarter...but inexplicably did not keep his right foot in bounds on the catch---and he had plenty of foot-locker room to do so.

DeSean Jackson dropped a TD throw in traffic as he split a zone coverage in the end-zone--- granted, a much higher degree of difficulty than Avant's opportunity, but Jackson visibly displayed his belief he should have caught the thing.

How about Michael Vick missing Jackson on a wide-open left sideline route early by overthrowing him by just a hair?  That one would have gone for a sure 6...

Perhaps the worst giveaway, though, will be laid at Eli Manning's feet...er, head.  With the game on the line late in the 4th, and the Giants mounting a furious comeback after losing the lead, Manning made a great decision to pull the ball down under pressure and take off...it was a great run that would change the game...until Eli decided to dive instead of slide to stop the clock. Yep, he did it again! The ball skittered away from Manning when he dove to the turf, without any contact by a defender. Kids and quarterbacks out there, when you don't slide feet-first to stop the clock, and you lay the ball down without contact, by rule that is a live ball...

Eli should have known better. He did the same damn thing last year against Philly, and it cost him the game then, too.
Eagles defensive end Darryl Tapp pounced on it. Giants coach Tom Coughlin challenged the fumble but lost.

"Once I saw the ball, all I could think about was picking it up and securing it," Tapp said. "I just wanted to do whatever I could to help us win."

That was one of five turnovers forced by an aggressive Eagles defense. Manning threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw also coughed up a fumble.

Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel snared two interceptions and recovered a fumble. He now leads the NFL this season with seven interceptions. Four of his picks were against Manning and his brother Peyton, the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback.

"Those guys are both great quarterbacks and competitors," Samuel said. "I have a lot of respect for them. I was just focused on trying to make plays."

I will choose to remember this game as the one where the Eagles' overall defense overshadowed Vick as the most important force in the game. It's actually remarkable to me that the Eagles held Manning to less than 160 yards total passing, and also held the great running game of the Giants to under 70 yards for the game.

There was a moment of doubt about the Birds' defense.  Still leading the Giants 16-3 late in the 3rd, the Eagles secondary seemed to get lost, and the Giants' second-ranked offense finally got untracked. Manning followed a 31-yard pass-interference penalty on Eagles safety Quintin Mikell by hitting tight end Travis Beckum for a 2-yard touchdown pass that cut the Eagles' edge to 16-10.

The Giants' top-ranked defense stepped up early in the fourth to set up another touchdown. Defensive end Justin Tuck smacked the ball away from Vick on a strip-sack and defensive tackle Barry Cofield recovered the fumble at the Eagles' 27-yard line.

Manning needed just two plays to give the Giants their first lead of the game. He found running back Brandon Jacobs on the other side of the field for a 22-yard gain and then tossed a 5-yard TD pass to wide receiver Derek Hagan to put the Giants ahead 17-16.

That's when, with about 5 minutes left in the game, McCoy (who had been held to only 13 yards rushing in 9 carries to that point), pulled off the 50-yard surprise option play behind some great run-blocking by Jason Peters, Todd Herremans, and Winston Justice...all of whom had a great blocking night, despite the 3 sacks allowed to Tuck on the right side---who, truth be told, earned every one of 'em the hard way.
Trailing 17-16, the Eagles were faced with a fourth-and-1 at midfield. Quarterback Michael Vick nearly lost control of the snap from center Mike McGlynn, barely grabbing it with his fingertips. Then he pivoted and pitched it to McCoy, who burst free behind a nice block from left tackle Peters and easily outran Giants linebacker Michael Boley to the end zone while the crowd roared.

"We've had that play in the book for two weeks, but we obviously didn't need it last week (during a 59-28 win at Washington)," McCoy said. "I saw Jason pulling out, I saw where number 59 (Boley) was, and I just knew I was going to rock it out and get us that touchdown."

Vick then hit wide receiver Jason Avant for the two-point conversion pass to give the Eagles a seven-point lead.

Manning almost pulled off the late rally, but for the ignominious head-first slide to nowhere... which ultimately resulted in a 3-point kill shot for Akers and the final score.

Still, the Giants had a tremendous effort against an equally speedy opponent.  Even with all their injuries right now, the Giants are an extremely talented and athletic team. And defensively they really had something going with the safeties and corners blitzing...other teams will copy...Eagles need to adjust...any suggestions?

The Giants (6-4) hit hard but they hit fair...it was a clean game.  CB Ellis Hobbs suffered a high-impact neck compression injury on a helmet-to-helmet contact and had to be gurnied off after about a 25-minute delay in the broadcast of the game...scary...but he is okay today and moving about well... just real sore. Lucky. But in reviewing the incident, it's clear to me the hit was completely an accident of two opposing forces meeting in space...and Hobbs was not defenseless by any stretch as he was returning a kick.

Jeremy Maclin emerges as the prime-time star receiver for the Eagles (now 7-3) after this one.  Maclin had 9 catches for 120 yards and was crucial to the Eagles' possession game plan. Maclin is finally starting to get the attention of the NBC commentary crew in the booth. That recognition should spread around the media this week.

The linebacking crew for the Eagles looked very coherent against Manning's game plan. It seems OLB's Ernie Sims, Moise Fokou, and MLB Stewart Bradley had a real good idea almost every time of where Manning was going to run a play and when.

That's another reason why I give the game-ball to the Eagles defense on this one.


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Giants vs. Eagles
Sun., Nov. 21,  8:20 PM ET
TV: NBC
Radio: 94 WYSP, Sirius 126


The pressure created by defensive end Trent Cole (6-3, 270, 6th year, Cincinnati) will be a big part of any success the Eagles may have against New York on Sunday night...

Waiting for a late start on Sunday night is always a little unnerving for me and a lot of the Philly fan base... It's a little like losing track of linear time. You want to downplay to other folks the obvious fact that you're living for Sunday night...yet also make sure nothing gets in the way of your date with Eagles destiny at 8:20 P.M. 

Your mind starts playing tricks with your heart. You begin to rationalize the import of the game with the Giants as "not that big a deal"....after all, it's still early enough that a one-game edge (which is on the line Sunday night) will not be monumental to either team.

It's best not to over-think at this stage. Go with your conditioned reflexes of game-prep reaction. You've done your homework. You've studied the film. You've heard the talking heads on ESPN and the NFL Channel. Now it's time to just visualize your game plan, relax and stay fresh to play the game.

Here's how two of the smartest Eagles fans in the world handle it: GK Brizer and JeromeBrown99 (The Sage) of Dave Spadaro's fan forum at PE.com's On The Inside:

JB99: Personally... I like to blitz Eli. He's had trouble with it vs us in the past. That said... one of the best things Eli does is... just throw it up vs. all-out blitzes. He can lay it right in there and he can also place it where his guys can make a play. So it's a big play waiting to happen... both ways... when you blitz Eli. But overall... as usual... in most all NFL games... you have to mix it up. === To me... the two main factors in this game game will be... (1) Our OL vs. their pass rush coupled with Vick's ability to escape and make plays... (2) Eli vs. our blitz. Can he beat it and make plays down the field? Or will we create turnovers? - - - If those wash... the team that has the big plays has the best chance to win imo.

GK Brizer: You play G-strings straight up, yura dope!,....Gotta mix it,..youse gots two shut-down CBs,..c'mon knuckleheads! I wanna see (1) Trent Cole stunting w/ a middle rush,..Cracker in his nickel DT, covering the vacated area, and Nate the Skate blitzin' in... (2) #55 pluggin' holes w/ head up, tackling Bradshaw for 2-3 yd gains... (3) Sims blitzing everywhere... (4) #55 showin' he can guard the 2nd slowest TE inda league....Another great gameplan with pristine, crisp execution could make this game another "walk inda park!",.......zebras suk......GK.

That's confident, relaxed and well-studied mindset as a model approach for an Eagles fan to take into Sunday night's game. It's the Eagles defense that will have to be similarly prepared if the Giants are to be held in check. I like these microwave previews by JB99 and Brizer...they read almost like free verse, yet they're packed with the basic truth of this game: It's the NFC East, it's the Eagles and the Giants, and it almost always come down to defensive invention creating big plays.




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Ahmad Bradshaw (5-9, 195, 4th year, Marshall) is one of Eli Manning's most effective weapons this season, both as a runner and receiver...

NEW YORK GIANTS (6-3) 2010 OVERALL NFL RANKINGS prior to Sunday night game vs. Eagles:

PASSING YDS

262.9 6th Overall

RUSHING YDS

146.9 5th Overall

OPP PASSING YDS

186.9 4th Overall

OPP RUSHING YDS

83.3 3rd Overall

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Nov 15	1	2	3	4	T
Eagles	28	17	14	0	59	«
Redskins	0	14	7	7	28

Sorry, I just had to look at these numbers again to believe it actually happened...

Phi_D.Jackson 88 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 14:42.
Phi_Vick 7 run (Akers kick), 10:17.
Phi_McCoy 11 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 5:02.
Phi_Harrison 50 run (Akers kick), 1:55.


Phi_Maclin 48 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 14:51.
Was_Young 3 pass from McNabb (Gano kick), 14:15.
Was_K.Williams 6 pass from McNabb (Gano kick), 9:39.
Phi_Vick 6 run (Akers kick), 3:34.
Phi_FG Akers 48, :25.

Was_K.Williams 4 run (Gano kick), 11:27.
Phi_Avant 3 pass from Vick (Akers kick), 6:15.
Phi_D.Patterson 40 interception return (Akers kick), 5:19.

Was_K.Williams 32 run (Gano kick), 11:16.

RUSHING_Philadelphia, Harrison 11-109, Vick 8-80, McCoy 11-43, Buckley 5-13, Maclin 1-11, D.Jackson 1-5, Kolb 1-(minus 1). Washington, K.Williams 16-89, Young 1-16, McNabb 1-0.

PASSING_Philadelphia, Vick 20-28-0-333. Washington, McNabb 17-31-3-295.

RECEIVING_Philadelphia, Avant 5-76, McCoy 5-51, Maclin 4-79, D.Jackson 2-98, Celek 2-8, Harrison 1-15, Schmitt 1-6. Washington, K.Williams 4-50, Armstrong 3-83, Moss 3-28, Cooley 3-23, Davis 1-71, Sellers 1-28, R.Williams 1-9, Young 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS_None.

 
A dream game for Mike Vick, who suddenly has MVP talk swirling around him, on a night that should have showcased McNabb's new $78+million contract with the Redskins...

You're going to have games like this, and sometimes it goes the other way...I can remember maybe ten games like this involving the Eagles over the past twenty years...But never have I witnessed an offensive game plan that started out so perfectly.

You may know the Eagles script their first 15 offensive plays for every game. Nearly all NFL teams do that.  But this is the first "script" in memory where every play worked to near-perfection.

On the first play from scrimmage, Vick play-action faked to RB LeSean McCoy, then connected with Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson  on an 88-yard touchdown pass, and the rout was on.  Jackson blew by safety LaRon Landry, with whom he had been involved in a pre-game wolf-ticket altercation. 

Vick ended the night by becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to combine in one game to throw for over 300 yards (he finished with 333), rush for over 50 yards (he had 80), throw four touchdown passes, and rush for two more touchdowns. Best of all, in my personal history book, in the six games he has played this year, Vick still hasn't committed a turnover.

With over 84,000 fans in attendance at FedEx Field, and all the media attention focused on Donovan McNabb's new monster contract, it's hard to believe the Redskins' defense was not prepared or "up" for the Eagles' offensive script. But they looked out of it early, and sluggish to boot. 

Is it possible the Redskins simply lost competitive focus during the pre-game scuffles? Hard for me to buy into that theory, since the 'Skins and Eagles always seem to be yapping at each other during warmups, for as long as I've observed their rivalry (40 years and counting)...

Here's how Paul Tenorio of Redskins Insider saw it: "Before the game, Landry was in the middle of a scrum that broke out between the two teams as the Eagles headed to their locker room after warmups. It appeared the confrontation started between Landry and Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson. FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer reported on Twitter that, according to unnamed sources, Landry and cornerback DeAngelo Hall were "taunting" Jackson before warm-ups and "mocking him about getting concussed." Jackson has suffered two concussions in the last two seasons, including one on a hit by Atlanta defensive back Dunta Robinson Oct. 17 that helped bring about an NFL crackdown on hits to the head."

After the game, Jackson seemed to play down the jawing but did acknowledge that there was some trash talking.

"It was some disrespectful things that was being said, and I'm not going to get into who said it or what they said but it was just some disrespectful things being said," Jackson said. "Sometimes I think some football players take this football a little too serious and at the end of the day we're human beings and have to have respect for a lot of people. It was just disrespectful but, like I said, we got in an altercation and we was ready to do whatever we needed to do to go out there and get them, so we was ready."

To further fan the flames, Landry was also accused by center Mike McGlynn of spitting on him during the game...allegations which Landry later denied.

Whether Landry's performance was distracted by such personal issues or not, from the first play to the last, he seemed to be constantly out of position, unable to make a tackle, and generally looking like he would have rather been anywhere else but on that field.

Overall, the Eagles displayed superior team speed both defensively and on offense.  Maybe the driving rain for most of the game was a bigger factor than has been cited in exposing the older and slower Washington personnel. The "young gunz" and "boy dogs" of the Eagles were running and cutting past the older 'Skins with abnormal ease. 

McNabb tried but could not answer 59 points in a driving rain. Who could?  Many Washington fans are dumping on McNabb today... but McNabb isn't the problem... he had dropped passes again and again, his WR Santana Moss isn't getting away from anyone any more, and TE Chris Cooley is obviously a step slower than his All-Pro days.  And unless McNabb was playing LB, corner or safety, I don't see how you can pin this loss on him. 

And how can McNabb be held accountable for spectacular performances by Eagles newly-acquired RB Jerome Harrison (50-yard TD run), LeSean McCoy's solid running and receiving, or absolutely beautiful routes and catches by wideouts Jason Avant and Jeremy Maclin?

For veteran Eagles watchers, it was a spectacular night of entertainment...but we also know games like these are rare and, to some extent, a fluke. We know we are soon to face teams (next up, the Giants on Sunday night) who have linebackers and defensive linemen that will not look like they are stuck in the FedEx Field mud. We also know how fortunate we were last night to have a rookie safety (Kurt Coleman) and an inexperienced corner (Dimitri Patterson) playing with the luxury of a 28-0 early advantage in the rain...and both had the games of their lives.  All these factors converged on the Potomac last night in a confluence of fate and fortune.

So don't gloat over this one.  Enjoy the 6-3 record for now...it is soon to be severely tested.

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Eagles vs. Redskins
Mon., Nov. 15,  8:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN/PHL17
RADIO: 94 WYSP, Sirius 125


Over the decades since Howard, Frank and Dandy Don began broadcasting MNF on ABC, the Eagles and Redskins have provided some classic Monday Night battles.  It helps that Philly vs. D.C. is one of the original NFC East rivalries; in fact, both teams are original NFL franchises.

The Eagles at 5-3 certainly know the Redskins at 4-4 are very much alive in the divisional title race. In fact, the 'Skins could be 0-8 for all Philly fans care--- they know the Redskins give the Eagles unique match-up fits every time.  The 'Skins play the Eagles tough, and often prevail, usually after a slugfest defensive struggle.

I have no reason to doubt Monday night's contest will be anything other than a rock 'em-sock 'em battle royale.

To bring clarity to my vision, I often turn to Anthony Brown, my esteemed colleague at Redskins Hog Heaven. Brown and his fellow analyst Greg Trippiedi have done a fantastic job of combining straight journalism with feature opinion, and put out a most entertaining chronicle of the Redskins franchise and its personalities. I never miss an episode.
  
Redskins Hog Heaven's feature writer and administrator, Anthony Brown...
                       


More to come after this break for Server Maintenance!

Okay, we're back! Now let's fire some hot pre-game questions at Anthony Brown and try to gauge where this big game is headed:

Eagles Eye:  What do you think the Redskins will do to try to contain Michael Vick's mobility? Will the 'Skins compromise in other areas of defensive attack or coverage to accomplish this?

Anthony Brown, Redskins Hog Heaven: The Redskins will start with the same approach as in the first game, cover first and defend the perimeter to contain Michael Vick. That approach largely worked, but left them vulnerable to big plays. Vick was injured on the big run that left him inches short of a touchdown. 

The Redskins will not stick with coverage-first defense, because Michael Vick of week 10 is a far different player than Vick of week 4. Vick then was not a very good passer. Vick now is the NFL's top rated player in quarterback rating who is performing substantially above his career averages for completions, yards-per-attempt, TD to INT ratio and QB rating. And he's working with the most dynamic young offense in the NFC.

The Redskins faced (and lost to) the Indianapolis Colts with a lot of dime coverages and only three (sometimes only one) down linemen. Three reasons not to do that against the Eagles are that it will not contain Vick... nickel and dime packages remove Albert Haynesworth from the field, and the Eagles' offensive line cannot be dominated withour Albert.  I don't see the Redskins dominating the line to win the game without Haynesworth.     

 

Eagles Eye: What makes LB London Fletcher (5-10, 245, 13th year, John Carroll)  so great against the Eagles? Why does he always seem to come up huge against Philly?

Anthony Brown, Redskins Hog Heaven: The same thing that makes Fletcher so huge against the Giants and Cowboys--- he is just that good. Size may be a factor. He is just 5 ft. 11 in., but weighs 245 pounds. It's hard to get leverage on a bowling ball. 

I think Fletcher is the best inside linebacker in the conference. If the Redskins or Buffalo Bills won more titles, he would have been voted to more Pro Bowls and more fans would know about him. For now, he has to content himself with being one of the league's top five tacklers year after year.

Gregg Williams brought Fletcher to the Redskins to be the defensive quarterback. He calls the alignments, makes sure everyone is in the right place and he covers from sideline to sideline.

Here's the amazing part: Fletcher is 35 years old and in a new defense, yet his performance hasn't let up. London Fletcher-Baker is the one defender the Redskins cannot afford to lose.  Everybody on defense plays better because of him. Whenever Fletcher leaves the Redskins, you can bet he will be on Gregg Williams' staff as a player or coach.

 

Eagles Eye:  Are LaRon Landry (safety) and DeAngelo Hall (CB) healthy?  They combined to stifle the Eagles in the previous game...

Anthony Brown, Redskins Hog Heaven: Unfortunately for you, they are both healthy and will be ready to play Monday night. That doesn't mean they won't appear on the Redskins' injury report. You can't always trust what a coach says about the health of his players.

 

Eagles Eye:  Clinton Portis (RB) says he's ready to play against the Eagles after recovering from groin injury...do you really think he's ready? And what about Ryan Torain (hamstring), who killed us in the first game with powerful rushing yards? Can he go?

Anthony Brown, Redskins Hog Heaven: You run with your feet. You don't need your groin to run, apparently.

The Redskins are saying that Portis is a game-time decision. He has returned to practice, where he was said to have had some sort of setback. Portis has the weekend to rest. If we see him, it likely will be limited action.

Torain saw limited practice time Thursday, that was more than he saw Wednesday. He is more likely than Portis to play Monday night, but that does not mean he will be full go. 

The only running back name to know is Mike Shanahan, who is famous for making stars of Reuben Droughns, Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell. Shanahan thought he could make a star of Maurice Clarett...and might have if Clarett helped him. Mike Shanahan could make a running back out of you and be reasonably successful. So here's the name to pay attention to: James Davis, signed to the practice squad in late October after his release by Cleveland. If Davis is promoted to the active roster Saturday, I think he will be on the field Monday.   

 

Eagles Eye:  Game prediction? Score?

Anthony Brown, Redskins Hog  Heaven: The Eagles are three point favorites and that is appropriate. There are lots of intangibles in this game. I didn't figure the Redskins to have a quarterback controversy. The Monday Night Football crew will exaggerate Vick vs. McNabb vs. Shanahan... The only way to silence that talk is for Washington to win. That's powerful.

Not spoken of is that Washington is Michael Vick's home town region: Hampton Roads, Virginia, a hotbed of Redskins fans, feeds talent to Virginia Tech and still sees Vick as a hometown hero. This game is his homecoming. That's powerful, too. If Vick sees himself as the next Washington Redskins quarterback, as I suspect he does, he's got to impress in Monday's audition. 

My homer pick is Redskins by one. My Hog Heaven analytical pick is Eagles 21-17.

 

Nice. Great stuff. Thanks, Anthony...all the best, Tom at Eagles Eye

 

 

 

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It's a long game-prep week with the Eagles (5-3)  having to wait until Monday night to square things up with the Redskins (4-4) on Monday Night Football...so what better time to introduce our Eagles Eye roster of the Most Beautiful Women of the NFC East...

It's no secret that women aged 18 to 55 are the fastest growing demographic of the NFL audience. So in the spirit of inclusion, Eagles Eye is proud to present our candidates for the title of "Ms. Eagles Eye" for 2010...

All of the following candidates were submitted to Eagles Eye by friends who nominated them through the PE.com FaceBook-link mechanism of "gals who like the Eagles"...So here are your candidates...you may vote for your favorite through the "Comments" section  below, or by emailing your selection directly to rslupean@excite.com  ... Results will be announced prior to the regular season finale game vs. Dallas...

Here are your beautiful Philly candidates:

Adrienne Groff

Beberlin Galban Perez

Allie Barker

Casey Caldwell

Eden Maxwell

Guilia de Meo


Heloisa Sartarato

Jackie Kushman

Kelcy Connelly

Mariana Jones

Marqui Lyons

Molly Barneke

Nicole Alfie

Pricilla Miller-Wong

Princess Tiauna

Faith Golaszewskie

Samantha Lischak

Sherie Dietz Wooldridge

Julie Padovano

There you have it... 19 candidates, one for each game of a Super Bowl season. Nineteen Eagles fans with an extraordinary love of the game...Nineteen beautiful young women who exemplify the fact that Eagles fans can be adorable, too. Hate the game...but don't hate the players! We look forward to counting your votes for the winner of "Ms. Eagles Eye 2010"...

 

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