A Dish Best Served Cold

If any Eagles fans needed any more motivation for this week's game, all they had to do was check out Wade Phillip's press conference this week. Anyone who is curious can find the offending bit at the 11:25 mark. Wade laughed dismissively at the prospect of facing the Eagles. Ouch. That's not out of context, check it for yourselves at http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia_ce...4112435161DBBE6.

Never give a division team bulletin board material. All that said, a legit target for McNabb, and one more piece on D, and this team is back in the thick of it. Now, on to the game.

This game featured the most staggeringly brilliant football play I've seen in years, and some on field decisions that would make voting Hillary look reasonable in comparison.

To wit...AJ Feeley, our backup QB, managed to draw a penalty flag without even being in the field of play. Not since Columbus ended up in the New World while trying to find China has someone been so ludicrously off course. He somehow drifted to the sideline during a play, and accidentally tripped a referee who was running down the sideline. Ugh.

Q...Quentin Mikell, who I like as a player f'd up. He intercepted a pass in the end zone, and took off. Surrounded by teammates who were screaming for him to just get down, he took off, fumbling the ball, and giving Dallas a first down in the red zone.

Roy Williams, the reason for the Horsecollar Rule in the NFL still doesn't get it. A horse collar is a lazy, and very dangerous way to bring someone down. While running behind them, instead of tackling them, one grips the back of the shoulder pads while dropping down, dragging the victim down and backwards. Due to the fact that a player is strapped into his pads, the victim goes down at a rude, awkward angle, frequently resulting in injury. The NFL has made this a personal foul, punishable by 15 yards, and, in most cases, a fine. Roy Williams had one tonight on McNabb. One would think he'd learn after being fined already this year, but c'est la vie.

There were a few highlights, but the best had to be Westbrook's final play of the game. With about two minutes left, and with Dallas out of time outs, Westbrook broke free for a 24 yard gain. Most normal players would see the end zone, and break the plane for the score. Not Westbrook. In a display of football IQ that one just does not ever witness, he stopped at the 1 yard line, and dropped. If he had scored, Dallas would have gotten the ball back, and who knows what might have transpired.

Instead, McNabb took a couple knees, winding the clock down to nothing, and the Eagles beat the Cowboys in their house. Dallas had not scored less than 24 points all season, and today they were put on lockdown.

Damn, this has been a good day.

Reader Feedback

It is painfully apparent that the Eagles are in dire need of a wide receiver who can do 2 things, which are get open and catch the ball. I honestly don't know about their abilities to do the latter, as the former is a pre-requisite which they have yet to demonstrate. McNabb's ability to run out of the pocket quickly enough to avoid a sack is diminishing with his age and continuous seasons of injuries. Thus, it is becoming more important that his receiving corps get better. Unfortunately, they continue to go through a revolving door every season, making timing of routes and adjusting to individual players very difficult. A QB is only half of the equation when passing the ball.

I got this in email from dclemming today, and have to agree completely with his assessment. One of the most disconcerting parts about the organization is the thought process and public statements of the Eagles Capologist, Joe Banner. When McNabb mentioned what a challenge it was to develop timing and chemistry with a new set of receivers every year, Banner said publicly that 5 was wrong, and out of line.

As well he should, after all, Banner played quarterback at a high level for...wait...maybe, no...Hmmm. But, he was on a local show last week, explaining his philosophy. Apparently, he does not evaluate receivers as individuals. He looks at the collective "skill positions" and thinks the birds are fine. Yes, you guessed it. That group includes Brian Westbrook.

News flash...if you have Jennifer Alba, Roseanne Barr, Linda Tripp, and Hillary Clinton, you do not have a fine group. You have a standout, and a group of trolls who I couldn't bang if you made me a tequila and viagra smoothie.

Another laugher...Banner said with a measure of pride that the Eagles spent more on receivers than the Pats did this year. Good show. At first I thought he was just cheap, now I see that his judgement is a bigger problem.

Mcnabb needs a real target. He is not as nimble as before. We have also seen what he can do with legit weapons. With Owens, and with Stallworth, the Eagles had an unstoppable offense. With Na Brown, Torrance Small, Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, Charles Johnson, Billy McMullen, James Thrash and friends, even Brady and Manning would seem pedestrian.

Next year, I want OchoCinco, via free agency, and picks one and two to be on a WR and TE respectively.

5 is Back

McNabb is back for tomorrow's game, and I could not be happier. 5 is the best quarterback this team has had since Jaworski. Hmm, and as memory serves, people screamed that Jaws sucked in his day too. Anyhoo, the best thing this team could do would be to surround Donovan with weapons, or, failing that, run the offense they run when he's not in the game.

If he goes to another team, he is almost sure to end up with a ring. Teams like the Vikings and Bears are poised for championship runs, and just need a couple pieces. I'd spend the rest of my days slapping negadelphians if 5 won elsewhere.

Mere mortals, trifle not with the football gods. Appreciate the positive when you have it, or suffer mightily for it. San Diego insulted the football gods, and are paying the price for such folly. Let it not be so in Philly.

Trends in Mass Shootings

Has anyone noticed that the most recent mass murders/shootings have all occurred in gun free zones? Now for the cliched, dumb question...how can shootings take place in gun free zones?

Ah, right. People who break laws by definition don't obey them, leaving only the law abiding to deal with the real world effects of well intentioned (read often silly and usually counterproductive) legislation.

It follows as common sense that multiple shootings are more likely to occur when a shooter is all but guaranteed zero return fire. In such a situation, what can the law abiding do? Duck, die, pray, wait for the shooter to reload, and bum rush them, or hope the shooter runs out, or takes his/her own life.

Those choices suck. Since someone has created the environment in which this is possible, does someone have the ironic responsibility to ensure better armed protection for these zones? If law or public policy rule out effective self defense, should the authors of such policy be held liable for the consequences? Given today's litigious society, how long before a NRA lawyer tries this out?

I for one, would love to see more liberalized gun ownership, with many more carry permits issued. It won't happen, but I'd like to see it. Or, as another blogger pointed out, we could just declare Iraq a gun free zone, and bring our troops home. I'm sure the violence would end.