Posts Tagged ‘New York Giants’

Philadelphia Eagles MNF season opener in Atlanta headlines 2015 schedule

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

PES

There are still five long months to endure until football is back, but hope arrived in the form of the Philadelphia Eagles 2015 schedule release on Tuesday evening.

The season starts for the Birds with the Monday Night Football opener on September 14 at Atlanta. The thrill of a new season continues to soar when the Eagles meet the Cowboys in Week 2 for the home opener at the Linc.

Philadelphia’s next meeting with a divisional foe comes on the road in Washington on October 4. The first game against the Giants comes on October 19 at home in another Monday night matchup. Philadelphia’s season will end against the Giants on January 4 at the Meadowlands.

Anticipation is on high for Chip Kelly’s third season with the Eagles, as evidenced by the fact that the team will be featured on national broadcasts no less than six times: Week 1 (at Atlanta) and Week 6 (vs. Giants) on Monday Night Football; Week 7 (at Carolina) and Week 9 (at Dallas) on Sunday Night Football; a Thanksgiving Day feast at the Lions in Week 12; and Week 16 (vs. Redskins) on the NFL Network. 

The NFC East matchups will be filled with emotion, but a few other games also leap out as being heated battles. Namely, Week 13′s game against the Super Bowl winning (bleah) Patriots at New England. Immediately following is the Week 14 contest against the Bills at the Linc, or the return of Shady McCoy to his former home. It’s always good when it’s personal.

Fansided calls the Eagles 2015 schedule the 3rd toughest in the league. Philadelphia has their work cut out for them this year regardless of who they face, with a number of key pieces, especially at quarterback, that will need to step up and perform quickly. There remain many unknowns, but with the schedule release this week and the draft finally arrive next week, critical pieces of the puzzle have slowly started to fall in place.

What do you think of the Eagles 2015 schedule?

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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

Philadelphia Eagles flying high after total shutout of New York Giants

Monday, October 13th, 2014

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

BSThe Philadelphia Eagles head into their bye week flying on the highest note possible: On the heels of total shutout of those New York football Giants 27-0. 27-zip. 27-to-nada.

However you say it, the score is beautiful.

This is the game when LeSean McCoy finally got going, notching 149 rushing yards. The tight ends got into the act, with Zach Ertz and James Casey both getting in the endzone. Nick Foles finished the game with 21 for 34 with 248 yards for 2 touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions.

The Eagles defense showed up big time, completely stifling an offense that had averaged 35 points its last few games. But the streaking Giants simply had no answers for the Eagles, who got eight sacks (6 on Eli Manning and 2 on backup Ryan Nassib), limiting the two-time Super Bowl MVP to 13 for 23, 154 yards for exactly 0 touchdowns.

Connor Barwin was an absolute beast, getting to Manning for three sacks. Vinny Curry had a blast getting to the quarterback and sacking the Giants’ QB twice. Brandon Graham, Trent Cole and Brandon Blair also got into the each, notching a sack each.  Much as the New York media wanting to claim dismay at the portrayal of “Lil Eli Manning” in the Eagles cartoons, that’s exactly what he looked like on the field Sunday night.

It’s the first shutout for the Birds since 1996, and the first at Lincoln Financial Field.  Oh, the previous shutout, which took place in December of ’96. Against the Giants. In that game the Eagles won 24-0.

Darren Sproles, who added to the team’s touchdowns on Sunday night, left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. We’ll wait for news and hope that everything is okay with the most dynamic Eagles player this season.

It was the most complete win the Eagles have put together all season. The victory becomes all the more important as the Dallas Cowboys improved to 5 -1 earlier in the day, beating the Seattle Seahawks. Philadelphia retains its lead in the NFC East and has shown just how good–and dangerous–they can look when everyone is on their game. It’s a wonderful sight to behold for Eagles fans, and something that hopefully makes their next several opponents very nervous as they study the Birds’ Week 6 game film.

Cary Williams is a talker, but his line following the game was great:

“Who said we were a soft 4-1? We’re 5-1 now. Is that soft, too?”

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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

An epic week in Eagles-Giants trash talk

Saturday, October 11th, 2014

by Brandyn Campbell

Brandyn Blog

 

 

 

 

The hatred between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants runs deep, and the lead up to Sunday night’s matchup between the

Trent Cole will not be the only Eagles player going Eli hunting on Sunday night.

Trent Cole will not be the only Eagles player going Eli hunting on Sunday night.

NFC East rivals has done everything to demonstrate this truth. Play on the field doesn’t get underway until 8:30 Sunday evening, but the mouths of the players on both teams have been going and going and going all week.

The barbs have been flying back and forth all week, so I’ll pick up with Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul showing his dislike for the Birds, as well as basic arithmetic:

“They’re 4-1, but they could easily be 0-4.”

Eagles center Jason Kelce shot right back at JPP and then some, including Big Blue’s head coach in his counter attack, issued on the 94WIP Morning Show:

“I don’t think Jason Pierre-Paul is smart enough to come up with that statement on his own. I think he’s the type of guy that just reiterates what his coaches have been telling him. So, I’m a little worried about Tom Coughlin’s math ’cause I feel like maybe that’s where it was screwed up. Maybe it was just relayed to him.”

*Snap* *snap* *snap* “Men on Film” would need an entirely new snap formation to appropriately characterize Kelce’s words.

What has made this particular Eagles-Giants week unprecedented is how much the Eagles organization has gotten into the act. First, actor Bradley Cooper joined forces with the team to put out this trash-talking masterpiece, proclaiming, “You want to know the best way to shut a loud mouth up? Shut it for them.”

 

And then, they put out a Halloween-themed cartoon featuring lil’ Eli Manning scared of all of the members of the Eagles defense in their all-black err’thing:  


But our friends in New York couldn’t handle the heat. The New York Daily News, always an arbiter of taste, got in the act, responding to Cooper’s Eagles video with this backpage with the headline “Silver Whinings Playbook”:

Clever. Did they come up with that all by themselves?

It’s been a crazy week, even as Eagles-Giants weeks go. But talk is cheap, as has been said many times as a counter-point to the madness. What matters most is what happens between the white lines. The Eagles are top of the division and look to extend that lead with the outcome of Sunday’s game. Once that happens, we can all rest a little easier heading into the Bye. And you think we’re trash talking now?

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Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

 

NFL Preseason Mash Ups: NFC East Personas

Thursday, August 7th, 2014

by WingFan

Wingfan

 

 

 

 

Teams have personality.  Between the owner, the coach, the players, and the fans, a team develops certain behaviors.  As we approach the official beginning of the NFL season, WingFan would like to countdown to kickoff by walking you through each team and our assessment of their persona.  Let’s forget about draft picks, free agents, and statistics for a moment and just focus on each division, each team, and each personality.  Imagine Wendy Williams, Jay-Z, Hulk Hogan and Pam Anderson sitting down to dinner together – what a show right?  Well, that’s the NFC East right now.  Let’s take a look at what each team brings to the table:

 

Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Persona: Wendy Williams

WWWith no Super Bowl titles to speak of, the Eagles still manage to have one of the biggest personalities in the league, much like Wendy Williams, who has one of the biggest personalities in entertainment.  No Super Bowl wins doesn’t mean “no championships.”  The Eagles have actually won 3 NFL championships prior to the Super Bowl era.  Wendy Williams has never won an Oscar either, but she was named to the Radio Hall of Fame.  Radio – you know the media that existed before the television era?

The similarities continue.  The ex-shock jock’s most infamous moment was an interview with Whitney Houston where she hammered Houston on questions of drug use; ruthlessly digging into Whitney’s emotional wounds on-air.  Now, would you believe that the Philadelphia Eagles fans hammered Santa Clause with snow balls and booed him at the halftime of a December game in 1968?  Ruthless is, as ruthless does.  Williams actually broadcast her radio shows out of Philly’s own Power 99 FM – a station she helped take from #14 in local ratings to #2 during her time there.  Coincidentally, during the 2000s, former head coach Andy Reid took the Eagles all the way to the Super Bowl where they lost the big game and finished the season as the #2 team in the league.  The key to staying relevant for the Eagles and Williams seems to be their willingness to speak to the public about private matters.  Stories about Terrell Owens, Michael Vick, and Riley Cooper have littered the headlines in Philadelphia for almost a decade.  Williams shared stories on-air about her drug use, her breast implants, and even her miscarriages.

Recent years have been more about transformation for both Williams and the Eagles.  The Eagles are now the slimmed down version of Wendy Williams with the extra long weave.  New head coach, Chip Kelly, gave the Eagles offense a makeover last year, and drafted leaner players who have more speed and endurance than your average NFL athletes.  With the liposuction and new look, the Eagles surprised critics last year by winning the NFC East and making it to the playoffs.  Perhaps, this year, they will follow Wendy’s recent big screen appearances with some big game appearances of their own.

 

Team: Dallas Cowboys

Persona: Hulk Hogan

HHThe Dallas Cowboys are often dubbed “America’s Team” and Hulk Hogan used to enter the ring to a song titled “I am a Real American”.  These two deserve each other.  For decades these two entities have both entertained the American public.  The Cowboys won two Super Bowls in the 70’s and established a dynasty by winning three Super Bowls in the 90’s. Hogan carried professional wrestling from the late 70’s, through the 80’s, and into the late 90’s.  Around 1997, the two entities managed to fly off into obscurity, only to be revived every now and then by reality TV and good marketing.

Hogan made a comeback in the new millennium when he landed a reality show called “Hogan Knows Best”.  Meanwhile, the Cowboys became a featured team on HBO’s new reality show “Hard Knocks.”  The publicity kept them both relevant, even though they were still living in their pasts.  Each received the benefit of the doubt from media outlets, while their fans blindly routed for their success and celebrated their celebrity.  Recently, both have managed to let their status go to to their heads – literally and figuratively – as infidelity and scandal abound.

Hogan’s wife divorced him after she found out the Hulk was sleeping with his daughter’s BFF; while photos recently surfaced of Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, posing provocatively with younger woman.  In the wake of the NFL’s lenient two-game punishment for Ray Rice who hit his wife, Jones’ behavior isn’t exactly the kind of leadership the NFL might want on display.  In the coming weeks, we will see how things turn out for Jerry Jones, but one thing is clear, this is American Beauty.

 

Team: New York Giants                               

Persona: Jay-Z

JZYou might think this mash-up lacks creativity because New York is Jay-Z’s hometown, but that’s more of the icing than the cake.  The Giants are known for not just winning, but winning with a little bit of magic – some would call it luck.  Both the Giants and Jay-Z have legitimate titles on their resume: the Giants’ first Super Bowl win in 1986 was a 39-20 thrashing of the Denver Broncos, and Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt”, is an undisputed hip-hop classic that most fans only started to appreciate years after it was released.

The Giants second, third, and fourth titles required some magic: a field goal miss from Buffalo’s Scott Norwood, a clutch catch off of David Tyree’s helmet on 4th down, and a perfectly placed Eli Manning pass to Mario Manningham with virtually no time left.  Jay-Z’s career has all of that: becoming one of the only links to Notorious BIG after his untimely passing, becoming the focal point in hip-hop’s “beef” era (an era where artists challenged each other song for song), and of course, becoming Beyonce’s fiancé (and husband) really didn’t hurt.  Some might call these occurrences “luck”.  But if you ask the Giants and Jay-Z, they’d say you “Can’t Knock the Hustle.”

 

Team: Washington Football Team

Persona: Pamela Anderson

PANo…this combination has nothing to do with a sex tape, but, then again, you never know what’s coming out of Washington these days.  With all due respect, the Washington Football Team won three Super Bowls – two in the 80’s and one in the 90’s.  Let’s call these the “Baywatch Days”.  The Washington Football Team were as pretty as Pamela Anderson bouncing down the beach in a little red bathing suit – they were all put together. Things started to change once Pam left Baywatch and the same thing happened in Washington when ownership changed from Jack Kent Cooke to Daniel Snyder.

Celebrity and branding became a larger part of the picture when both Pam and Dan started to tinker with their already established products.  Dan moved the team to the suburbs, while Pam moved from TV to movies.  Then the face lifts and plastic surgery ramped up for Pam and Dan.  Dan brought in celebrity coach after celebrity coach, celebrity athlete after celebrity athlete, and a carousel of quarterbacks that might finally stop with RGIII.  Same thing happened to Pam – her chest got more and more inflated, her face got more and more distorted, and her hair got more and more blonde.

Washington has only been to the playoffs four times in 22 years; and no one has featured Pam Anderson on the silver screen since Barb Wire (appearances aside).  It’s almost comedic. Washington just signed their 8th new head coach since the year 2000 and Robert Griffin (RGIII) is their 15th quarterback in the same time period.  If there were a team that deserved to sit in the hot seat and get roasted like Pam Anderson, it would be the Washington Football Team.  Their current name is a joke in and of itself.

 

UP NEXT:  AFC East Personas

 

WingFan, for War Room Sports

DeSean Jackson’s Stunning 65-yard Punt Return Against the Giants Voted Greatest Play in NFL History

Monday, April 15th, 2013

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

It is a moment that will never be forgotten by any Philadelphia Eagles fan, and it has now been voted the best play in NFL history on NFL.com.

Picture it: a game against the hated New York Giants, on their home turf, and the Birds were being beaten.  Badly.  On that December day in 2010, with 8 minutes in the game remaining, the Eagles trailed the Giants by a score of 31-10.  Stick a fork in ‘em — these Birds were done.  Even the most die-hard fans knew the game couldn’t be salvaged and were waiting for the misery to end.

But then everything changed.  Fans, who a moment before had been squinting at the game in pain, were treated to what has become known as a miracle.  It was another Miracle at the Meadowlands.

The final moment that capped off that miracle — a stunning 65-yard punt return by none other than DeSean Jackson with 14 seconds left in the game – has now been voted the greatest play in NFL history.  With that moment, the Eagles completed a 28-point comeback that enabled them to beat Big Blue 38-31.

Voting was based on 64 plays, based on NFL.com’s own version of March Madness, until a winner was proclaimed.

Like any vote, the winning play was met with controversy, but the fans have spoken.

I’m sure it’s a moment Giants fans won’t soon forget, either.  Thanks so much for that little gift, Matt Dodge.

Let’s face it — there is no way you can hear that play referenced without wanting to watch it.  So watch it again and again below.

Go Eagles!

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

2013 NFL PLAYOFFS – THE INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Monday, January 14th, 2013

by Nwaji Jibunoh

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is approximately 2:15am Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and the pre game show is about to begin.  An alarm blares as a certain fan is forced to wake up from that early morning slumber, run to the refrigerator to get an ice cold beverage, a light snack, and then turn on the TV; but not too loud for fear of awakening others in that household who may be fast asleep.  For the next almost 3 hours, with only friends stateside to talk thrash with via Facebook, an NFL fan is engrossed from half way across the world in the 2013 playoffs.

This is the typical situation that anyone living on this side of the pond (Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East), must go through in order to enjoy the playoffs live and not a broadcast delay the following day when you will pretty much have got the full synopsis of the game by the time the replay comes on.

Football, or better classified as “American Football”, has never been as popular as the other American export Basketball for numerous reasons.  The main reason is that a lot of schools in this part of the world don’t have Football programs due to lack of interest and facilities, whereas basketball is quite popular because it is a lot easier to erect a few baskets than it is to buy football equipment.  And with basketball being played as a global sport during the Olympics, the rest of the world pretty much understands, appreciates, and loves that particular “American” sport.

However, over the last 10 years with the globalization of ESPN and FOX Sports, there has been a huge introduction of American Football to the rest of the world.  With such coverage, you will always find keen sports fans willing to learn something new and have a new team to support.  For most people in the States, they support teams based on a particular affinity to either the city the franchise belongs to or certain players.  The rest of the world has several different approaches to selecting favorite NFL teams.  You ask the majority of Europeans, Africans, or Asians who have never lived or schooled in the United States who their favorite team is, they will either say the New England Patriots or the New York Giants.  The reason being is that in the last 10 years, these are the two teams that have featured prominently in the Superbowl finals.  And of course, with Tom Brady being married to one of the hottest women in the world, people kind of flock towards the Pats.  In addition to that, a lot of new NFL watchers are starting to enjoy the sheer athleticism of the game and also the depth of technical coaching involved.  The world’s most popular sport; Soccer, does not have as many playbooks or as many coaches as football does.  This peaks a lot of curiosity into how the game is played and how every yard/inch/route/block counts for a victory or a loss.

This year, I have seen a heightened interest amongst sports watchers over the playoffs.  Since leaving the United States in 2004, I have not witnessed as much interest in the playoffs from die-hard soccer fans as I am witnessing this year.  ESPN International has spent a lot of marketing dollars hyping up certain players/rivalries/legacies/Cinderella stories to the point that folks over here just want to see how everything pans out.  There are the traditional Patriots fans, and then amazingly there are Ravens fans all over the place.  This is primarily due to people falling in love with Ray Lewis after seeing him do his intro dance, and of course the whole story with this being his curtain call.  It is all getting very exciting and I sincerely hope to see more people hosting those early morning Superbowl parties like I have been doing for a long time now.

It is interesting to see the sport grow to the level it is now.  It is also interesting to see little minor leagues pop up here and there with flag football tournaments.

With enough time, interest, and understanding of the game, I do believe that the NFL will gain as much popularity as basketball, showcasing how every sport has the potential to truly be a global game.

 

Nwaji Jibunoh, International Correspondent for War Room Sports

Located in Lagos, Nigeria, Nwaji Jibunoh is War Room Sports’ International Soccer Contributor.  Nwaji also contributes commentary on U.S. sports from an international perspective.  He’s an Atlanta Falcons fan, Howard University alum, and former tight end for the North Atlanta High School Warriors.

Philadelphia Eagles: This is it for Andy Reid and Mike Vick

Sunday, December 30th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

Will today be Andy’s swan song?
(Image via Black Sports Online)

 

This is it.  The final game of the 2012 season for the Philadelphia Eagles will unfold this afternoon at the Meadowlands.  Sitting at 4-11, there are no playoff aspirations for this team.  There are only questions of what’s to come.

What’s in store in the year ahead for Mike Vick, who will today lead the Birds for perhaps the last time.  His tenure with the team was at first electric, then fizzled precipitously over the past two seasons.  It is that electricity that many of us hope to see from Vick today, one last time.  Can he drive the Eagles to victory over the Giants once again and end their playoff hopes for good?

If Vick does put in a strong performance, the question of whether he will see a return to Philadelphia in 2013 will grow even more uncertain.  Recent reports say that Vick is unwilling to renegotiate his existing contract with the Eagles, which would pay him a base salary of $15.5 million next year.  It’s hard to imagine Philadelphia paying that figure for a quarterback with a losing record with the team.  But, of course, that decision and so many others depends on who will be named head coach of the Eagles next year.

With the Andy Reid era almost assuredly coming to a close following this game, the questions about the coaching situation will come in rapid succession.  When will Reid be let go (it’s widely expected to happen before the new year)?  Who will be named to succeed Big Red?

The endless rumors about Oregon head coach Chip Kelly coming to Philadelphia are so plentiful that you have to wonder if it seems packaged a bit too nicely.  After all, when have the Eagles ever done what was predicted, particularly when it comes to personnel?

Today, there is a game to focus on.  Tomorrow, all talk about the Eagles will swirl around the many “what ifs” that surround the team following an abysmal season and a head coach whose record in the last four seasons has been 33-30, interestingly falling short of Rich Kotite‘s mark in his four seasons with the team (36-28).

Can Mike Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles go 2-0 against the Giants this season and end all hope of a return to the playoffs by last year’s Super Bowl champs?  With a little help by New York’s troubled defense it certainly can happen.  It won’t exactly end this long, disappointing season on a high note, but a win against the G-men is always a good thing.  It won’t change Philadelphia’s losing record but the end of what has been the most successful era of Eagles football deserves to end with a “W”.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

Philadelphia Eagles Season Sinks Even Further Into Meaninglessness

Monday, December 24th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

(Image via the Philadelphia Eagles)

 

The ending of Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins, the final home game of an awful season for the Birds, was a good analogy for the frustration of the entire year.

Nick Foles, trying to orchestrate a game-tying drive, found new tight end Evan Moore near the goal line only for Moore to drop the pass with 11 seconds left in the game.  For what would be the final play, Foles threw an incompletion that was ruled an illegal forward pass, thereby ending the game.

And so it went, with the Redskins winning 27-20 and on the cusp of winning the NFC East.  Which left the Eagles to sink even further into meaninglessness, falling to 4-11.

If the Eagles were trying to put on a good show for Andy Reid’s final home game or attempting to play the spoiler, they failed at both tasks.  But sadly, while we may have hoped for a different outcome, we didn’t really expect it.

There were some high points, certainly.  Foles’ 27-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin in the first quarter was a beauty.  And Dion Lewis notched the second touchdown of his career with a run into the endzone in the fourth.  Brandon Graham was fierce, leading the defense with 6 tackles and showing that his 2012 “I’m not a bust” campaign will be a success.  And Shady contributed his talents to the running and passing game, accruing 77 yards from 9 passes and getting 45 yards on the ground from 13 carries.

One of the highlights from the game only served to point out how bad this team has been this season.  Colt Anderson got an interception, the first time the Eagles have done so since Week 5.  That’s just pathetic.

Not surprisingly, there was a whole lot of bad.  Philadelphia converted on just 5 of 15 3rd downs.  The Redskins’ horrible defense did a number on Foles and the offensive line, sacking Nick five times.  And once again, as was the case when the Eagles and Redskins met up in Week 11, RG3, returning from an injury and visibly limping early in the game, put in another strong performance, going 16/24 for 198 yards for 2 touchdowns and 1 pick.

Foles’ numbers for the day were 32-of-48 for 345 yards with a touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble.  He sustained an injury to his throwing hand but neither he nor Reid pointed to that as the reason the team couldn’t get it done this time – as has been the case so many times this season.

The final test for Philadelphia comes next week when they play the Giants at 1 pm at the Meadowlands.  This painful chapter of Eagles history will soon draw to a close, with a report this morning from ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio on Mike and Mike saying that Reid will be fired on December 31, a day after the team’s final game.

We’ll see.  But it would be fitting to ring in 2013 Reid-free to show that we are truly entering a new era.

The end is almost near.  I can’t remember ever wanting to see the end of the football season come to a conclusion but this season warrants that exception.  And then will be an offseason of a lot of uncertainty and change.  But it’s time.

And, in case you’re wondering, if the draft were held today the Eagles would have the fourth overall pick.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

Is This How it Ends for Mike Vick in Philadelphia?

Monday, November 12th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

A tough hit, a tough loss.
(Image via the Philadelphia Eagles)

With each successive loss, hope for this Philadelphia Eagles team was harder and harder to come by.

Five straight losses, the most in Andy Reid’s tenure in Philadelphia.  The last time the Birds saw a win was on September 30 — the non-playoff Phillies saw a win more recently than Philly’s football team.

Perhaps more disturbing, there were no signs of improvement anywhere on the squad.  You know the talent is there, but the hope of putting it together in a meaningful way?

Gone.

Then came just the slightest glimmer of hope on Sunday in the form of the implosion of the New York Giants against the Cincinnati Bengals, which resulted in a 31-13 loss for the current NFC East leader.

Suddenly, if the Eagles could somehow pull out a win they would still have a shot in the division.

There was hope in the first Philadelphia opening drive of the season that resulted in a touchdown, with a one-handed, 2-yard beauty caught by Riley Cooper to take a 7-0 lead.  Vick was off to a strong start — 6/9, 70 yards and a 127.1 QB rating.

But then came former Eagle Ernie Sims to make a play, a tremendous irony as he neglected to do that his entire time in Philadelphia.  With 11:29 left in the half Vick was down for the count, out of the game with a concussion and an eye injury.

And finally, it was time.  Time to see what Nick Foles could do to help this team.

He made some good plays, he made some ugly plays.  For a rookie quarterback who’s gotten no snaps in practice he made a good shot, finishing 22/32 for 219 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.  Those numbers just so happen to make Foles the highest total by any Eagles rookie QB in his NFL debut.  He connected with teammates Jeremy Maclin for a 44-yard TD and Stanley Havili went up the middle for a yard with 1:57 left in the game.  And that would be all she wrote for the Eagles in their 38-23 defeat.

The defense was able to put some pressure on Romo and notched 3 sacks, tying a season high.  But tackles were missed, and the Eagles again performed their specialty of allowing a team with little running game before the meeting to find a successful one against the Birds.

If any segment of the game captures this five-game losing streak and this defeat in particular, it’s  that 2:35 stretch in the 4th quarter where the Cowboys scored 21 points in all phases of their team — offense, defense, and a 78-yard punt return by Dwayne Harris?  Which showed a total meltdown on all aspects of the Eagles squad.  A streak of total humiliation to put a cap on an unbelievably awful outing against a hated Dallas team that just isn’t good.

Sunday demonstrated that for as bad as the Cowboys are, the Eagles are worse.  That’s a hard pill to swallow.  But it’s reality.

For those who wanted to see what Foles could do in the regular season, there will be plenty of opportunity to do that now.  Despite Reid’s assertion that he’ll have to see how Vick’s health is before deciding who will be the Eagles’ quarterback against the Redskins next week, you and I know that there is no longer any reason to play Vick.  While Vick gave Philadelphia the best chance to win when there was some chance of contending, that time has passed.  And sadly, there is just nothing to play for at this point.

It certainly can’t be for heart and pride.  We haven’t seen that out of this team in weeks.  So might as well make it about seeing what you have in your rookie quarterback.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports

 

 

Tough Questions Face the Philadelphia Eagles After MNF Loss to New Orleans Saints

Tuesday, November 6th, 2012

by Brandyn Campbell

 

 

 

 

LeSean McCoy ran for 119 yards in Monday night’s game but his efforts weren’t enough to help his team overcome defeat.
(Photo via the Philadelphia Eagles)

Nothing like a Monday Night Football embarrassment.  The Philadelphia Eagles could only assemble 13 points against the worst defense in the league.  The Birds notched 447 yards of offense and yet only came out of the game with 13 points.

Where do you go from here?

The Philadelphia Eagles have now fallen to 3-5  in the 28-13 loss  to the New Orleans Saints with absolutely no signs of improvement in sight.  The fourth straight lost for the Birds.

Mike Tirico called it, “The night of the red zone nightmare.”  And that about sums it up.  The turnover issues returned, and in the red zone, no less.

The offense was 0-5 in the red zone.  Mike Vick was sacked 7 times.  The offensive line got even worse when Todd Herremans left the game early with an ankle injury and Demetress Bell put in an absolutely atrocious performance at right tackle.

On defense, Eagles fans may be wondering if Juan Castillo is available to return as coordinator as things on that side of the ball were a mess once again.  Getting pressure on Brees was absolutely essential this game, so of course the D did as little of that as possible, though Jason Babin and Brandon Graham had a sack a piece.  The secondary, the unit that now-defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was brought in to the team to coach, was as it has been for much of the season – a problem.

Andy Reid said that Mike Vick would be the quarterback next week against Dallas, and why not?  Nick Foles would get killed behind that line.  Heck, it’s a miracle that Vick has lasted this long.

So what now?

The last game the Eagles won was on September 30 against the New York Giants.  More than a month without a win.  It’s astounding.

Andy Reid’s postgame presser showed a man who no longer believes his words but is desperately trying to put on a brave face.  Mike Vick seemed shell-shocked.  Brandon Graham expressed utter frustration at wanting to save his coach’s job and play a good season to honor Garrett Reid but having no idea what’s going wrong.

The Eagles’ loss rounds out a complete week of suckitude around the NFC East, with each and every team in the division suffering defeat.  That at least means that the Giants haven’t been able to increase their lead over the Eagles.  Up next for Philadelphia are the Cowboys at home, an always-intense battle.  If the Birds suffer an embarrassing loss to Dallas at the Linc, the boos heard against Atlanta in Week 8 will seem soft as lullabies.

It’s clear that no one knows how to fix the problems with the Eagles because if they did, the issues wouldn’t keep reappearing.  They would be fixed by now.  Maybe there won’t be the dramatic wave of changes this week as many have predicted if the Eagles lost in New Orleans.  Perhaps the team is resigned to the reality of their woeful and habitual under-performance.  And maybe we all have to face the fact there are no more excuses – this is just not a good football team.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook.

 

Brandyn Campbell of Philly Sports Muse, for War Room Sports