Sanchez Shows What He Can Do

ARLINGTON, Texas – You don’t ever forget something like the Butt Fumble. Even if you tried, there’s always going to be an annoying sports writer, probably one from New York, who’s going to come up to you and remind you about it.

“It sucked,” Mark Sanchez said. “I ran into some guy’s butt and dropped the ball on the turf and they scored. I don’t know if it gets [any worse than that]. This is like my favorite holiday, so that’s not cool. It was really a bummer.”

That was two Thanksgivings ago, when Sanchez’s career was unraveling with the Jets. The Butt Fumble looked like it might be the poor guy’s legacy. They wouldn’t remember the two AFC Championship Games he started. They would only remember the Butt Fumble.

But that was before Nick Foles got hurt and Sanchez got a second chance to jump-start his career. That was before last night when he went out on the Thanksgiving Day national stage again and claimed redemption.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20141128_Sanchez_shows_what_he_can_do.html#24br7u37uQM5OrS0.99

Eagles Won’t Let Inexperience Be Another Foe On The Field

EAGLES COACH Chip Kelly explained it the best the other day when asked about his team’s unfamiliarity with being in the NFL playoffs.

“Depends on who wins, right?” Kelly said when asked about the difference in experience between the Eagles and the New Orleans Saints, tonight’s opponent in an NFC wild-card game. “If we lose, we were inexperienced. If we win, then there will be another story.

“We are concerned with how do we prepare to play a really good Saints team, and that’s all we can really be concerned with.”

Experience is an intangible, and intangibles come into play only when the tangible parts of a matchup are played at an even or near-even level.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20140105_Eagles_won_t_be_inexperience_be_another_foe_on_the_field.html#M8sFZT7D1QyowqpI.99

Cowboys’ Romo Has Surgery, Won’t Play In Showdown Against Eagles

IRVING, Texas – Tony Romo‘s season is over, and the Dallas Cowboys will have to win without their star quarterback in a third straight winner-take-all finale.

Coach Jason Garrett said Romo had back surgery Friday, and Kyle Orton will start when Dallas faces Philadelphia on Sunday night with the NFC East title and a playoff berth on the line.

Garrett said Romo underwent treatment all week in hopes of playing after injuring his back in a season-saving 24-23 victory against Washington. The winning touchdown came after the injury on Romo’s fourth-down pass to DeMarco Murray in the final 2 minutes.

Romo injured himself when he tripped over his foot while trying to escape pressure earlier in the fourth quarter.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/latestsports/ci_24800100/cowboys-romo-has-surgery-wont-play-showdown-vs

Eagles Make Statement, Rout Bears

PHILADELPHIA – They couldn’t help their playoff chances no matter what they did on the field, which made the Philadelphia Eagles‘ performance Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field all the more impressive.

Playing an essentially meaningless game after a Dallas comeback win set up a winner-take-all finale in Texas, the Eagles demolished the Chicago Bears 54-11.

Quarterback Nick Foles threw two more touchdown passes and LeSean McCoy ran for a pair of scores for Philadelphia (9-6), which maintained its one-game lead over the Cowboys (8-7) in the NFC East.

But because the Cowboys won at Philadelphia in the season’s first meeting and also clinched a better division record by rallying to beat Washington earlier in the day, the Eagles must win or tie at AT&T Stadium to take the division and earn their first playoff berth since 2010.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article/20131223/SPORTS/312239938/1052#.UrhywfRDsxI

Eagles Come Unhinged In Loss To Lowly Vikings

MINNEAPOLIS >> DeSean Jackson fumed on the sidelines. Philadelphia’s beleaguered secondary had its own meltdown on the field.

And the high-flying Eagles landed with a mighty thud against the short-handed Minnesota Vikings.

The Eagles’ offense was stymied in the first half by Minnesota’s makeshift secondary and Matt Cassel threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns to help the Vikings end Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak with a 48-30 victory on Sunday.

Jackson caught a career-high 10 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown, but it was the play he couldn’t make in the third quarter that grabbed the most attention. He was wide open down the sideline, but Nick Foles saw him too late and his pop-fly pass was picked off by Shaun Prater.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_24729756/eagles-come-unhinged-loss-lowly-vikings

Philadelphia Eagles Plow Through The Snow To Knock Off Detroit Lions

PHILADELPHIA — It was a game of inches.

Eight inches, according to the people who shoveled the snow.

In a mini-blizzard that made Lincoln Financial Field look like Anchorage before the summer thaw, the Eagles answered the Detroit Lions’ big start Sunday with a record day from LeSean McCoy to produce a 34-20 victory.

McCoy rushed for two touchdowns and 148 of his franchise-record 217 yards in the fourth quarter to spark the Eagles (8-5) to their fifth straight success and sole possession of the NFC East lead.

Keep pounding the rock never felt so good.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/sports/20131208/philadelphia-eagles-plow-through-the-snow-to-knock-off-detroit-lions

Kelly Picks Nick To Be Philadelphia Eagles’ No. 1 Quarterback

PHILADELPHIA – When the moment arrived, it was neither dramatic nor surprising.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly met separately with quarterbacks Nick Foles and Michael Vick and made obvious what had been apparent for some time by naming Foles his starter for the rest of the season Tuesday.

“Chip’s a simple guy,” said Foles. “I just went in there and he told me the situation, that I was the one and Mike was the two, and let’s go. I mean, it’s not drawn out. I know like in movies it’s a big thing. You sit down, there’s tears. He just told me the situation and I was ready to go. Mike’s ready to go.”

“I just wanted it to be a smooth transition, and it was,” said Vick. “When we sat down, he didn’t have to say much. We’re all on the same page.”

Eagles Keep Faith And Foil Forecasters

We have arrived at the Eagles’ bye week, and they have just said hello to first place in the NFC East. Maybe Nostradamus, in the midst of predicting all that war and famine, saw this coming in the 16th century, but the most believable football forecast around here three weeks ago was for an occluded front bringing in another season of gloom and doom, with the arrival of a new quarterback expected in the spring.

Chip Kelly and his players swear they had a different view of the Eagles’ weather map after two straight NFC East home losses last month in which they did not score an offensive touchdown.

“I wasn’t worried, but I knew that was going to be a big test for us,” Kelly said late Sunday afternoon as his team celebrated a 24-16 win over the Washington Redskins. “We knew what we had to do. We had to stick together as a group. The only people that really had confidence in us was us, and rightly so because we weren’t playing very well.”

Forgive the football forecasters if they did not envision Nick Foles’ return from a concussion as a sign that an Eagles resurrection was about to occur. But here they are in first place at their bye week with a meaningful final month in front of them.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20131118_Eagles_keep_faith_and_foil_forecasters.html#e37pPYXMvPRxXPJF.99

Foles Stars Again, Eagles Top Packers 27-13

Nick Foles keeps throwing touchdown passes. The Green Bay Packers keep losing quarterbacks.

A week after tying the NFL record by passing for seven TDs, Foles connected for three long touchdowns and the Philadelphia Eagles pulled away for a 27-13 victory over the injury-ravaged Packers on Sunday.

Foles connected with DeSean Jackson for a 55-yard score in the first half. Touchdown passes to Riley Cooper from 45 and 32 yards highlighted a 17-point second half for the up-tempo Eagles.

Philadelphia handed Green Bay its first back-to-back home losses since 2008, Rodgers’ first season as the starter. It was the worst home loss for the Packers since falling 38-10 to the New York Jets on Dec. 3, 2006.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=518733

Foles Ties NFL Record As Eagles Rout Raiders, 49-20

OAKLAND — You couldn’t stop Eagles quarterback Nick Foles Sunday, much less hope to contain him.

Two weeks after Foles was accused of being overwhelmed, he cut it loose firing an NFL single-game record seven touchdown passes to power the Eagles to a 49-20 rout of the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum.

The next stop for the game ball and Foles’ gear almost certainly is the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, where it would join a growing exhibit. The distinguished cast includes the late Adrian Burk, also of the Eagles, the late Sid Luckman, George Blanda, Joe Kapp, Y.A. Tittle and Peyton Manning.

“Whenever I’ve looked at records, the greatest thing about them is the guys you do them with,” Foles said. “So it’s something that’s special for the Philadelphia Eagles organization. We were able to spread the ball around but you’ve got to look at the key components that went into it like the O-line blocking, the guys running great routes and making huge catches. So it’s a special moment for the organization but it’s special for all our teammates.”

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/sports/20131103/foles-ties-nfl-record-as-eagles-rout-raiders-49-20

Eagles’ Nick Folds

IF THIS WAS the class of the NFC East, then the NFC East has no class.

The Eagles played for first place in their division and lost, to a sloppy, depleted Cowboys team that showed up without bullets.

Then again, the Eagles brought knives to this gunfight.

Dull knives.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20131021_Eagles__Nick_folds.html#JuIi4OVQZZvCLYub.99

Foles, Eagles Defense Beat Winless Giants, 36-21

Editor’s note: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Philadelphia Eagles did the unexpected in keeping the New York Giants winless.

They got key plays from their bottom-ranked defense and a timely performance from Nick Foles after he replaced an injured Michael Vick late in the first half, sending Eli Manning and the Giants to another loss with a 36-21 victory Sunday.

The Giants’ 0-5 start is their worst since the 1987 strike season when the NFL used replacement players for three games. It comes just two years after New York won the Super Bowl.

Foles threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 25 yards to Brent Celek and 5 yards to DeSean Jackson as the Eagles (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak by forcing three interceptions by Manning in the fourth quarter.

Read more:  http://www.pottsmerc.com/sports/20131006/foles-eagles-defense-beat-winless-giants-36-21

Eagles Sloppy In Loss To Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Missed assignments, fumbles, dropped and batted passes, egregious errors in judgment, penalties, confusion and a pick-six to seal the verdict.

All the food groups of an NFL exhibition game featuring almost all backups were presented in an exquisite, all-you-can-eat, soup-to-nuts smorgasbord Thursday night at MetLife Stadium, where the Philadelphia Eagles dropped a 27-20 decision to the New York Jets in their final preseason game.

By the end, coaches on both sides were left to determine whether the fringe players who seemed to separate themselves actually played that well or just looked like they did because the men across the line from them didn’t.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-eagles-jets-0829-20130829,0,5070189.story#ixzz2dTYFrTbe
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Vick Named Eagles’ Starting Quarterback

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILADELPHIA,PA – Michael Vick is the Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback.

Head coach Chip Kelly said today before training camp practice that the 12-year veteran had won the competition with Nick Foles and will start the Sept. 9 season opener at Washington.

“I think Mike is ahead right now, and I think Nick made it very difficult there,”  Kelly said of the decision, which came after 20 training camp practices and two preseason games. “It wasn’t where one guy went north and the other guy went south. I think both of them upped their games, but at this point in time, Mike’s ahead, and we want to move forward.”

Each quarterback started one game and both led two touchdown drives during their preseason work.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=503488

Video: Eagles WR Riley Cooper Wants To ‘Fight Every [N-Word] Here’

A video of Riley Cooper using a racial slur at a Kenny Chesney concert has gone viral.

Earlier today, www.CrossingBroad.com posted a video of an agitated Cooper yelling, “I will jump that fence and fight every (N-word) here, bro.”  It appears that teammate Jason Kelce was trying to calm Cooper down in the video. Obviously, this is not good for anybody.

From a football standpoint, Cooper was viewed as Jeremy Maclin‘s most logical replacement after Maclin was lost for the season with a torn ACL.  In fact, Nick Foles referenced exactly that in his post-practice press conference.  “I think Riley Cooper is stepping into a role,” Foles said.  “He’s out there playing for (Maclin).”

Shortly after the video surfaced, Cooper took to Twitter to issue the following apology:

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/pattisonave/Video-Eagles-WR-Riley-Cooper-wants-to-fight-every-N-word-here.html#vPhy6z0uiwDRWoKc.99

Turnovers Plague Eagles In Loss To Cincinnati

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILADELPHIA – Following a one-game flirtation with competence, the Philadelphia Eagles got back to doing what they do best Thursday night.

That is, they couldn’t get out of their own way in another embarrassing defeat, this one a 34-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field.

Making this one even more disgraceful was that the Eagles (4-10) were ahead late in the third quarter before the wheels came off in a dumbfounding series of turnovers that led to 24 Cincinnati points in 31/2 minutes.

Leading by three and in position to extend the advantage and win their second in a row after losing eight straight games, the bumbling Birds instead turned the ball over four times in the next six minutes to match their season high with five giveaways.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=435189

Eagles Stun Bucs In Thrilling Finish

Editor’s note:  It’s about time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TAMPA, Fla.— The most puzzling Philadelphia Eagles game of the season was a tale of two comebacks, with some old-fashioned, fourth-quarter desperation providing the fuel for a 23-21 victory over the host Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Rookie quarterback Nick Foles hit Jeremy Maclin with a 1-yard scoring pass on the game’s final play from scrimmage as the Eagles (4-9) broke an eight-game losing streak and came away with perhaps their most improbable win in decades, considering what happened immediately after Damaris Johnson fumbled away a punt return early in the third quarter.

Leading 10-0 and dominating on defense, the Eagles temporarily lost their fighting spirit after that play, and the Bucs (6-7) responded with three touchdowns for a 21-10 lead.

But Foles and an offense that was stifled on the ground all day pulled it back together and pulled one out with two late touchdowns sandwiched around a crucial defensive stop.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/sports/football/eagles/mc-eagles-bucs-1209-20121209,0,1262341.story

Eagles Deny Report Of Conflict With Vick

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

PHILADELPHIA – Michael Vick still hasn’t passed his concussion recovery test and remains out, but the Philadelphia Eagles strongly refuted reports of a rift between the quarterback and the team over the issue.

An ESPN report Friday said Vick believes “politics are entering the equation” in his bid to get back on the field as the team plays rookie quarterback Nick Foles, who will start a third straight game Sunday night against Dallas.

“There’s nothing to that,” said head coach Andy Reid, who said he has talked to Vick about the matter.

Head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder confirmed that Vick on Friday failed the ImPACT test that measures cognitive brain function for a third time this week, but said the team believes it has figured out why Vick reached a “plateau” in phase four of the five-phase recovery protocol.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=432499

Andy Reid’s Exit Is Now Imminent

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

LANDOVER, MD – Never in anyone’s wildest imagination could the end of the Andy Reid era as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles have gone down like this.

Anyone who says they saw it unfolding this way is lying or insane or both. Probably both.

What we’re seeing with this team is not to be believed. The Eagles have become the NFL’s version of Monty Python‘s dead parrot, bereft of life, an EXXXXX!!!!!-football team.

They have gone from not being able to pull a couple close ones out at the end to not even being competitive.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/sports/columnists/fierro/mc-eagles-fierro-column-1118-20121118,0,5637049.column

Eagles Reach A New Low Under Andy Reid

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles’ coach, after the Eagles’ training camp in Lehigh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To be an Eagles fan is to be an expert in disappointment, a connoisseur of dashed hopes.

The team has suffered almost every flavor of defeat in Andy Reid‘s final season.  There was the shocking blowout in Arizona, the near-miss in Pittsburgh, the collapse against Detroit, the whipping administered by Atlanta, the failed gut-check in New Orleans.

But this one? This cruel beatdown at the hands of the hated Dallas Cowboys was a rare blend, indeed.  In an absolute must-win situation, the Eagles reached out for the faint sweet glimmer of hope, only to have it cruelly snatched away and replaced by the most bitter of defeats.

There was hope in the form of rookie quarterback Nick Foles, who led the team on two third-quarter scoring drives to take a 17-10 lead.  There was hope in the sudden competence of a defense that had been AWOL for the previous three-and-a-half games.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20121111_Eagles_reach_a_new_low_under_Andy_Reid.html?mr=1&submit=Vote&oid=1&178713011=Y&pid=178713011&cid=8500281