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

Obama Open To Name Change For Washington Redskins

Former alternate logo for the Washington Redskins (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama says that if he owned the Washington Redskins, he would “think about changing” the team name, wading into the controversy over a football nickname that many people deem offensive to Native Americans.

Obama, in an interview with The Associated Press, said team names like the Redskins offend “a sizable group of people.” He said that while fans get attached to the nicknames, nostalgia may not be a good enough reason to keep them in place.

“I don’t know whether our attachment to a particular name should override the real legitimate concerns that people have about these things,” he said in the interview, which was conducted Friday.

An avid sports fan, Obama said he doesn’t think Washington football fans are purposely trying to offend American Indians. “I don’t want to detract from the wonderful Redskins fans that are here. They love their team and rightly so,” he said.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20131005_ap_4e545769cf7a41c68fafb55ada61635a.html#3fxVXG08vkDzcLA3.99

NFC East Is A Money Machine, Forbes Says

The NFC East is raking in the money, according to Forbes Magazine.

The magazine ranked the world’s 50 most valuable sports franchises and the home of the Philadelphia Eagles totaled a combined net worth of $6.428 billion.

Three of the NFC East teams are ranked among the top 10 in the world, led by the Dallas Cowboys ($2.1 billion) at No. 5. Dallas is the most valuable NFL franchise, according to the magazine.

The Washington Redskins ($1.6 billion) are eighth, followed by the New York Giants ($1.468 billion) at No. 9.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/sports/mc-forbes-sports-franchises-value-20130718,0,2943534.story#ixzz2ZQSAWfnK
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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

Rhetoric Coming From All Sides In Eagles Organzation

There is a LOT of talk coming from the Philadelphia Eagles organization as of late.  Last week’s loss to Buffalo put the Eagles at 1-4.  The inability of the Eagles to hold it together for four quarters is alarming, to say the least.  We can’t catch the ball, hold on to the ball, score or keep the other team from scoring.  Sounds like a serious problem.  So far we are hearing talk, talk and more talk.  Things are progressively going downhill as the season unfolds.

Obviously something has drastically changed from last season.  It appears we have yet to identify the root problem and make a correction.  This week we are being told the Eagles “plan to stay aggressive while working on the turnover problem.”

I think if things don’t turn around this week we may see some major leadership changes.  I say let the chips fall where they may.

McNabb Asks To Be Released From Redskins Contract

Image via Wikipedia

That certainly didn’t last long.  Donovan McNabb wants out.  

Anybody remember “Please Release Me” by Engelbert Humperdinck? 

Now that Mike Singletary has been fired as head coach of the 49ers, there is some speculation that good old number 5 might end up in San Francisco.  Time will tell.

Will Donovan leave his heart in San Francisco?

McNabb Speaks Out – Feels Disrespected

Image via Wikipedia

So good old Chunky Soup finally opens his yap about getting demoted to third-string QB for the Redskins.  Of course, McNabb blames Coach Shanahan for not giving him a chance and for leaking news to the media before he was aware.

First of all, your performance this season should have been a clue that things were not exactly going according to plan.  I think this is the worst season I remember for McNabb.  It’s been a downward spiral.

As far as being disrespected, I think you need to put your big boy pants on and own up to the fact you have been a huge disappointment to the Redskins.  Maybe they feel a little disrespected by your abysmal performance this season.  Andy Reid is not around anymore to coddle your ego and make excuses for you.  Plus the rest of the Eagles team is outstanding and propped up your inconsistent behind week after week.

So Donovan, you have nobody to blame for the predicament you find yourself in except you.  The rest of the NFL is not as nice as Andy Reid!

Retire!

McNabb’s Career Swirling Around The Drain

Image via Wikipedia

Donovan McNabb‘s career is in free fall.  He is now being reduced to third string QB for the Redskins and coach Mike Shanahan said he may not be back next season.  Didn’t we just witness the hoopla over McNabb’s new contract a few weeks ago?  However, before the ink was dry he lost another game?

The Redskins are 5-8.  There are three more games left this season for the Redskins.  After next week, McNabb falls to third string for the last two games of the season.  McNabb’s performance has been erratic (say it ain’t so Joe) and he has dropped to 25th in the league with a 77.1 passer rating.  Not to mention his career-high 15 interceptions.

I think this season certainly justifies to anyone why McNabb is no longer No. 5 with the Eagles.

IMHO Donovan should bow out gracefully and retire while he still has a shred of dignity left!

McNabb Signs Multi-Million Dollar Contract, Then Promptly Gets A Spankin’ From The Eagles

What a charmed life Chunky Soup McNabb leads.  His career with the Eagles was impressive in some respects but McNabb could never follow through for a Super Bowl victory.  So after more than a decade as Number 5, he got traded to the Washington Redskins.

During Donovan’s first year with the Redskins he is again mired in controversy and got benched by the team’s coach Mike Shanahan because he can’t grasp the team’s offense.  Media hype and speculation about what the benching meant ensued.

So yesterday I read that Donovan has just signed a whopping $78.5 million dollar, 5-year contract with the Redskins.  The $78.5 million would be if Donovan gets resigned and he completes all the incentives, however, this is still a huge amount of money for an “on again, off again”, nearly 34-year-old quarterback.  Certainly more faith than I would put in Mr. McNabb based on present and past performances.

As a big thank you to the Redskins owner Dan Snyder, Donovan gets the stuffing beat out of him, at home, before the ink is dry. 

After this huge loss to the Eagles (59-28), the Redskins drop to 4-5 for the season.  Hardly a record that merits a contract of that size IMHO!

Lions End 19 Game Losing Steak With 19 – 14 Win Over The Redskins

For the first time since 12/23/07, the Detriot Lions won a football game ending the second longest losing streak in NFL history.  Sadly there were slightly less than 41,000 people on hand to finally see the “W”.

Congratulations to the Lions.  That’s way too long to go without a win.