ON ITS SURFACE, the premise makes sense. Without departed free agents Tra Thomas, Jon Runyan and Brian Dawkins; with Brian Westbrook playing just his eighth game of the season; and center Jamaal Jackson done for the year with a blown-out knee, Sunday’s game, more than perhaps any other in his career, could play a large part in defining the tenure of franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb. Which, when regarded on a deeper level, pretty much makes no sense. It’s a season finale of what might be McNabb’s final season as an Eagle. It’s in the gaudy new Dallas Dome, against Romo and Co., with the NFC East title on the line and the No. 2 NFC playoff seed within the Eagles’ grasp, which would mean …
Read more:
Eagles’ McNabb has thrived under pressure in past
Could the script be more compelling? Two rivals clashing for a division championship, two top-shelf quarterbacks and the potential for a rematch in the playoffs. “It’s an exciting time for a coach,” Andy Reid said Wednesday, a rare colorful admission from the normally abrupt head coach. “I don’t get caught up in what other people are saying or thinking, but I do know this is why you coach and this is why you play the game — for opportunities like this. “Every Sunday is exciting and this has even a little bit more spice on it.” The Eagles (11-4) can clinch their sixth NFC East title under Reid with a victory Sunday against Dallas (10-5) in their first trip to the new stadium in Arlington, …
Read more from the original source:
Eagles expect pistols-ablaze duel in Dallas
THIS PROBABLY isn’t going to go over too well with those of you out there still shoveling down Prilosec to quiet the acid reflux caused by the announcement of Andy Reid’s contract extension a few weeks back. But a pretty good case can be made for “Big Red” to be the NFL’s coach of the year. There are a lot of good candidates out there this year. The Colts’ Jim Caldwell is 14-1 in his first season as head coach, though Peyton Manning has had a little something to do with that. The Cardinals’ Ken Whisenhunt managed to avoid the letdown that so often has struck Super Bowl runners-up and has guided Arizona to its first double-digit-win season in 33 years. The Chargers’ Norv Turner righted a …
View post:
Is Andy Reid coach of the year?
Andy Reid looked and sounded like a man sitting at a World Series of Poker table. His answers were short, less revealing than usual – that’s saying something for him, too – and often accompanied by a smile that could be perceived as nervous or confident, depending upon who was doing the interpretation. The Eagles’ head coach knows the enormous stakes when his team plays the Cowboys on Sunday inside the new mega-palace of Dallas owner Jerry Jones. Reid dislikes hype with the same amount of fervor as he loves cheeseburgers. But this game is the NFL’s marquee matchup of the final week of the season, and if the Eagles can win it, they get the luxury of a bye week as the second seed and a home …
Go here to see the original:
Eagles, Cowboys closely matched
Six Eagles were named to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster last night, the most since they sent 10 players to the game during the year they went to their last Super Bowl. And still the Eagles felt as though the list was at least one name short. Sheldon Brown, despite having arguably the best year of his career, was left off the roster, disappointing the cornerback and his teammates. “It will kind of mess with you, but it’s something you can’t control,” Brown said after being told by coach Andy Reid via voice mail that he was a second alternate. The NFL says the voting is divided evenly among players, coaches, and fans. The six players who got much better news were cornerback Asante Samuel, wide …
Continued here:
6 Eagles named to Pro Bowl
After losing starting center Jamaal Jackson for the rest of the season Sunday from a torn knee ligament, the Eagles heard much more encouraging news in the days that followed. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson and left cornerback Asante Samuel were among six Eagles voted into the Pro Bowl, which the NFL announced Wednesday night, less than 24 hours after the Eagles had seized control of their destiny for the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture. Left tackle Jason Peters, fullback Leonard Weaver, defensive end Trent Cole and kicker David Akers were also named to the all-star event, which takes place at Landshark Stadium in Miami on Jan. 31, 2010. Peters, Cole, Samuel and Akers are each multiple …
Read more from the original source:
Eagles have six Pro Bowl picks
The Philadelphia Eagles envisioned an imposing offensive line of Pro Bowl tackles Jason Peters and Shawn Andrews, guards Todd Herremans and Stacy Andrews and center Jamaal Jackson. But the Andrews brothers were disappointments; Shawn never played a down because of a back injury and Stacy lost his starting spot after one game. Herremans missed five games with a foot injury, and Peters also missed one game with an ankle injury and was knocked out of three others. The one stable element of the blocking front this season has been Jackson, whom the Eagles believe has been a playing at a Pro Bowl level. But as Philadelphia prepares for Sunday’s showdown against the Cowboys, the Eagles will be …
View original post here:
New Eagles center must fit right in
THIS YEAR, more than ever, the idea is to make the Pro Bowl but not actually play in it. The NFL has moved its annual all-star game from Hawaii the week after the Super Bowl to the Super Bowl site the Sunday before – meaning nobody on a conference championship team will suit up for the Jan. 31 Miami Pro Bowl, at all. The league wants to have all its stars on hand, though, and it wants to emphasize the new tie-in with the Super Bowl, so the conference champions will wave to the cameras from the sideline. That’s what David Akers is aiming for, the Eagles’ kicker said last night, after being named to his fourth Pro Bowl, his first since the Eagles’ Super Bowl season of 2004 when 10 Birds …
Read the rest here:
Eagles Pro Bowlers are thinking Super
I WAS GEARING UP to be extremely critical of Donovan McNabb Sunday, as the second-half three-and-out series piled up and a blowout win teetered on the brink of becoming a bizarre loss.McNabb, after displaying perfect vision and touch the first half, suddenly started spraying the ball all over the Lincoln Financial Field turf. After adroitly mixing and matching Brent Celek, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant and his other weapons, McNabb seemed to only see Jackson when the game tightened, Jackson working against one of the all-time greats, Champ Bailey. Obviously, the confused offensive line, after Jamaal Jackson went down and the Broncos started bringing more pressure, didn’t help. …
Originally posted here:
Pressure doesn’t get to McNabb
It has happened twice in December, the TV cameras catching Donovan McNabb on the sideline with a facial expression that says more than the veteran quarterback is normally willing to reveal.Three weeks ago in the Meadowlands, after the Giants scored to erase the Eagles’ lead, McNabb wore a mask of pained frustration, a what-more-do-we-have-to-do look of dismay.Then he went out and threw that long touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, giving the Eagles the lead for good.On Sunday, the camera found McNabb kneeling on the sideline as David Akers’ game-winning field goal sailed through the uprights. As his teammates and the coaches cheered, McNabb looked utterly exhausted and spent. Again, it had …
More:
Eagles’ McNabb facing key stretch in career
The Eagles’ offensive line has survived and persevered despite repeated injuries since training camp, but it’ll have to overcome one of its most severe losses for the team’s playoff march. Mainstay center Jamaal Jackson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Sunday’s 30-27 win over Denver, coach Andy Reid confirmed Monday afternoon, ending the Delaware State product’s season just as the Eagles were starting to develop continuity up front. Reid said Jackson, who will eventually undergo surgery, will be replaced by Nick Cole, a natural center who had been starting at right guard in place of an ineffective Stacy Andrews. Reid also said reserve Max Jean-Gilles would fill …
See original here:
Eagles lose Center Jamaal Jackson for the season
Practice will be more vital than ever for the Eagles this week as they prepare for their showdown against the Dallas Cowboys with the NFC East title and a few other things on the line.That’s because the man who had started every offensive play this season for the Eagles before Sunday is finished for the season.Eagles coach Andy Reid broke the bad news at the top of his news conference yesterday when he announced that center Jamaal Jackson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the first quarter of the Eagles’ win against the Denver Broncos.During the game, Nick Cole moved from right guard to center to replace Jackson, and was replaced at right guard by Max …
See the original post:
Eagles lose durable center, hope to adjust
Recent Comments