Joe Pasternak's Philadelphia Eagles fan blog

The NFL draft came and went and with it came new optimism for the Eagles and their faithful. After making several stellar moves leading up to the draft and during it, the Eagles have now placed themselves as favorites to win the NFC East and maybe the conference as a whole.

Signing pro bowl-left tackle Jason Peters from Buffalo was a huge addition to bolster the offensive line for Donovan McNabb. It immediately makes the offensive line younger and more athletic. The combination of the Andrews brothers also helps bring the average age down. These trades could help provide the Eagles and McNabb with one of its best lines in years.

For days, even weeks leading up to the draft, the Eagles were rumored to be in the hunt for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin. When the price became too high to lure him into Eagles green, the organization decided to be aggressive by trading up in the draft to acquire wide receiver Jerry Maclin from Missouri. Many considered Maclin to be the second best receiver in the draft behind only Michael Crabtree. Having Maclin among the receivers adds a physical presence to go along with the speedy DeSean Jackson, who had a solid rookie campaign last season. With the departure of Terrell Owens to the Buffalo Bills, it's arguable that the Eagles now possess the best group of receivers in the NFC East.

Continue reading "Draft Day Weekend and Beyond"

The 2008 season for the Philadelphia Eagles was a typically tumultuous one. The Eagles made another late-season push to get into the playoffs only to fall short in the NFC championship game to a different opponent. Despite the same result, the Eagles and their fans are left with another familiar off-season emotion: optimism.

The Eagles finished the season with a 9-6-1 record, but their season tells much more than their record indicates. In week 11, the Eagles settled for a disappointing tie against the Cincinnati Bengals. What made it worse was that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb made comments about how he "didn't know" that an NFL game could end in a tie. The following week, McNabb saw himself suddenly benched in favor of the ill-experienced Kevin Kolb because of inconsistent play against the Baltimore Ravens and in preceeding games. Many were left wondering if this was it for McNabb in Philadelphia and head coach Andy Reid as well who was guilty of making questionable play-calling decisions throughout the season.

Continue reading "2008 Philadelphia Eagles Season Recap"

Superbowl XLIII is over and the Pittsburgh Steelers now have their 6th championship. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 27-23. Both teams put up a solid effort but in the end the fans from Pittsburgh got to waive their Terrible Towels and watch their beloved team "win one for the other thumb."

As the attention shifts from the Superbowl to the off-season and the draft, the Steelers in-state rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, will try to make necessary adjustments after being beaten by the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game. Being beaten in the NFC title game is an unfortunate but familiar sight for the Eagles and the Philly faithful. The loss against the Cardinals now brings the Eagles' recent conference championship game record to 1-4. Tough losses coming to the St. Louis Rams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers and now the Cardinals. The lone victory came against the Atlanta Falcons which propelled the Eagles into a Superbowl loss to the New England Patriots.

Continue reading "Superbowl Aftermath"