Philadelphia Eagles Blogs

Let's face it; if you're a Browns' fan, you already know that we have many needs. Our new GM, Tom Heckert likes to build through the draft, and we have 11 picks but is that enough? Probably not. We need some free agents to fill some holes, or we could also trade for players.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: What's more exciting? ..."

The Cowboys have a huge match-up this week against the #2 seed Minnesota Vikings.  But, I don’t think that will keep any Cowboys fan from relishing in what has transpired over the last month.  Over these last 4 weeks the Cowboys have exercised all of their “demons” and now simply have to go into the Metrodome and take on the 12-4 Minnesota Vikings led by Brett Favre to advance to the NFC championsip.  Piece of cake, right?  Well before we stuff ourselves, let’s digest the last month of the season and see what the Cowboys were able to stomach (pun intended). 

Continue reading "Exercising the Demons"

The Dallas Cowboys have pulled off their first playoff win in years.  Tony Romo is now 1-2 in the playoffs, and Wade Phillips finally has won one himself.  Phillips and Romo had been known as "choke artists" in the past years, Romo fumbling a kicker hold against the Seattle Seahawks and throwing an interception late against the New York Giants.

Continue reading "First Playoff Win in 14 Years For 'Boys"

Proving that their shut-out win last week was no fluke, the Dallas Cowboys picked up right where they left off with a 34-14 blowout win over the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday night. In a flag-filled contest (actually setting a playoff record for most penalty yards), only Dallas overcame their mistakes. Philly never stood a chance. 

Continue reading "Cowboys send Eagles home with a 34-14 ..."

Every now and then one play can define a career in the NFL.  This was, indeed, the case for Michael Vick in the 2009 Wild Card game against the Dallas Cowboys. One pass in one playoff game may have secured one player's career in the NFL.

Continue reading "Vick's TD Pass Means More to Him Than to Eagles"

Playoffs? Yep, they're here! After another 17 week regular season, the Wild-Card round begins this afternoon with the rematch between NY Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, followed by what could be the game of the weekend. Philadelphia travels to Dallas for the third meeting this season between these NFC East rivals. Time for analysis and predictions! It's the Opening Drive of Wild-Card Saturday!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Wild-Card Saturday"

Happy Holidays everyone! After watching the San Diego Chargers take hold of the number two seed in the AFC by knocking off the Titans Christmas evening, I'm ready for a great Sunday in the NFL. Even though the NFC playoff picture is pretty clear, the AFC is still wide open. Let's get to the Opening Drive of week 16! 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 16"

It was a crazy week 14 in the NFL, book-ended by division upsets on Thursday and Monday night. While the playoff picture is coming into focus, we still have loads of drama in the NFC East and two undefeated teams with their eyes set on the Lombardi Trophy. The Final Drive starts now!

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 14"

The Dallas Cowboys have entered their December swoon, and yet I'm not worried.  The defense couldn't contain the pass.  The offense couldn't punch it in from the one yard line.  And off we go to New Orleans, a team that will pass all over you, that will stuff you at the line.

Continue reading "Big Test Coming for Big D"

To this point of the season the Cowboys have taken care of business, for the most part.  The Cowboys could very easily be 9-1 had they just maintained their composure against the likes of the New York Giants and Denver Broncos.  But instead of dwelling on what could have been, the ‘Boys did a good job of moving on as they went on to win 6 of their next 7 games and claim 1st place in the NFC east.  Unfortunately, none of that matters now.  The Cowboys are 8-3 with the Philadelphia Eagles in a close trail at 7-4, and the Giants still kicking at 6-5.  And being that the final five games of this season are in the dreaded month of December, the phrase “anything can happen” is an understatement. 

Continue reading "Going Forward: Can the Dallas Cowboys ..."

With three utterly craptacular contests on Thanksgiving, I’m looking forward to a little competitive football this Sunday. However, it’s not until Monday that the real showdown of week 12 takes place. Let’s get some Opening Drive in your diet!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: week 12"

Well, it wasn't a barrage of Jay Cutler interceptions that led to Chicago's loss to Philadelphia at Soldier Field Sunday night. Instead of tossing red zone picks, Cutler played smart and checked down to his receivers, setting up four Robbie Gould field goals. Thing about field goals is, a touchdown's better than two of them. That simple math led to the demise of Lovie Smith's team and the deflation of their playoff hopes as they fall to 4-6.

Continue reading "Different story, same result in Bears' ..."

Observations from Sunday:

 

- Jason Garrett tried to prove a point and the Cowboys almost lost the game because of it. 

 

Garrett came under fire for only running the ball 11 times all of last week, so he decided to double that total in the first half on Sunday.  That approach was somewhat understandable as the Cowboys got a pretty good push against a Haynesworth-less front four, but they should have mixed it up much more.  The Cowboys play best when they are spreading the ball around to all of their playmakers.  The wide-receivers didn’t even catch a ball until the 4th quarter, and Roy Williams didn’t register a single stat.  Which brings me to my next point?

Continue reading "We gots to do better!"

The Chicago Bears are losers of four of their last five contests. Their three primetime games this season have all resulted in losses, two of which were especially rich in turnovers. So why am I not convinced the Bears will lay an egg when they play the Eagles this Sunday night? Easy: they're playing at home.

Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Eagles at Bears"

With all of the surprise upsets, there’s no way I can take the time to properly address them all. I’ll hit the best and worst of week 10 in this edition of the Final Drive! 

(3-6) Tennessee Titans 41

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 10"

Any true Cowboys fan had to see this Sunday’s disappointing loss coming from a mile away.  It was like double reverse psychology.  Everyone starts talking about how the game is a trap game at the beginning of the week, yet most everyone picked the Cowboys to win.  So naturally the Cowboys fell to the Packers and Tony Romo’s streak of

Continue reading "Letdown at Lambeau"

There were a few games I couldn’t even pretend to drum up a story for. Monday night’s Baltimore v. Cleveland match-up is beyond ugly. Still, there's plenty of drama for the week 10 edition of the Opening Drive! 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 10"

Approximately 20 years ago, former Philadelphia Eagles superstar quarterback Randall Cunningham was featured on a cover of Sports Illustrated titled, “The Ultimate Weapon.”

 

Continue reading "Randall Cunningham Should Fly Like ..."

OLB Clay Matthews. DE Larry English. CB Alphonso Smith. Just a few of the names projected as players the New England Patriots would draft with the 23rd overall pick. Instead the Pats traded out of the first round, stockpiled more picks, and used all four second round picks.

Continue reading "Rookies vs. Rookies"

 

A slew of division match-ups are highlighted in this week’s NFL schedule. First place is up for grabs in the NFC East and one team hopes to avoid falling further behind the Colts in the AFC South. What games should you be watching? Find out in the Opening Drive of week nine!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 9"

In a crazy week six in the NFL, we saw both New York teams fall, one squad completely give up, and three teams continue their undefeated ways. The Final Drive of week six starts right now! 

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 6"

 

With some downright horrendous match-ups this weekend, this edition of the Opening Drive is shorter than usual. Just writing about Cleveland versus Buffalo would put me to sleep. Let’s get things going with the most anticipated games of week four! 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 5"

Monday Morning Moneyball: Week 2- Big Apple Stars Are Born!

Welcome to Monday Morning Moneyball! Week 2 provided us with two New York tales of triumph that not only bucked old trends, but also may have unveiled the dawn of a new quarterback era in green and wide receiver tandem in blue. We start with the J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS! All week, media outlets all over the country have been replaying Rex Ryan’s message to the Jets season ticket holders. 70 seconds of fanfare and propaganda from Ryan begged for support over and beyond the norm from the Jets faithful, and his message was reiterated by Kerry Rhodes and several other Jets players, and the message was simple: We can beat the Patriots. That they did, 16-9, showing off their Baltimore style dominant defense that Ryan has brought over from the Raven dynasty. While I’ll delve into New England’s deficiencies in my Money Bites below, praise needs to be given to Mark Sanchez for his 2nd consecutive strong performance. While his numbers weren’t gaudy (14 of 22, 163 yards with 1 TD, 0 Int), his 101.1 passer rating is indicative of his efficient performance. Sanchez did everything Ryan and the Jets could ask of him in his rookie season. He stayed away from risky unnecessary throws, threw for a 65% completion percentage in the second half and executed on big plays down the stretch, including the go-ahead touchdown strike to Dustin Keller. Watch out young QB society, Tom Brady, and everyone else in the AFC, if Sanchez keeps up this act, the Jets will be a team to be reckoned with come January.

Continue reading "Monday Morning Moneyball: Week 2- ..."

I was a decent 3-1 last week. Called the Games straight Up and where to take the points. My only lost was the Upset special. Which seems not so special for week 1. The Colts help on for the win, Yet like I said did not cover the spread. The Saints went marching in to the season with 6 touchdowns from Brees. The Dolphins seem to let me down in more then one way, I actual  sipped the Ronnie Brown Kool aid and left a sour taste in fantasy for week 1.

Continue reading "Week 2 NFL Picks"

 

With 16 games in the regular season, losing your first two isn’t a cause for panic, but it is a cause for concern. In the Week 2 edition of the Opening Drive, here are some teams who need to avoid an 0-2 start.

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 2"

It is the time of the year where we bid adieu to our Sunday trips to the local outlet malls and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Where, as men, we stop our tofu and salad diets in the name of our loved ones who are repulsed by our manly guts, and turn the grill up to happiness. No more flavored waters, playing cards with the in-laws or going to the zoo with your kids- no, my fellow men, it is Football season. It is the dawning of imported German sausage links, cheap-hardcore domestic manly beers (ok, maybe Light beers, let's be honest, we are a little fat), and the most destructive hard hitting American game filling our heads with fantasy stats, eye-popping hits, and hope for a glorious triumph.

Continue reading "Fall Springs Eternal- It is once ..."

Suicide Pick.

The Lions travel to the big Easy. Saints have high hope this year after Drew Brees awesome season last year. One more Touchdown drie and he would of had a new record. Now to the Contest. The Lions have won outright the last 2 times they where dogs against the Saints. The under is 8-2 last 10 times these teams meet.

Continue reading "Week 1 NFL Season!!!!!!! Sweet!"

Do you smell that? It smells like football! No more preseason, no more scrubs fighting for jobs. It's time for the return of the Opening Drive!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 1"

I was listening to ESPN radio when one of the guys, Steve Mason, spoke about a video on the internet that had him rollin'.  I was pretty interested in finding the video and when I did I was shocked, but I had to laugh also.  The tv show Family Guy did its portrayal of Michael Vick and his crime in a short clip from the show.  I am going to stop talking and just show the video:

Continue reading "Family Guy's take on the Philadelphia ..."

1. There hasn't been much to cheer about this season at Camden Yards in Baltimore, but this past Monday, the fans got a thrill.

Continue reading "Just a Few Funny Things"

Philadelphia Does Not Deserve a Class Act Like McNabb

The Philadelphia Eagles signed banished quarterback and convicted canine killer Michael Vick last week to a one-year contract worth $1.6 million.  

Continue reading "Philadelphia Does Not Deserve A Class ..."

The Philadelphia Eagles signed banished quarterback and convicted canine killer Michael Vick last week to a one-year contract worth $1.6 million.

 

Vick, 29, is permitted to participate in all team practices and meetings, as well as the Eagles’ last two preseason games.

Continue reading "Philadelphia Does Not Deserve A Class ..."

Peanut Butter and Jelly, Woodward and Bernstein and Batman and Robin are all synonymous with good pairings. Unfortunately, the coupling of Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles may be synonymous with nails on a chalkboard.  

Continue reading "Michael Vick and The Eagles make a bad pair."

I was thoroughly enjoying watching the Eagles game yesterday. I was wearing my greens, getting excited despite all the usual preseason mistakes and areas of concern. I had a can of Lager in one hand and the remote in the other, occasionally flipping over to the Steelers/Cardinals game on commercial breaks.

Continue reading "Let the Eagles fan who is without ..."

I know this is not 49ers news but, of course everyone is aware that Michael Vick has signed a 2 year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. This is really good news to me because regardless of what he did, he deserved to be given this chance to complete his NFL career.

Continue reading "Michael Vick Signs"

Three wide receivers who will give you the most return value in 09'.

Note: All rankings are based on following stats
10 receiving yards= 1 point
All td's= 6 points

3. DeSean Jackson

Continue reading "3 fantasy football wide receiver sleepers"

Philadelphia Sports Fans Are Scumbags

A man was beaten to death in a savage and needless fracas that occurred outside of Citizen’s Bank Park in the final innings of the Philadelphia Phillies 14-6 home win versus the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday night.  

Continue reading "Philadelphia Sports Fans Are Scumbags, ..."

A man was beaten to death in a savage and needless fracas that occurred outside of Citizen’s Bank Park in the final innings of the Philadelphia Phillies 14-6 home win versus the St. Louis Cardinals Saturday night. 

Continue reading "Philadelphia Sports Fans Are Scumbags"

Donte Stallworth just plead guilty to DUI manslaughter. It makes you wonder. He seemed to be doing well when he was playing for the Philadelphia Eagles but now that he is playing for the Browns it seems things have gone downhill. Although he did have that one incident while in Philly he seemed like a stand up guy. He got 30 days in jail, 1000 hours community service, his driver’s license suspended for life and has been suspended from the NFL indefinitely. Granted he was facing 15 years in jail so I guess it could have been worse. Either way the incident begs the question how did we get in this situation and could anything have been done to prevent it?

Continue reading "Donte Stallworth Pleads Guilty"

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.

Continue reading "Draft Day Weekend and Beyond"

How often have you done something over and over until it becomes reflexive? Has that action ever become so repetitive that you lose track of what you’re doing while repeating this task?

 

Continue reading "Ellis Hobbs: Addition by Subtraction"

It seems to be common among fans to complain about the team quarterback.  No matter how well the quaterback does there will always be someone to say he could do better, there will always be someone yelling we need a new one and there will always be someone who forgets just how bad things were before McNabb became a fulltime, pro bowl, possible Hall of Fame quarterback.

Continue reading "In defense of Donovan McNabb"

By now we've all heard the story and probably seen the video. Houston Texans running back Ryan Moats was driving his family to the Baylor Regional Medical Center in the Dallas Suburb of Plano, to make it to see his mother-in-law as she was in critical condition. She was suffering from breast cancer, and they had been told she didn't have much time. Moats put on his hazards, and by his account rolled through a red light after making sure the way was clear. Officer Robert Powell was parked nearby and attempted to pull him over. Moats continued to drive a short distance to the hospital, as Powell pursued. As he pulled up near the entrance of the hospital, the family jumped out of the car. Officer Powell instructed them to get back in the car, but Moats wife Tamishia and another family member ran inside. Ryan Moats tried explaining the situation to Officer Powell, who over the course of the next thirteen minutes would not listen, and herein lies the controversy.

Continue reading "Ryan Moats, You Are a Better Man Than Me..."

Well it looks like it will be slow on Eagles talk while the owners meetings are going on.

The Eagles brass is not home to work and they have a history of not doing any team business at these meetings.

Continue reading "Slow monday in Eagles land..."

So…yesterday the team addressed a glaring hole in the back field of this west coast offence….they signed a real full back.

Fullback Leonard Weaver has agreed to a one-year contract with Philadelphia, giving the Eagles a much-needed blocker in the backfield.

Continue reading "Paulie Beernuts reviews the Eagles ..."

So what are the Eagles plans for the Offensive line? Did they actually plan to allow both veteran tackles go without a back up plan?

OK…so they have filled one position, but what about the other? There have been rumors that they might move Shawn Andrews over. That would be a mistake. You can not count on someone coming back from the “problems” he had. The best bet is to leave him there and hope he comes back and plays to the best of his ability in a position he is comfortable in and then think about moving him next year.

Continue reading "Paulie Beernuts wonders about the ..."

Hello Eagles Fans!

 My name is Paul Kelly and I am a life long Eagles fan.

I live and die with the team...bleed green and live for sunday afternoons.

 With this site, I want to create a place for all fans to discuss the Eagles with their true and honest opinions.

Continue reading "Hello Eagles fans."

The Bronx Will Be a Better Neighborhood without A-Roid*

New York Yankees parasite Alex Rodriguez had arthroscopic surgery Monday to repair torn cartilage in his right hip and doctors said they found nothing during the procedure that would keep the overrated ballplayer from returning to the Bombers lineup in May.

Continue reading "The Bronx is Nicer without A-Roid* ..."

How do you do it, Terrell Owens?

 

How do you get booted off a team that hasn’t won a playoff game since 1996?

 

How do you get cut from the team that gave Adam “Pacman” Jones another chance to screw up?

Continue reading "T.O. Be Or Not T.O. Be?"

As football fans across the globe cast their longing eyes in the direction of the April draft, I decided that now might be a good time to reflect on draft classes of the last 10 years. Too often in this business, we rush ahead to the next big event without taking pause to evaluate the past and learn from it. In a way, this study will still be a celebration of the coming 2009 draft as I believe it will shed some light on certain overlooked trends that no one ever stops to consider. I will begin with a class by class showdown of sorts at the quarterback position over the last 10 drafts.  First up, we have the class of 1999 taking on that of 2000:

Continue reading "NFL Quarterback Draft Class Showdown: 2000 vs 1999"

Continue reading "Rookie Combine"

After reading Cleveland newspapers and watching Cleveland sports on STO for the last several weeks, there is nothing really new to report. However, this weekend is the NFL Combine, so there might be more to report. Anyway, there are rumors and speculation.

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: Mum is the Word"

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.

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."

Continue reading "Superbowl Aftermath"

Unrestricted free agent wideout TJ Houshmandzadeh went on a Philadelphia radio show this morning in a TO-like manner, letting it be known that he would like to be on the receiving end of Donovan Mcnabb passes come September. 

Continue reading "Houshmandzadeh Pulling Some Strings"

 

           Each week, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will prognosticate on all the playoff games each week.  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!

Continue reading "Predictions Super Bowl XLIII"

Continue reading "Super Bowl Pick's"

With the economy still on a steady decline it doesn’t seem to be hurting the NFL during its favorite time of the year… Playoff time. Now with Super Bowl XLIII just around the corner it seems like you still have to make a Hail-Mary pass to the loan office if you want to score a first hand view of any of these games. 

Continue reading "Why the Playoffs and the Super Bowl ..."

After some tremendous post-season play, the Super Bowl is set. In this edition of the Final Drive, I look back at Sunday’s Conference Championship games.

Arizona Cardinals 32, Philadelphia Eagles 25

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Conference ..."

I've posted lists of this length and magnitude elsewhere in the past. Before I get to the rankings, I like to explain my general rationale and some of the specifics of the decision-making process. Here are some essential rules, so you can better understand my thinking:

Continue reading "The NFL's Top 100 Players"

The stage was officially set after Sunday's two Conference games for the 43rd Super Bowl. The Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers both jumped over their last hurdles to go to the big dance. But don't ask either coach if they'll be satisfied with just making it. They want to win it! I'll bring you a in-depth 7 part preview of the big game as I'll give my prediction on the game on the 7th and final post. So let's get to it! This is the 'intro' post to the 7 part series.

Continue reading "Setting the Stage: Arizona Cardinals"

Even before he's introduced as the next New York Jets head coach and begins to assemble his staff, Rex Ryan has an influential assistant.

"We talk football all the time," Ryan's famous father, Buddy Ryan, said Monday.

Continue reading "About time Rex Ryan got a chance..."

Living near Philadelphia, every time the Eagles do badly, I always hear some sort of excuse. For the past 8 years, that reason has always seemed to be Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. I am sick and tired about hearing how Andy Reid needs to be fired, and that Donovan McNabb needs to be traded. For 5 of the last 8 years, the Eagles were one win away from going to the super bowl, and 1 time, getting to go. The reason for the loss to the Cardinals though, had very little to do with either Andy Reid or Donovan McNabb. In fact, if I were to make a list of reasons why the Eagles loss, there would be a lot of reasons I would put in front of Reid/McNabb.

Continue reading "The Real Reasons for the Eagles loss ..."

The NFL's final four are set. We're left with a two, a four, and two sixes. The four is actually more surprising than the sixes. I would guess that very few people had the Arizona Cardinals hosting the NFC Championship. I certainly didn't and I even managed to go four-of-five in my picks last week (five-of-six if you count Utah over Florida, which I'll give myself the benefit of a doubt since the BCS leaves us with nothing but doubt). The Cards got over the hump by winning on the other side of the Mississippi River. Sure, Jake Delhomme was awful, setting all kinds of records for turnovers (6) and interceptions (5), but the Cardinals fell behind 7-0 quickly and responded just as quickly. They could have gotten down on themselves while trailing on the road, but they fought back and blew out the Panthers instead. Hell, they even had a running game for the first time in weeks. That likely won't be the case against the Eagles, but they may not need it as they look to have Anquan Boldin back. When Kurt Warner is right, he's one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league. With Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, they have two of the biggest deep threats in the league, so they have a chance against any defense, even one as good as the Eagles have been lately.

Continue reading "Conference Title Games"

 

           Each week, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will prognosticate on all the playoff games each week.  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!

Continue reading "Predictions Conference Championships"

Continue reading "Two game pick'em"

• Well here we are again ! One game away from the main event. If you would have asked me around mid-season  for my Conference Championship finalists , I would have never anticipated these match-ups. With the exception of Pittsburgh , who I actually did have as one of the AFC´s contenders , Arizona ,Baltimoreand Philadelphia's were´nt even on my radar. Low and behold here they are , one game away from a trip to sunny Tampa. But as improbable as this semi-final sounds , we still must give credit where credit is due. Arizona is probably the most suspect of the three . A 9-7 division winner ,playing in a division that is suspect in itself  and, who only by virtue of winning that weak NFC west , got them into the post season . Lets face it , if they were in any other division , a 9-7 record even doesn´t get them in the playoffs. Be that as it may , they beat an up an coming Falcons team at home in the first round of the playoffs. With Warner hooking up with Fitzgerald and Boldin on touchdowns of 42 and 71 yrds. respectfully. And the defense surprising the Falcons by holding star runningback Michael Turner to just 60 yrds. rushing while intercepting Matt Ryan twice and sacking him in the endzone for a safety. Next up was the second seed CarolinaPanthers in the Divisionals. Going on that dreaded east-coast trip again where they have performed poorly during the season. They manhandled the Panthers on both sides of the ball whipping them 33-13. They held DeAngelo Williams , a 1500 yrd. rusher , to just 63 yrds. rushing while intercepting Jake Delhomme five times and forced a fumble. Arizona´s offense is known for putting up big numbers but now their defense is starting to show that they are also a big part of their success. Pretty impressive for sure , but I am still not sold on them being a championship caliber team. Baltimore squeaked into the playoffs after beating up on Jacksonville, and Miami winning against the Jets knocking the the Patriots out despite their win against the Bills. Baltimore´s relentless defense forced five turnovers on their way to smothering division winner Miami in the first round of the playoffs. In the divisional playoffs Tennessee dented Baltimore´s armor to the tune of 391 yards , but turned the ball over on three occasions inside their 20 , which ultimately cost them the ball game losing 13-10. It´s not by coincidence that the Ravens lead the NFL in take-a-ways with 34. Offensively , Baltimoreis riding on the cannon arm of rookie QB Joe Flacco along a solid running game with LeRon McLain , 902 rushing yards and 10 TD´s , and veteran Willis McGahee , 671 rushing yards and 7 TD´s, sharing the ground attack duties. Flacco makes good decisions with the ball  to go along with his accurate powerful right arm. But Baltimore can be vulnerable at times as proven by the Titans 391yards or the Giants 207 yards rushing their 30-10 thumping of the Ravens. And , don´t forget ,Willie Parker is healthy again and had 791 rushing yards and 5 TD´s despite missing five games with injuries. The Philadelphia Eagles are the New YorkGiants of ´07 . Just as the giants had their woes last season , the Eagles have had their share as well. Starting with the halftime benching of QB Donavan McNabb by Andy Reid , citing the seven turnovers in seven quarters being the reason for the benching. Followed by a week of Reid not saying who would start the next game against Arizona, furthering the despair between Reid and the squad. Then the Cardinals flew into town and McNabb , who got the nod , had a superb game throwing for 260 yards and four TD´s . That was the start of winning the their last four out of five regular season games. Their thrashing of their division rival Cowboys 44-6 in the last game of the season propelled them to the post season knocking out the `Boys playoff hopes. McNabb had another good day throwing for two scores and running for another. They carried over their momentum , just as the ´07 Giants had done , to the post season winning big on the road against Minnesota and then following that up with a huge victory over the # 1 seed and defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants . Does the word “Deja-Vous “ ring a bell ? A solid offence with versatile back Brian Westbrook  who , without a doubt , will force Arizonato keep 22 eyes on him all game long. A rejuvenated McNabb who is still dangerous and foxy and who is now beaming with confidence. And  capable receivers with the ever so dangerous DeSean Jackson leading the way. Along with Jim Johnsons´stout defence , Philly could be very dangerous indeed. Pittsburgh knows whats expected of them and I have no doubt that their no#1 ranked defence knows just how to respond. A healthy Willie Parker is back to take the pressure off of Big Ben and add some power to the ground game . Veteran Hines Ward is another seasoned player who knows how to raise his game this time of year. But again, the big part of this team´s success is their defence. Ranked # 1 over all ( #2 vs. run  - #1 vs. pass ) , 2ndin sacks with 51 , and fewest points allowed , 223 , they are an overwhelming force. Flying around the ball putting the big hits on opponents and simply demoralizing offences is their game plan week in – week out .Aaron Smith , James Farrior , James Harrison , and Troy Polamalu to name a few are a total wrecking crew waiting to pummel offences to the ground. And they will definitely be out in force come Sunday. Enough said ´bout those guys !! That being said : . Eagles 29 – Cardinals 24Eagles defence rattles Warner , Boldin not healthy. . Steelers 16 – Ravens 13The first two meetings were close and low scoring , expect more of same. Final thought : As a head coach of a German – American football team over in Germany , I live for stats. I love them to death. But they all go out the window come this time of year. One given: The team that turns the ball over more and has six or more penalties , loses the game 91% of the time!! ENJOY THE GAMES FOLKS !!!!

Continue reading "NFL Championship Match-Ups : "Unlikely ..."

For personal reasons, I really want to pick the Cardinals and Ravens to win this weekend.

 

I have many friends who are Ravens fans including my younger brother who was a member of the Baltimore Ravens’ marching band (and he may be a part of them again in the near future.)  He was, even if it was somewhat obliquely, a “Raven.”   He and I spend just about every Raven’s game texting back and forth.  He’s too young to really remember the Raven’s success of the early 2000’s.  He had just turned 9 when the Raven’s won the Super Bowl and all he really remembers about it is me (a lifelong Giants fan) fuming for most of the game and storming out when it was over.  So for his sake, I like to see the Ravens win.

Continue reading "Heads or Hearts on Championship Weekend"

Legendary quarterback Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals defeated the heavily-favored Carolina Panthers 33-13 Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Warner, 37, a two-time NFL MVP and the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV, went 22-32 and threw two touchdowns while leading the Birds surprising slaying of the Cats (12-5).

Continue reading "Kurt Warner is an All-Time Great!"

For the second straight week, all of the NFL’s contests are rematches. Who are the ad wizards that are responsible for this? I smell a fix! (I kid, I kid.) After my two favorite football weekends of the year, this Sunday is without question the best singular day of action. I’ve got you covered with all the details in the penultimate edition of the Opening Drive.

Continue reading "Joey A's Opening Drive: Conference ..."

Continue reading "The Birds and the "D's""

Hurray for the CAA and FCS (Division 1-AA)!  They are all over this year’s NFL final four.

 

Quick Aside:

I am a die-hard James Madison University (JMU) fan.  My wife and I both attended JMU.  She graduated.  I had a great time for a number of years.  Growing up I was not a fan of any major college team.  I did not become dedicated to one until I started attending a mid-sized Division 1-AA school (screw the NCAA FCS new-speak) in central Virginia.  So because of all that I follow JMU and their conference, the CAA. 

Continue reading "The CAA, FCS, and the NFL's final four."

This year’s NFL action hasn’t failed to deliver intriguing storylines, and the Divisional round continued that trend. This round’s upsets have produced a fresh and exciting conference championship Sunday. Let’s find out how we got here with a look at last weekend’s action in the Final Drive.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Divisional Round"

(First of all, I want to sort-of apologize for this picture...I usually don't like to personally attack people on this blog without due cause, but it is just too funny not to put up!)

Continue reading "Dismiss the Sheriff, Promote the Deputy"

 

The crystal ball had a dreadful performance this past week, posting a woeful 1-3 record.  This is playoff time, so that is totally unacceptable!  The crystal ball started off 1-0, but then dropped its last three for the weekend!  Anyway, that puts the crystal ball at 3-5 for the post-season, and 36-31-1 overall.  That’s five games over .500 (.537 to be exact).  Hopefully the crystal ball will perform better this coming week, as the pressure mounts in the Championship games!  Let’s take a look back, and review what happened last week.

Continue reading "Divisional Round Review"

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Continue reading "The Steelers used the Bye to get better"

Continue reading "The Match up of the Birds is a reality."

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" It´s like Deja-Vous all over again ". Ahh, yes, who could forget  that humorous, infamous quote from the legendary Yogi Berra. Well it could not be more fitting for the upcoming

Continue reading "GIANTS , EAGLES : " Best two out of three ""

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In what can only be described as ingenious regular-season scheduling on the NFL’s part, each of this weekend’s divisional contests are rematches from the regular season. That fact only serves to heighten the drama as we head into what is, in my opinion, the best weekend in all of football. After Wild Card Weekend gets rid of some of the riff-raff or gives surprise teams a chance to continue their run at the Super Bowl, the Divisional round ups the ante by adding the cream of the crop back into the mix after their bye weeks. This weekend’s slate of action looks to be an excellent one. I get you ready right here, right now. 

Continue reading "Joey A's Opening Drive: Divisional Round"

 

           Each week, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will prognosticate on all the playoff games each week.  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!

Continue reading "Predictions Divisional Round"

 

• Drew Brees won the AP Offensive Player of the Year award.  I can’t argue with that pick.  Anytime you come within a deep out route of Dan Marino’s single season passing record, you can be the Offensive POY.

Continue reading "Quick Hits and Playoff Week 2 Picks"

Continue reading "I'm a believer"

  

           Each week I will answer questions submitted by my loyal readers.  I personally read every single email I receive.  I will pick out the best five or so to use for the weekly post, as I won’t be able to answer all of them.  I will also answer one or two questions on my daily posts as well.  Now it’s time to open the mail!

Continue reading "Reality Mail Bag - 01/08/09"

When I was a sophomore in high school playing on the JV basketball team, we went into our Christmas break undefeated and feeling pretty good about ourselves. Over the break we were scheduled to play one game against a team from the division below us. We practiced a few times, nothing too serious, and went into the game feeling good. But the week and a half layoff killed us and we lost by four, our only loss of the season.

Continue reading "Picks for the NFL weekend"

Continue reading "The old saying seems to be true."

Although "my" Minnesota Vikings were eliminated from the playoffs last weekend, the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs for both leagues offers a host of great matchups, Vikings or no Vikings...

Continue reading "Quick Picks For The NFL Divisional Playoffs"

Last Sunday's 26-14 Viking defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card round was a tale of two halves:

Continue reading "Eagles 26, Vikings 14: Can't Quite ..."

Continue reading "Some Football blogging and Bowl game action."

 

The crystal ball had a mediocre performance this past week, going a mere 2-2.  This is playoff time, so that is unacceptable!  The crystal ball took its lumps on the Colts game, but it’s okay with it since Norv’s our buddy!  Anyway, that puts the crystal ball at 2-2 for the post-season, and 35-28-1 overall.  That’s seven games over .500 (.555 to be exact).  Hopefully the crystal ball will perform better this coming week, as the pressure mounts in post-season play!  Let’s take a look back, and review what happened last week.

Continue reading "Wildcard Weekend Review"

It is weekends like the one we just had that make me glad I don’t make actual predictions in my blog. I would have been at best two for four, and maybe even one for four if I had gone with the Dolphins as a sentimental favorite. Showcasing its parity, each day of the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend followed different themes. On Saturday, the home teams pulled out the close victories, while on Sunday the road teams won in a more lop-sided manner. Let’s take a look at the weekend that was in this Wild Card edition of the Final Drive. 

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Wild Card Weekend"

Continue reading "Divisional playffs"

 

           Wildcard weekend had an interesting lineup of games this year.  All four road teams (wildcard teams) were favored to win over the home teams (division winners).  That’s unusual, but this year it actually makes a lot of sense.  Many of the wildcard teams had better records than the division winners.  In the end, the underdogs won two of the four games (both 6th seeds defeated the 3rd seeded teams).

Continue reading "Where Are All The Nay Sayers Now?"

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Continue reading "Baltimore Ravens Dominate for a second time."

When the Vikings/Eagles wild card playoff matchup was finalized last weekend, the Las Vegas betting line had the home Minnesota Vikings as 10-point underdogs to the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.  Personally, I think that a different sort of "line" will be much more important on Sunday, that being the defensive variety...

Continue reading "Vikings/Eagles Preview: "Line" Is ..."

  

           Each week, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will prognosticate on all the playoff games each week.  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!

Continue reading "Predictions Wildcard Weekend"