Dropping the Ball on the Weekend

To be perfectly honest with you, my weekend was a whole lot like Jeremy Maclin's game in Atlanta last night. On paper, the weekend looked great: Relaxing and drinking some beers on Friday night, tailgating and taking in the Penn State-Temple game at the Linc on Saturday followed by a wedding and then watching the Floyd Mayweather-Victor Ortiz fight, and wrapping it all up with football all day Sunday leading up to the Eagles-Falcons game for the nightcap. Oh, and the Phillies had the opportunity to clinch their fifth straight NL East title, not to mention playing under the bright lights of Sunday Night Baseball.

Likewise, Maclin's statistics — 13 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns — were outstanding on paper. But just like my fun-filled weekend hit some hiccups along the way, no amount of catches, yards and even touchdowns can wipe away the memory of Maclin's critical drop on 4th-and-4 last night that sealed the Eagles' fate in Atlanta's 35-31 victory.



It really is a shame for both of us, because had just one or two more things gone right, this weekend could have been glorious for both Jeremy Maclin and me. But in the end, someone dropped the ball and prevented it from being all that it could have been.

Things started out on the wrong foot with the Phillies dropping the series opener to the Cardinals Friday, but at least we had Saturday to look forward to. We headed down to FDR Park around 9 a.m. to set up for a daylong tailgate for the Penn State-Temple game, though I could only partake in the morning portion because I had to leave after the game to go to a wedding.

There, things started great. We got a prime spot right at a group of picnic tables, had plenty of food and beer, and a crowd gathered before the game. We were drinking and eating and having a great time in anticipation for the game. Now, as much as people were talking about this being Temple's best shot ever at knocking off the Nittany Lions, I personally didn't see it. Undoubtedly my bias as a Penn State alum played a hand in that, but I honestly thought that with the talent disparity as far as depth is concerned, Penn State would win by two touchdowns.

I couldn't have been more wrong. The game was an absolute debacle. Penn State looked more incompetent on offense than I've ever seen. For starters, it's become abundantly clear now that neither Rob Bolden or Matt McGloin are any good. In fact, they're terrible. Really terrible. To the point that you wonder how a Big Ten team with the tradition Penn State has is in the position where these two guys are the best option at quarterback.



It doesn't even matter who starts, to be honest with you. Neither one is good, but playing both of them makes them both worse. The offense can get no rhythm because the QBs are being shuffled in and out at random, regardless of performance. Against Alabama, Bolden was playing much better than McGloin, yet the carousel continued. Saturday, McGloin was having a much better game than Bolden, yet the merry-go-round pressed on. Honestly, I don't think the coaching staff has any idea what the hell it's doing, and I don't mean just with the quarterback.

On offense, this team has some truly good playmakers — Silas Redd, Derek Moye, Justin Brown. Yet none of those guys are given the opportunity to get in a rhythm either. Every other play on offense, Penn State rotates in different sets of wide receivers and running backs, and it just makes no sense. Brown, Moye and Redd should be on the field for the large majority, I'm talking 70-80 percent, of the offensive snaps. But they aren't. Instead, in come true freshmen or backups to cut into that playing time, meaning the more talented players are on the sidelines when they could be making plays and developing chemistry with whatever quarterback is in the game. It simultaneously stunts the quarterbacks, those players and the offense as a whole. And it's why this team looks completely inept when it has the ball. More than anything, it's the coaching.

I never thought I'd say this, but the time has come. Clean house. Get rid of every coach in the program except for Larry Johnson, and maybe Tom Bradley and Mike McQueary. At least the receivers get open, and the defense is good.

That's really the shame of it. This defense is really good. Devon Still is one of the best defensive tackles in the nation. Mike Mauti played tremendously on Saturday. As did Chaz Powell and D'Anton Lynn. But their efforts are going to be wasted all season behind a terrible offense that his being horribly coached. It's really not fun being a Penn State fan right now, and I'm saying this after a victory.

I can say without hesitation that that disgusting 14-10 win was the most miserable I have ever been at game in which the team I was rooting for won. I have nothing more to say about this, because honestly this game wasn't worth anyone's time.



Also, Evan Lewis should never be allowed on the field ever again. I know at least 15 people personally who could kick a football better than him.

After that sorry disgrace for a game, my cousin and I hopped in my car, made a quick getaway and changed at my house before heading to a wedding for our other cousin.

That was just the appetizer to the Mayweather-Ortiz fight, which I watched at my other cousin's house after the wedding.

The fight started off with plenty of promise. Floyd was clearly outclassing Ortiz through three rounds, especially dominating in the third by picking apart the 24-year-old, but Ortiz wasn't backing down, was taking it to Mayweather in the 4th and it looked like we were in for a good fight. But then Victor dropped the ball, inexplicably heading Floyd when he had him pinned against the ropes, then kissing him on the cheek to make Money even more angry, then trying to apologize 15 damn times before getting knocked the fuck out when he lost focus and forgot he was in a boxing match.





Hands down, man down. Say what you want about Floyd, the dude did his job. Ortiz is a moron. He dropped the ball.

At least the Phils won and clinched the NL East behind Raul Ibanez's grand slam and Roy Oswalt's gem.

Then last night took place. The Phils lost yet again, putting it on Doc's shoulders to clinch home field tonight. While I never want to see the Phils lose, the silver lining is that I'll be in attendance tonight as Roy Halladay takes the ball to clinch home field. Should be good.

What was not good was the Eagles. We all know what happened last night, because everyone was watching. Mike Vick was playing extremely well until he fumbled in the red zone, leading to a Falcons touchdown and a 14-point swing. Then the game went on the see-saw, Maclin dominated, Vick got knocked out and the Eagles looked be in control. Until they weren't.

Mike Kafka did all he could, playing extremely well and putting the Eagles in position to go ahead late, until Maclin, who had been the hero to that point, dropped a ball that anyone in the world with hands could have caught. With the way Maclin played, you want to give him the benefit of the doubt there, but you really just can't. That's not just a ball that should be caught or could be caught, it's a ball that has to be caught, 100 times out of 100. To be frank, it's absolutely ridiculous that any player in the NFL would drop that pass. But shit happens, unfortunately, and a whole lot of shit happened in that game — the turnovers, Vick getting concussed by his own guy, and the dropped ball. Ugly.



A few other notes on the game:

-LeSean McCoy is an absolute stud. Seriously, this guy needs to get the ball a ton and should be on his way to perennial Pro Bowl status. The things he does out there are amazing, and he was great last night.

-Jason Peters is a man's man. It's really frustrating watching him commit a false start, but all you need to do is watch him maul everyone in his path to forgive him. That guy is insanely good.

-Nnamdi and Asante are everything everyone expected them to be. Asomugha played practically a flawless game, blanketing Roddy White and holding him to 3 catches for 23 yards, while Julio Jones only had 2 catches for 29 yards. Meanwhile, both Asante and Nnamdi came up with a pick, and no one is going to be able to throw to their receivers against this defense.

-Unfortunately, they will be able to throw to the tight end all day. While the linebackers improved against the run this week, even Casey Matthews, they showed they cannot cover the tight end at all. Tony Gonzalez went bonkers, routinely burning the linebackers and safeties.

-And that's why the Eagles gave up 35 points, mainly because of the linebackers and safeties in the passing game. Honestly, the defensive line played well, with Trent Cole playing beastlike as the best defensive player on the field all night, and Cullen Jenkins impressing even more. But Matt Ryan just kept going over the middle, exploiting the linebackers and safeties in coverage, and it worked. It's frustrating when so many players on defense are playing well yet the Falcons still scored 35 and went 5-for-5 in the red zone.

-I really hope Mike Vick is all right. Having said that, Kafka played really well.

Seriously Maclin, how the hell did you drop that ball?

The Undefeated Starter

Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Vick has never lost a game he's started for the Philadelphia Eagles. Not a one.



Granted, he's only started two games for the Eagles, and those came against the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars, two truly dreadful teams. So it's not a very big sample size. And it's come against bad opponents. Still, it's been exciting watching Michael Vick lead the Eagles to consecutive road victories, playing two of his finest games as a pro in the process, to lead the Eagles to the top spot of the NFC East, a place they sit all alone at 2-1, with the rest of the division looking up with their 1-2 records.

I'm not going to get all crazy and proclaim the Eagles Super Bowl contenders and Mike Vick the savior after two wins and 10 quarters of impressive football. Like I said, these games came against the Lions and Jaguars, and the Lions and Jaguars are bad. Really bad. For all we know, Vick could go back to his inaccurate ways, get himself in trouble holding on to the ball too long and struggle to read some of the more complex defenses as the schedule gets tougher.

But good lord, did Michael Vick look awesome again on Sunday.



The man accounted for four touchdowns, throwing for three and running for another. He threw for 291 yards, still hasn't turned the ball and looks more like a true quarterback than he ever has before. Yes, his completion percentage dropped a bit (17-for-31, 54.8 percent), and he made a couple of really poor throws, but he also looked comfortable in the pocket, went through his progressions, read the defense and took what was there. Sometimes that meant throwing from the pocket. Other times it was moving around to buy time to throw. And on four occasions, it meant taking off, like he did on his 17-yard touchdown run. What he wasn't doing was at the first sign of trouble taking off. I mean, check out his touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin before the end of the first half.



Besides his maturity as a player showcasing itself right before our eyes, Vick still gives you plenty of jaw-dropping moments. The difference on Sunday was that most of those were made with his arm. There was the beautiful touch and accuracy on DeSean's touchdown pass, hitting him right in stride and letting Jackson do the rest. There was the impossible way he squeezed his second TD to Maclin in there, dropping it in over the cornerback and before the safety could get there. There was the lasers he'd toss, not to mention the back-foot heaves he throw effortlessly, mostly getting them there right in stride.

There's no telling what the future has in store for Michael Vick, but he's been about as good as you can be through two and a half games. And he's been doing it behind a very, very suspect offensive line.

Some have argued that the offensive line isn't as bad as is perceived, as Kulp did. And to a degree, Kulp is right. But on Sunday, the Eagles offensive line was not very good. Not at all. There wasn't much room to run, and Vick was under siege regularly. It wasn't a matter of Vick holding on to the ball too long or the Jags blitzing all that much. Jacksonville's front four simply beat Philadelphia's front five on many occasions, and John Henderson isn't even there anymore.



Terrance Knighton especially was giving Philadelphia fits. It wasn't an encouraging sign with Brian Orakpo and the rest of Washington's pass rush coming to town this week (and some guy named Donovan too).

However, the offense had no trouble moving the ball, especially through the air. DeSean had himself another huge game, with five catches for 153 yards and a score. Maclin had 83 yards on his four catches, half of which were touchdowns. And Brent Celek even got in on the act finally, catching four balls for 42 yards.

The thing that impressed me the most about the win though, even more than Vick, was the play of the defense. Everyone knows that if you stop Maurice Jones-Drew, you stop the Jaguars, but stopping elite running backs hasn't exactly been Philadelphia's forte over the years. And as bad as David Garrard is, he usually plays well at home and has a couple of talented wideouts in Mike Sims-Walker and Mike Thomas, even if those guys don't strike fear in your hearts, and an athletic pass-catching tight end in Marcedes Lewis, the type of player that notoriously gives the Eagles trouble.

But that didn't happen. The Eagles keyed in on Jones-Drew, limiting him to 88 yards on 22 carries. And Garrard couldn't beat them. He threw for just 105 yards. Lewis led all Jacksonville receivers with just three catches. And Sims-Walker had the most yards, with just 34.

The defense was dominant, especially the defensive line. Trent Cole had a team-high eight tackles and two sacks and was easily the best defender on the field. Darryl Tapp looked unblockable in his first game as an Eagle, registering a sack himself. Trevor Laws had the best game of his pro career, looking like a new player. And Juqua Parker continues to play inspired football since losing his starting spot to rookie Brandon Graham, picking up another sack.



Meanwhile, Graham has been quiet through three games, but his impact has been felt if for no other reason than for lighting a fire under Parker.

One rookie who's having no such problems is Nate Allen. The man who was taken with the McNabb pick had two interceptions, one in each game, in his first two games. He should have had a third on Sunday, keeping his streak alive, but he dropped one that Garrard literally threw right to him. Still, he came away with his first career NFL sack, picking up one of Philadelphia's six sacks in the game. He's been most impressive indeed. Now if he'd just switch numbers with Joselio.

Oh, and Asante got his first pick and horribly whiffed on a tackle, so he's in mid-season form.



All in all, it was the type of effort you'd expect, the Eagles dominating a terrible team. What's unexpected is the Eagles sitting alone atop the NFC East standings three games in. And doing it with Michael Vick under center, playing some very impressive football.

Since there's not much to add, I'd like to give some love to Sav Rocca, a player I've been critical of quite a bit in the past. Rocca is killing the ball this year. Even though he did shank one on Sunday, he also boomed a ton, dropped two inside the 20 and finished with an average of 45.1 yards per kick on 7 punts. He has a 47.7 average this year on 19 punts, good for third in NFL, and his 41.1 average net is among the league leaders as well.



Well done, Sav. Now keep it up.

Pro Bowling

Well, the list of the NFL's Pro Bowlers are in, and the Eagles did quite well for themselves. Six Eagles in all were named to the team. Yesterday, before the teams were announced, I told Adam EatShit that four would definitely make it and potentially six could. True story. That doesn't mean I got all the guys right. Let's take a look.

Defense: Asante Samuel, Trent Cole


Asante was one of my four locks to make the team. He's tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with nine (along with Jarius Byrd and Darren Sharper), and he has a reputation of being a big-play corner, which he is. No surprise in him making it. However, truth be told, I don't think Asante Samuel necessarily deserves to be on the team. Don't get me wrong, he's a fine player and just about every one of his 9 interceptions have been huge, but you watch the guy play week in and week out and he's certainly no shutdown guy. Very good, yes. Great, great playmaker. But he offsets that with the worst tackling in the NFL. As good as he's been taking the ball away, he's been just as bad giving up big plays by horribly missing tackles. Still, the guy has 9 interceptions, leading the league, so of course he was going to make it. Hard to argue.

As far as Cole goes, he was on my could make it list. Not a lock, but a guy I thought had a good shot. The reason I didn't have him as a lock? I had no idea that he was third in the NFC in sacks and fifth in the entire NFL. Had I known that, I would have definitely called him a lock. His 12.5 sacks are even more impressive if you get to watch this team every week. This is not exactly the Eagles defense we've grown accustomed to over the years, the one that punishes opposing quarterbacks. The Eagles struggle at times to get any pass rush from anyone not named Trent Cole, and the blitzes seem to have lost their luster with the passing of Jim Johnson. That leaves opposing offenses with one guy and one guy only to key on in passing situations, yet every week, Trent Cole has wreaked havoc on quarterbacks, running backs and every single offensive lineman he's lined up against. I used to be a guy who knocked Cole a bit early in his career, saying he was a bit overrated and nothing more than rush specialist. Over the past few years, he's proven that sentiment wrong, becoming one of the most dominant ends in the NFC. He's been a master this season both against the pass and the run, snuffing out screens, running down plays … basically, Trent Cole has been a beast. He most definitely earned this bid.

Offense: DeSean Jackson, Jason Peters, Leonard Weaver


DeSean and Weaver were two more of my locks. Let's face the facts, DeSean Jackson is the best wide receiver in the NFC East, and frankly, he's every bit as dangerous as any player in the entire league. His 8 touchdown plays of 50 yards or more this year are tied for the NFL record, and he still has the game against Dallas to make that record all his own. He more than any other player has made this offense impossible to stop, because his speed and big-play threat demand attention, opening up the rest of the field. And sometimes, DeSean simply can't be stopped. He's just too damn good. His selection was a no-brainer.

As was Leonard Weaver's, which I'm sure no one would have ever guessed heading into the season. Now, the Eagles' fullback woes from a season ago were well-documented, so it was no surprise when they went out and got themselves a true fullback this offseason. And by all accounts, Leonard Weaver was the best available one out there. When the Birds signed him, everyone was happy, but everyone also sort of questioned how big of a deal it would be. After all, the Eagles run a ton of empty or one-back sets, meaning a fullback can only have a minimal impact. Yes, as last season showed, that minimal impact is still very important, but chances were Weaver wouldn't be a key cog on most downs. Boy did that change in a hurry. Of course Weaver is an excellent blocker who has created holes for Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy all season long, not to mention done a great job helping keep Donovan McNabb clean. That alone doesn't get you to the Pro Bowl though, unless you're the lead blocking back for a 1,500-yard rusher. Weaver was not. No, what he became was the most versatile fullback in the entire NFL. The former college tight end showcased his sick hands throughout the season, making clutch catches and huge plays. When Westbrook went down, he displayed his deceptive speed and running skills, lightening the load of the passing game. He has arguably been one of the most valuable players on this explosive offense, and he certainly has been the most dynamic, most versatile fullback in the entire NFL. Again, no-brainer.

Jason Peters on the other hand was a bit of a shocker to me. In the first few games, Peters was less than stellar, committing a slew of false start and holding penalties. He looked a bit slow and a bit out of shape. He's certainly progressed as the season has gone on, and frankly, he's been damn good. Well worth the big contract, and making everyone forget about Tra Thomas. But Pro Bowl good? I don't think so. He wasn't especially good on Sunday, and he's had more moments where he's gotten beat than you'd expect from one of the best tackles in the game. In the run game, he's a complete mauler, a truly dominant force, and he's good as a pass blocker, but honestly, he didn't completely wow me. Again, he's very good, and he's been great in a good number of games as well, but I was a bit surprised at his inclusion.

Special teams: David Akers, DeSean Jackson


Akers was my fourth and final lock. The guy is leading the NFL in scoring with 139 points, has made an NFL-best 32 field goals and has missed just four kicks all season, going 32 of 36. He's shown he still has it from long distance, making a 52-yarder and having no trouble getting the ball there, he's a perfect 11-11 from 20-29 yards, 8-9 from 30-39 and 11-13 from 40-49. Basically, David Akers has been brilliant this year. Rumors of his demise the past few seasons were grossly exaggerated, including by yours truly. Most points and field goals gets you to the Pro Bowl every time. And rightfully so.

DeSean was also named as the punt returner, which was another lock. He leads the NFL in punt return average at 16 yards per return, has the longest punt return in the league at 85 yards, and is tied with Patrick Crayton with two returns for scores. Basically, he's the best punt returner in the league.

Who should have made it: Sheldon Brown and Brent Celek




In the words of Matt Mosley:

For the Eagles, I think cornerback Sheldon Brown and tight end Brent Celek should have been on the team. They're both alternates, but that doesn't cut it. Brown has played through injuries and been excellent this season. Celek simply had to overcome too many big names. Vernon Davis had an excellent season for the 49ers and Witten finished strong for the Cowboys. I could make an argument that Celek should've made it in front of Witten. Just look at the huge discrepancy in touchdowns.

In my humble opinion, Sheldon has been the best player on the entire Eagles defense. Better than Asante. Better than Cole. Better than anyone. As Mosley pointed out, he's played through injury, and it hasn't slowed him down one bit. The guy has five interceptions, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble and two touchdowns — one an interception return and one a fumble return. He's third in the NFL in interception return yards with 152, and more importantly, he's one of the few Eagles who rarely misses a tackle. He's a big hitter, sure tackler and excellent player. He's been so good that Asante has been able to get his 9 picks because a lot of teams have been throwing Asante's way more than Sheldon's. It's not the first time Brown should have made the Pro Bowl. For years, he was the better corner while Lito Sheppard was getting the picks and return touchdowns, thus going to Pro Bowls. But this may have been Sheldon's finest season. I thought he had a shot to make it, and I really thought he should have. With the loss of Jim Johnson and Brian Dawkins, not to mention the injuries in the secondary and the poor play at the safety position, Sheldon has been the guy back there that has held everything together. He really deserved a trip to the Pro Bowl this year. He really did. It's a shame that he doesn't seem to get the acknowledgment he deserves across the league.

As far as Brent Celek is concerned, he was the other Eagle I though had a chance but probably wouldn't make it. Vernon Davis scored a league-high 12 touchdowns from the tight end spot, more than anyone, so he was a lock. Then you had to assume Jason Witten would be named on name recognition alone. Plus, he is a damn good player. But as Mosely pointed out, Celek probably deserved it over Witten. Just look at the TDs. Celek has 8, Witten just one. Yes, Witten is a better blocker, but Celek vastly improved on that this season, turning it from a weakness to becoming more than adequate. And yes, Witten caught 88 balls to Celek's 69, but even with 19 fewer catches, Celek has just 79 less yards. Celek's 12.7 yards per catch is nearly two full yards more than Witten's. And those eight touchdowns to just one are hard to ignore. Throw in the fact that I had Jason Witten on one of my fantasy teams and Brent Celek on the other, and I can attest to the fact that Celek has been far more valuable this season than Witten. By all accounts, Celek has had a more productive year than Jason Witten. But Witten has the rep. Those are the breaks. I'm just glad Tony Gonzalez didn't make it over him, because Celek definitely had a better year than him.

Moosed and Goosed

They say there's no such thing as an ugly win (and by they, I mean my father). Well, they are wrong, because wins like the Eagles' 27-24 mockery of a game qualify as ugly, no matter the outcome. And that win yesterday was far from pretty. I think Spencer summed it up best:

List of scores of games that were so fucking awful, you had to be the biggest masochist in the world:
• Miami 14, Buffalo 31
• Seattle 27, St. Louis 17
• Washington 24, Philly 27
• KC 14, SD 43
• Jacksonville 3, SF 20

I can only assume he meant biggest masochist in the world to have watched them. Well, I'm a dedicated, life-long Eagles fan — so yeah, definitely a masochist.



This game was so incredibly painful to watch from the very moment it began. As in right from the opening kickoff. Immediately, Andy Reid and the Eagles wasted no time giving fans another case of indigestion they thought they had gotten rid of on Friday. Against the Washington Redskins — a team that had not scored an offensive touchdown in the first half in the past three games, a team that was coming off a six-point performance against the Cowboys, a team that has the fourth worst scoring offense, better than only the Rams, Browns and Raiders, a team that is struggling mightily to put it mildly on offense — the Eagles decided to start the game by attempting an onside kick. They did not recover it. No, instead the ball hit off of Joe Mays before it went 10 yards, then Quinton Ganther of the Skins not only recovered the onside attempt, but returned it 25 yards. The penalty for illegal touching tacked on another five, and the Redskins were handed the ball at the Philadelphia 19 for the very first drive.

Unsurprisingly, the Skins scored on four plays to go up 7-0. Because they only had to go 19 yards. Of all the teams in the league to try to catch off-guard with an onside kick on the opening kickoff, doing it against the Redskins makes the least sense. Washington has not been able to put together long drives all season, so the smart thing to do, no, the right thing to do is to kick it deep and make the Redskins have to put together a long 70- to 80-yard drive to score. Chances are that with their anemic offense, they wouldn't, and the Eagles wouldn't be in a hole. Instead, genius Andy Reid decided it would be a good idea give a struggling offense a shot in the arm by giving it the ball in great field position on the very first drive. It was a ludicrous decision by a ludicrous man.



Even more insane was the commentary by everyone's favorite dynamic duo Moose and Goose. Immediately when David Akers struck the ball, my dad and I looked at each other and said, "What the hell are they doing?" You know why? Because that onside kick was one of the dumbest calls considering the opponent ever. In the history of football. Scratch that, in the history of sports. In my opinion, it blew Belichick-gate against the Colts out of the water. There is no defending that onside kick against that team. None. But that didn't stop Daryl Johnston from proclaiming it a great call, a call that caught the Redskins by surprise, a call that was the right one and there but simply not executed. Hey, Moose … wrong, wroNG, WRONG! Washington wasn't caught off-guard, even if most of the up men were pedaling back, because they recovered the god damn kick. If they were so surprised, there wouldn't have been anyone there to recover it. And seeing as Ganther never even moved and the ball went right to him so perfectly that he could return it 25 yards, I'd say it made the call that much worse. Perhaps some of the Skins were surprised, but not the one who the ball was kicked toward. And if it was such a great call, how would it be possible for the guy who recovered it for the other team to return it 25 yards? You've lost your god damn mind.

The play wasn't "properly executed" according to Moose. Just because it could have been recovered by Philadelphia if the Eagles had executed it perfectly — which can be said for any call ever in the history of sports, no matter how mind-numbingly retarded the call is — doesn't mean it was a great call. The Eagles didn't execute. Instead, they gave the ball to a struggling offense at the 19 yard line and spotted them a 7-0 lead in an important divisional game. It was an idiotic decision. Yet all game long, Moose kept referring to it as a great call that wasn't executed, and the more Johnston kept saying it, the more it convinced his butt buddy Goose that it was a good call.



More like …


The game didn't get much better from there. Yes, the Eagles took the lead by scoring on their next two drives, the second highlighted by a 35-yard touchdown pass by Donovan McNabb to a completely uncovered DeSean Jackson (try to figure that one out), but the Eagles couldn't put away Washington to save their lives. They committed costly penalty after costly penalty, couldn't get off the field defensively, continuously giving up first downs to a horrific Washington offense on third and longs, and were seemingly sleep-walking through most of the game. After going up 10-7, they allowed the Skins to build up a 24-16 lead before finally turning it on in the fourth quarter.

Really, it's hard to take away many positives from the game. All I can really say is offensively, thank god for LeSean McCoy and Jason Avant; defensively, praise jebus for Trent Cole and Asante Samuel. Without those four guys, and a steady Donovan McNabb, the Eagles would have not only lost but would have been embarrassed yesterday.

On defense, the interior linemen got absolutely no push, Juqua Parker was invisible, the linebackers looked slow and out of position, and the secondary looked vulnerable. They were especially atrocious on third downs, allowing Washington to go 8-17, and at one point 8 of 12. It was sad. Luckily for Philadelphia, Asante made two excellent, key interceptions by breaking on the ball as only he can, and Trent Cole was a beast all game long. In fact, it's safe to say Cole was the best player on the field yesterday. Imagine if that guy had a little help on the other side.



Offensively, the Eagles sputtered terribly to begin the second half, going three and out on their first three possessions of the half, and then turning it over on a pick on their fourth. The normally reliable Brent Celek starting dropping everything in sight, and turns out he may have torn ligaments in his hand. Adding insult (and injury) to injury, DeSean Jackson left with a concussion, though the Fox crew didn't feel obligated to inform us of what Jackson's injury was. I guess Goose's "sideline reporting" was sidetracked from all the nonsense he was spewing about that great onside kick call. Just what the Eagles need — more major injuries to key players.

Good thing Jason Avant and LeSean McCoy were there to carry the load. Avant, a player I used to cringe about when I heard his name due to his catch/no-catch against Penn State in 2005 that helped extend the drive that ruined Penn State's undefeated season, has developed into a serious threat at wide receiver. He unquestionably has the best hands on the team, and there is no better Eagle at snatching the ball in traffic. The ridiculous catches he makes on a weekly basis are beginning to become the thing of legend, and I honestly don't think there are many more reliable, underrated third receivers in the NFL.


Seriously, his foot was out, Mike Hart fumbled, Lloyd Carr somehow was given time back on the clock and that final touchdown was Alan Zemaitis' fault no matter what anyone says ever (I'm not bitter, honestly).

For a Michigan man, he ain't half bad. And LeSean McCoy, another player who went to a college I despise, has certainly proven his worth this season. With Brian Westbrook on the shelf, McCoy has flourished for the Eagles as the lead running back. He was effective again yesterday, picking up 76 yards on 17 carries and four catches for 25 yards. Plus, he made the play of the game, somehow managing to stay on his feet on the two-point conversion that tied the game at 24 with 7:24 left to go. I honestly don't know how he managed to stay up on that shovel pass without even putting his hand down to regain his balance. It was remarkable.

David Akers came through huge as well, going a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals including the game-winner from 32 yards out with less than two minutes to go, and the Eagles got a stop when they needed it, but that was one ugly win with two imbeciles trying way too hard to defend a moronic call by Andy Reid. But a win is a win, as they say, even if it looks like Rosie O'Donnell. Somehow, this inconsistent, maddening team that is riddled with injuries sits at 7-4 and leads the NFC wild card. The NFL is crazy like that sometimes.

Speaking of crazy, have you all seen what Vince Young and Chris Johnson are doing in Tennessee these days? If not, you're really missing out. After starting the season a shocking 0-6, Jeff Fisher pulled the pride of Penn State Kerry Collins in favor of Vince Young, and Chris Johnson, the best running back in all the land this season, proclaimed the Titans were going to win 10 straight. Don't look now, but after defeating the Arizona Cardinals 20-17 yesterday, the Titans are now 5-6, halfway to the 10 straight predicted by Johnson. And they're doing it all behind Johnson and Young.



If you didn't see highlights of the game yesterday, you missed out. VY had a career game, throwing for 387 yards on 27-43 passing and a score, which came in the final two minutes, capping off an improbable, impossible 99-yard game-winning drive, and Johnson, who leads the NFL in rushing with 1,396 yards — 276 yards more than second-place Steven Jackson — added 154 and a score on the ground himself. Good god were those two impressive.



These two are making the rest of the league look stupid, and the duo of Chris Johnson and Vince Young have turned an 0-6 team that was at the bottom of the standings to the hottest, most dangerous team in football. I don't even think the likes of Indy, New England, Minnesota or New Orleans want anything to do with Tennessee right now, at least not during this streak.

Vince is here to stay, ladies and gentlemen. And Adrian, watch your back. There may be a new No. 1 fantasy pick at running back in 2010 by the name of Chris Johnson. Don't sleep on Tennessee. Not with Vince under center and Chris Johnson running all over the league.

Dumb, Broke and Links

Hey, remember when I told you I lost some money this weekend? That turned out to bite me in the ass this morning. Well, that and my increasingly ineffective memory.



This morning, which was hot as balls, I walked the whole way to el on my way to work only to realize I left my tokens in my house. To make matters worse, due to my weekend, my wallet was empty. Not a single dollar bill to boot. So I had to walk back to my house, grab my tokens and head back to the el. So I had the extra special reward of sweating my ass half double the amount as usual this morning.

The moral of the story is, once again, that I'm an idiot. Let's link …

-Want to see a terrible towel on fire? Of course you do, because Pittsburgh blows.



-Kevin Kolb and Trent Cole left practice with injuries. Hopefully nothing serious this time around.

-John Wall posterized Jerry Stackhouse:



-More and more, it seems as though umpires are becoming the story instead of, you know, the players and the game:

Phillies broadcaster Larry Anderson, calling the game on radio, had a different opinion. He recalled a conversation he had with crew chief Joe West the night before where he questioned West on some of the calls and inconsistencies he's seen around the league this year. Anderson said that West responded by explaining they are the best in the business.

Anderson admitted having to bite his lip to West in reply, but offered what he wanted to say to the listening audience:

"If you guys are the best in the business, you've got a really bad business."

-The preseason kicked off last night and this happened:



That's an awesome fake, but isn't it a little odd to show that in the preseason?

-Great line by Shoals on Iverson:

You discard a demi-god at your own risk.

-One of the coolest dunks ever even if it did happen against UNC:



-Cooleys vs. Mottrams:





-Ricky Rubio is staying in Spain. Thanks a lot, Minnesota.

No Phillies tonight, so go outside and try not to melt from the heat.