#ShadyMakesHistory Trended worldwide on Twitter to honor LeSean McCoy's record making game for the Eagles.

What a day in the NFL. The Packers perfect season is ended by the Chiefs of all teams; the Colts get their first win of the season, and the Giants are throttled by the Redskins.

The Eagles still had a hope of making the playoffs when they entered this game based on the fate of the Giants. And they kept their hopes alive with their decisive win over the Jets.

Like many games this season, the Eagles showed moments of shining brilliance and of stunning carelessness this game. But in the end, the lead built up by the offense covered up the mistakes and lead the team to victory.

What is the playoff scenario now for Philadelphia? The Birds need to win their remaining games: On Christmas Eve at Dallas, and the final game of the season against the Redskins. While were are glad that Mark Sanchez fell this week, we need him upright and strong to face off against and defeat the Giants next week. And finally, the Giants have to beat Dallas in their final game of the season. » Continue reading “They’re Still Alive: Eagles Down the Jets 45-19″

Blah blah blah have to do a better job blah blah blah

There’s nothing quite like an Andy Reid press conference after a loss. The short, almost hostile replies. The non-answers to fair questions about, I don’t know, his team’s pitiful performance.

Here are experts of the “best” parts from Reid’s presser on Monday:

On what it speaks to that the team keeps losing fourth quarter leads:

“That we’ve got to do a better job in the fourth quarter.”*

*This one is my favorite.

On whether he’s seen the necessary anger out of his players following this game, and whether he feels like they’re angry at this point with being 3-5:

“I think they’re disappointed, as the coaches are.”

On whether he thinks Rodgers-Cromartie is playing well:

“He’s going to keep working on it.”

On whether there is something he can do as a coach to help the team hold a lead or come back, or whether it has to come from the players:

“Listen, we can all do better. I’m telling you, we can all do better.

On whether it is safe to say that maybe he took on too much with all of the new pieces and changes that had to be crammed in over a short period of time:

“I don’t worry about all that, welcome the challenge, right? So I don’t worry about all that. I’ve seen this football team play good football, and we’re going to get this thing right and continue to play good football, and that’s the approach I’m taking.”

On whether there is too much talent on this team to be at 3-5 right now:

“Well listen, I know how good we can be, and so as coaches and players we need to make sure that we do this consistently and become more consistent and so that’s my responsibility to get it done, and that’s the way we’ll approach it tomorrow.” » Continue reading “Andy Reid Gives Profound Insight Into Team’s 3-5 Record. Just Kidding.”

Brandon Graham will again make his entrance at the Linc this Monday night.

Graham activated, DeVan cut loose

Just after word came that Eagles DE Juqua Parker was doubtful for Monday’s game, DE Brandon Graham was activated to the 53-man roster. To make room for Parker, recent acquisition OG Kyle DeVan was released after only 9 weeks in Philadelphia.

This will be Graham’s first time on the active roster since his December of last year when he sustained an injury to his ACL.

Gotta stay healthy

Brent Celek did not practice on Thursday with a hip injury, but he participated Friday and Saturday so is a go for Monday.

LeSean McCoy was sent home from practice on Thursday with a stomach bug. He also practiced the past few days and the Birds have stated that he will play on Monday night.

Contract talks

There is an Eagle whose rookie contract will expire in the near future who the team is quietly speaking with about a new deal. And no, that player is not DeSean Jackson.

ProFootballTalk cites a league source as stating that Philadelphia is speaking to McCoy to come to terms that would replace his rookie deal, which expires in 2012.

What McCoy has on his side is momentum. He is in the midst of breaking team records, and there is no sign of a slow down. The Eagles know that they have a breathtakingly talented back who teams around the league would do anything for.

Unfortunately, DeSean Jackson, who was very vocal in his desire for a new contract with an initial hold out from training camp, has been relatively quiet in his production this season with an 18th best in the league 487 yards. This reality has not helped his case, nor did the very public holdout engineered by his boisterous agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

Can this man please shut up?

After his butt whooping last week, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is still giving excuses about the epic collapse of his team’s defense. Rather than sitting with his tail between his legs and learning a lesson in humility (I’m pretty sure that no one in that family is aware of the word or its meaning), Ryan just keeps on yapping.

The reason for the team’s loss is, according to Ryan, his own fault.

“I gave (the Eagles) a little extra motivation by my comments. As I told everybody before, nobody ever puts it back in there — an assistant coach shouldn’t be doing that. I let one slip out of there, and it gets away from me. I put too much pressure on our guys, which is not what we want to do.

“That’s why I felt the whole thing was my fault, which it really was. It doesn’t happen very often. It’s not going to be a weekly press conference where I screw something up. It usually happens the other way around.”

Sure, partially it was Ryan’s fault for coming up with an ineffective game plan for the Cowboys’ defense. But he is also overlooking the fact that the team overall stinks. Sorry to break it to you. Stop giving yourself so much credit, dude.

One more day to wait for Monday Night Football, Eagles fans.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse.

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So. Eagles. Bills. Tomorrow. Whoo. Feel the excitement.

The city of Philadelphia was on an ultimate sports high this summer, and we are presently in the midst of a massive sports valley. After the gut-wrenching loss of the Phillies last night, we don’t have much energy or emotion left to expend. Sure, this is a football blog, and football is the sport I love the most. But I love my Phillies. And I expected them to go far this season. Yes, I had already been offering our spare room to guests for the inevitable parade at the end of this month.

So, I am currently striving to overcome absolute heartbreak at the end of the season for the Phils while preparing to write about another game whose outcome may also break my heart.

If you recall from last week’s 4th quarter meltdown at the Linc against the 49ers, Eagles fans began chanting for the Phillies in the middle of the game. If, God forbid, the game goes south this week, I guess we can expect to hear cheers for the Flyers? They’re season is only just starting–they haven’t had a chance to disappoint us yet. » Continue reading “Doesn’t Matter How They Do It, The Eagles Just Need to Win”

Damn you, Vince Young

The “Dream Team” is dead. Long Live the Dream Team!

You knew it would be what the media latched on to the moment Vince Young uttered the words “Dream Team.” And that they did.

No matter how much the team’s coaches, management and players tried to distance themselves from the phrase, no one would listen. The Eagles kept being referred to by that awful moniker.

Though some seem to think that the Birds and their fans let the term go to their heads, they clearly don’t know any Philadelphia sports fans.

We do not understand the term “Dream Team.” Though our teams have had more success in recent years than they have in decades, that success has never come easily. In Philadelphia, we never do anything in a “dream”-like way. We find the most difficult path to get to a point and pursue that road. It’s what makes us special. And perpetually bitter.

The “Dream Team” never existed. So can we please let the phrase die?

Mike Vick commented on Wednesday about the state of the “Dream Team.” He declared the term officially dead.

“I think the ‘dream team,’ that word is dead now. I mean, [we] can’t talk dream team anymore. And maybe it put pressure on some players, maybe it didn’t but I think just the fact that it was lingering around and people were talking about it creates a sense of pressure. So I think it’s over with now [and] we’re one of the teams that has to scratch and kick from the bottom now and try to figure out how we’re going to get ourselves back to a position where we can compete with the best teams in this league.”

Can we please put this blasted phrase to rest now? Probably not–that would just be too easy. » Continue reading “Eagles Briefs: Stop Using That Blasted Phrase”

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49ers at Eagles
1:00 PM
TV – FOX
Radio – 94WIP

Yes, it’s only Week 4. But I’m not sure that any of us expected the Eaglesto be at 1-2, coming off of 2 consecutive losses–and 2 consectutive games that saw Mike Vick leave the field early due to injury.

I‘m not sure that defeating the 49ers will prove much to quell the concerns of the Eagles fanbase, but it’s a mandatory hurdle.

I’ve heard people characterize this game as a “must-win” for the Birds. It’s not exactly that. As characterized by the Inky’s Jonathan Tamiri,

“There are no “must win” games in Week 4. But whatever you call the next notch down, that’s what Sunday’s game is for the Eagles.”

The Eagles haven’t lost 3 games in a row since 2007. No need to change that fact now.

The 49ers are ranked dead last in the league in total offense, with a mere 213.7 yards total thus far this season. This, in theory, means that the Eagles defense should get a bit of a break, i.e. they should finally be able to show that they can stop something. But this reality does not mean that Philadelphia’s D can relax–far from it. They need to show that the defense can make something happen. Because if they can’t versus San Francisco, it’s going to be a very long, very ugly season.

What to Watch for This Game

-Vick’s hand. The glove for Vick’s non-throwing hand, the one that was injured during last week’s game against the Giants, will be protected with 3 mm of Kevlar. Will he have any difficulty holding on to and controlling the ball? Will his healing injury cause the team to call more running versus passing plays?

-Maclin’s hamstring. Jeremy Maclin injured his hamstring during last week’s home opener and did not practice at the beginning of the week. However, Coach Andy Reid and QB Mike Vick say that Maclin looked good upon his return to the practice field, and Maclin says he is feeling fine. Let’s see if there are any lingering effects from his hamstring injury.

-The defense. There is no more time for excuses. The initial shuffle of linebackers did not work. Matthews is out, Rolle is in. The safeties need to step it up. Out trifecta of corners need to show something special. Pretty much the entire Eagles defense is on notice.

-Threat: Vernon Davis. San Francisco TE Davis is going to be the biggest threat on the 49ers offense for the Eagles. He has 179 yards receiving, averaging 11.9 yards per catch. Davis’ size–6’3, 250 lbs–will also present a challenge for the Birds.

Injuries -
Eagles:
OUT – CB Brandon Hughes (hamstring); DE Juqua Parker (ankle)
Doubtful – DE Darryl Tapp (pectoral)

49ers:
OUT – WR Braylon Edwards (knee); RB Moran Norris (fibula)
Questionable – RB Frank Gore (ankle); S Donte Whitner (hip)
Let’s do this, Eagles.

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse.

Image via hard2knockshoppe.blogspot.com

It’s not the official word from the team, but it is the gospel according to Mike Vick. If he is standing and breathing, he will be under center for the Eagles against the 49ers on Sunday.

But even if there is not official word, the signs are looking good for Vick. In practice on Wednesday he took all snaps from the first team, a sign that the swelling in Vick’s hand has gone down substantially.

Said Vick,

“I’m playing this week, regardless. Even if it was broke, I think I would have probably padded it up and went back out there. You got to take precaution, but this is what I love to do.”

A passionate Vick went on to say that he’s sick of injuries and leaving the field early in two consecutive weeks. He’s playing all of Sunday.

“They’ll have to cart me off the field. I’m tired of letting my guys down.”

In his press conference on Wednesday, Andy Reid was much more cautious in his remarks about Vick’s status for Sunday.

“I’ve just got to see how he does here. I’m going to watch him and see how he can function with this thing and then we’ll see if he continues to progress then he’ll have an opportunity to play.”

Wednesday’s Injury Report

Limited Participation: DE Darryl Tapp (pectoral)

Did Not Practice: CB Brandon Hughes (hamstring), WR Jeremy Maclin (hamstring), DE Juqua Parker (ankle) » Continue reading “Mike Vike:”100% Chance” He’s Playing on Sunday; Casey Matthews Benched”

Mike Vick was a full participant at Eagles practice on Thursday, passing the league mandated  impact concussion test. Before he could hit the playing field he also had to be evaluated by an independent physician as being free of any symptoms of concussions.

This is all incredibly good news. We can only assume that this means that Vick will start Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

Vick did not speak with the media yesterday, but it sounds like his brief time out of practice had no impact on his level of play.

On Comcast Sportsnet RB LeSean McCoy said that Mike Vick looked accurate in practice. Just what we wanted to hear.

The Giants have made it clear that they are game planning expecting Vick to be Philadelphia’s quarterback. With Thursday’s developments, it seems that the Eagles have a similar strategy in mind.

Other injuries:

Defensive ends Juqua Parker (ankle) and DE Darryl Tapp (pectoral) did not practice on both Wednesday and Thursday

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse.

Ouch.

It’s football season, so get used to lots and lots of news about injuries. Hopefully for the Eagles the news will simply be updates on progress for minor injuries–fingers crossed.

The following are injury updates from Andy Reid’s press conference on Monday:

-Akeem Jordan: Laberal tear in his shoulder. Should not require surgery. Reid says that Jordan “will struggle” to practice this week.

-Juqua Parker: Too much running for my man from Monday’s game. He experienced soreness on his foot, but an x-ray turned up nothing. He should be okay.

-Darryl Tapp: Had a great game on Sunday, causing the disruption that lead to Parker’s touchdown and getting a sack. However, he suffered a pec strain during Sunday’s game and is listed as day to day.

-Vince Young: Still sidelined due to a hamstring strain.

UPDATE:

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie did not practice on Wednesday due to an ankle injury.

Other news:

Philadelphia favorite Brian Westbrook had been in discussions to join WIP’s morning team, but opportunity came a-knockin, in the form of an opportunity to work out for the Dolphins. Unfortunately, he was not signed, but hopefully he will get picked up by a team very soon. I believe that Bwest still has a lot in the tank to offer.

Kevin Kolb’s time at the Eagles was not all that he had hoped for, but he still has nothing but love for Philadelphia. In an interview on The Scott Van Pelt Show, Kolb said

“If we don’t win it, I want them to win it. I truly mean that. I love those guys over there and I wish them the best except for Week 10 or 11, whenever it is that we play them.”

Want more Philly Sports Muse? You can find me on Twitter at @sports_muse and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/phillysportmuse.

The regular season has begun and the Eagles have started their season with a win on the road.

Philadelphia defeated the St. Louis Rams 31-13 in a win that was unsettling in some respects, but showed promise in others.

The most unsettling and glaring issue from the game? Say it with me now: The o-line.

Mike Vick had an impressive outing on his feet today, reminding everyone why he is worthy of the Eagles’ investment in him. We are lucky to have him as our quarterback. His mobility and agility are part of what make him so dangerous. But when he has to be on the run for his very life, that’s a problem.

And that happened far too often today. » Continue reading “Eagles Start Off Season with a W in St. Louis”