It is hard to be too upset and down about your football team when your baseball team is sitting pretty in the MLB “final four”, but alas, we are in Philadelphia and this is still a football town.  Until the Phillies prove the same dominance that the Eagles have in recent years, this will remain a football town.  However, if things continue on the path that they are on now with the Eagles struggling and the Phils on the verge of their first World Series berth since 1993, this will slowly but surely become a baseball town.

On that note, the Eagles are still the king and therefore, they deserve our scrutiny and constructive criticism.  After a disappointing performance versus the Bears, the Birds looked to rebound against a team in the Redskins who were riding an emotional high after defeating the Cowboys in Big D.  Unfortunately, here we are five weeks into the season and the Birds sit at 2-3 after a 23-17 loss at the hands of Washington.

Boy…where to begin?  Well, the easy place to start …

After losing to the very average Chicago Bears last Sunday, the Birds look to right the ship against the surprisingly good Washington Redskins.  They almost beat the Bears in Chicagowithout stud multi-tasker Brian Westbrook, dough boy Shawn Andrews, and speedster Kevin Curtis.  No excuses needed though.  The game wouldn’t have even been close had several things happened differently.

First, DeSean Jackson made two rookie mistakes.  He dropped a punt which lead to a Bears TD and ran the wrong route leading to a Donovan McNabb INT.  He is a rookie.  Rookies are dumb.  It happens.  He is certainly electric and is very valuable but he has to eliminate the mistakes.  I would exchange not making two mistakes for one amazing TD catch or return from this guy.  We all mocked Reno Mahe for his lack of explosion but the man never dropped a punt.  I’m just saying…

Second, Andy Reid has to learn the QB sneak.  From my eight years of grade school and high school football experience to my 10+ years of Madden (PS1 and PS2) …

In what could only be described as an American League Baseball game, your Philadelphia Eagles took it to the Pittsburgh Steelers 15-6 this past Sunday.  It was one heck of a busy Sunday, mind you.  My thumb got a full workout and needs a bye week already.  Let me run you down what I tried to accomplish on TV this Sunday.  The Eagles were top priority, but right behind them were the Phillies beating up on the Marlins.  Then I realized the great US of A Ryder Cup team was taking it to the Europeans on NBC.  I think, and I may be wrong, but I think that Bloodsport was also playing on Versus. 

As for the Birds, well, any win versus a strong AFC team is a good win.  We could have won that game 1-0, not literally of course as 1 point is impossible to get in football, and I would have been happy.  We shut down one of the best running backs in the NFL in Willie Parker and made Ben Rothlisberger look …

Well, it is 12:30 in the afternoon after the Birds’ Monday Night Football game versus the Cowboys and I am finally waking up.  I’ve been at work since before 8am but the coffee and breakfast bar didn’t do anything for me.  I would like to attribute the “hangover” to massive amounts of alcohol consumption, but in reality, it is the loss to our hated rival and the way we lost that really makes me feel this way.

There are no moral victories and even if you subscribe to that notion, I’m going to go ahead and say last night wasn’t one of them.  Was it a good game?  Well, it certainly was entertaining.  But it was still a loss.  Win or lose, writing is my sports therapy.  This is where I figure it all out.  If I didn’t have this forum, I would probably take it out on my refrigerator.

So, to get right to it, these are my three biggest observations after last night’s game:

1) Yes, DeSean Jackson needs to be brought back down to earth.  Yes, he is an idiot for “Leon …

For the last few years…ever since Terrell Owens left the Birds nest for the Cowgirls, media and fans alike in the City of Brotherly Love chat about the “what ifs”.  Frankly, I don’t want to hear about it anymore.  Let’s forgive and forget.

Yes, when T.O. was here, he and McNabb were amazing.  They broke Eagles records, scored a ton, and lit up the NFC.  They could have been one of the best QB-WR combos in history. Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda…just let it go already.  He talked and acted his way out of town.  He was and is unprofessional.  He acts like a baby if he doesn’t get his way.  Plus, above all, his agent is one of the most hated people in professional sports today.

My biggest issue isn’t that it is talked about on sports talk radio or in the papers.  Heck, those guys have jobs to do.  My biggest issue isn’t that fans talk about it in the office or at the bars.  I am …

Here’s what I don’t get: why am I being told to put this week one W over the Rams into perspective?  Why does the Philadelphia media think this wasn’t as good as it looked?  Why do fans call in to the radio shows saying, “It was the Rams…don’t go crowning the Eagles the champs quite yet.”

Since when did the Rams become the joke of the NFL?  Are they the Lions, Falcons, Texans, 49ers, or Redskins?  Am I missing something here?  The Rams had a bad season last year but do they not still have Marc Bulger and Torry Holt?  Don’t they have one of the best running backs in the NFL?  Are they really the bottom-feeding team that the Philly naysayers would have you believe they are?  I don’t think so.

I hate to sound like Andy Reid, but every win in the National Football League is a good win.  Just ask the Colts and Chargers how they feel after losing their week one contests.  Better yet, ask those …

First, let me boast- I will be at the Eagles-Rams game this Sunday at The Linc.  Take that.  Actually if I really want to rub it in, I would tell you that I am heading up to Shea tomorrow to see the Phillies season end, I mean stay alive.  But I am not that type of guy.  Plus, apparently God doesn’t want me to have the ultimate sports weekend and appears to be taking a leak on the Eastern seaboard tomorrow.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say rain-out.  Therefore, I will subject my wife to UFC 88 tomorrow night.

Ok, now down to the meat and potatoes of the Birds kickoff game versus Marc Bulger/Steven Jackson’s St. Louis Rams.  Let me start be pointing out that the Birds are favored by 7.5 at the time of writing this article.  That’s a healthy number for those of you who have placed a bet or two in your day.  The Eagles are notorious for …

53.  That’s the magic number.  No, we’re not talking Mark Simoneau.  Thank God!

This past Saturday, the Birds needed to trim the fat (PS: I can’t wait for Thanksgiving) and cut their roster down to 53 players and narrow down the ever-popular practice squad to a select few.  I am personally pumped that Mike Marquardt is part of the “pinnie squad”.

Most of the hype in this town on the local sports talk radio and TV stations about the roster cuts surrounded Jerome McDougle.  Yes, that Jerome McDougle.  Number 95 in your program but number 1 in your heart.  That guy.

Well, some of the beefs that I heard about the cutting of McDougle center around his fantastic pre-season, yes pre-season, and holding onto Darren Howard.  Let me address these one at a time.  First, he had a fantastic PRE-SEASON.  This was mostly in mop-up duty against guys who will be bagging groceries this week.  Does that mean you discount all pre-season performances?  No, but in four seasons with the …

Boy, do I like seeing the New England Patriots lose…

I don’t care if it was the pre-season.  A loss is a loss. 

Your Philadelphia Eagles beat the Pats 27-17 in their third and most important pre-season game heading into the 2008-2009 campaign.  The score, however, is not that crucial.  Unless you are a degenerate gambler.  By the way, the Eagles covered and hit the over.  Not that I am counting.  To me, though, the most impressive things on Friday night included both the offensive and defensive lines and the special teams units. 

The first and second string o-lines gave up only one sack versus a very strong New England defense.  To make things even better, they accomplished this versus the 3-4 defenses they usually struggle against.  This also marked the return of the Big (Husky) Kid, Shawn Andrews, to the starting line-up.  The collective group kept the Patriots defense off of Donovan and back-up Kevin Kolb enough to generate 280+ passing yards.  They also made sufficient room for the core group of running backs to eclipse the 100 yard mark totaling almost …

Is Freddie Mitchell the answer to the never-ending question posed by Philadelphia Eagles fans? You know the question- (except for when T.O. was here): what are the Eagles going to do to upgrade their wide receiving corp?  Well, no, bringing back Freddie Mitchell isn’t the answer…but this picture is priceless.

The reason this topic is even blog-worthy is two-fold: 1) Reggie Brown, the Eagles #2 pass catcher, went down with a hamstring injury against the Carolina Panthers and 2) the Eagles’ faithful just won’t let the issue go.

Right now, your starting WRs look something like this (in no particular order): Kevin Curtis, Reggie Brown, DeSean Jackson, Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis.  More than likely, that is going to what your 2008-2009 Eagles will head into the season with.

Is there a bona fide #1 wide receiver in the group? Not really.  But do you need that to win the Super Bowl? Also, not really.  But don’t take it from me, let’s look at the most recent champions of the NFL.  For the …

When your Fightin’ Phils hit a nice little skid like they have out in LA, there is no better remedy than an Eagles preseason bout at The Linc. Just ask Jimmy Rollins…

After returning home from Lehigh, the Birds will take on the Carolina Panthers in their second preseason game. While in-season previews will have more substance and will be more pertinent to the grand scheme of winning the Lombardi Trophy, it doesn’t hurt to discuss what to look for in tonight’s game.

The three key things/players to watch for are:

1. Asante Samuel’s first real game action. How will he mesh with the rest of the secondary? Will he stay healthy? Can he, Sheldon Brown, and Lito Sheppard co-exist? These are just some of the questions facing the former New England Patriot All-Pro. Panthers Pro Bowl wide-out Steve Smith will not play tonight nor will former Seattle Seahawk D.J. Hackett, so Asante Samuel will not be tested quite like he will be during the season. However, it will …

Shawn Andrews has arrived. The 6′4″, 330 pound (”Yeah, in your bra”…thank you Liar, Liar) guard from Arkansas is in Lehigh. In his absence, the rumors have been circulating for the last few weeks ranging from the dreaded contract dispute to (are you ready for this one?) not wanting to practice in the God-awful heat and humidity at camp. No, you don’t say! Wait, let me get this straight- a morbidly obese offensive lineman doesn’t want to practice in two-a-days? Holy Jeepers, Batman!
Oh, not to worry. Andrews finally reported on Sunday after a two week sabbatical. His timing couldn’t have been any worse having reported to camp just 48 hours before the release of Madden 2009. Way to think that …