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Top Reasons Eagles Will, or Won't
By Craig Berosh
phillypage2 columnist (12-8-2003)
SUPER SIZE IT (reasons why the Birds are Bowl bound)
Pass the ball, we dare you. The Birds might have trouble defending against the run, but the secondary is going to have it covered. Not only are Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins back (although neither has looked great yet), but also Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown are more than just reliable now. I believe Jimmy Johnson should be able to blitz more now or commit Dawkins to stopping the run (I’m trying to convince myself that the Eagles defense is good enough to win the Super Bowl).
Avoid the Arch. The Eagles are a great, not a good, but a great road team. That being said, the Rams, who still have to play home against Seattle and Cincy (two not so good road teams), are tough at home. There’s no doubt the Eagles want the Linc to be the stage for the big games and I predict the Birds will win out, especially if Brian Griese plays Monday night and the 49ers lose to Cincy this week.
Your quarterback is sloppy, our’s is neat: Check out the list of potential playoff signal callers in the NFC: Matt Hasselback, Marc Bulger, Daunte Culpepper, Brett Farve, Jake Delhomme and Quincy Carter. Most are turnovers waiting to happen. McNabb and the Eagles just don’t do it. Since day one, McNabb has never done the turnover thing. It is one big benefit of not really throwing the ball far down the field. Short passes may lead to short gains, but rarely do they lead to turnovers. The Birds are only +3 in turnover ratio but they lead the conference with the fewest turnovers at 18.
He’s a friggin genius: I believe Andy Reid is a smart guy. I believe he learns from his mistakes. He’s been to the game behind The Game two years in a row now. He played it a little safe and couldn’t hold off the Rams two years ago and many said he got out-coached by Chuckie last year. Even though he won’t give any in his press conference, Reid’s experience will give him the answers and the stomach (no joke intended) to get the Eagles into the Super Bowl.
His left foot: I can only think of one time when David Akers choked. That was last year against the Giants in the last game of the year when he missed that 30-yarder to win the game. I like him in bad weather. I like him in a dome. To use the phrase from the movie Swingers: your so money baby.
HOLD THE PARADE (reasons why the Birds won’t go bowling)
That growing hole where Mark Simoneau is supposed to be. Maybe I’m over-reacting here, but he had two tackles against the Cowboys who ran the ball 34 times. Was he hurt or not a part of the scheme to stop a team that was obviously trying to run the ball, or is he wearing down? We know he’s under-sized, but at this rate our middle linebacker is going to be playing smaller than Todd Pinkston’s bicep when the post season rolls around. It probably doesn’t help that Sam Rayburn is now a key member of our defensive line, but Si-mon-eau can’t be a no-show when it’s cold enough to snow (I think that came out pretty good).
Dawkins not hawkin. Brian Dawkins is my favorite and the team’s best player in my opinion but he doesn’t look healthy to me (a total of five tackles in two games!). The Eagles need him to be right. I hope I’m wrong about this and I won’t mention it again.
Where’s the rush, and I don’t mean Limbaugh. Our four-man pass rush stanks (that’s the past tense of stinks). Right now the D line ain’t really stopping the run or pressuring the QB (although I thought Darwin Walker played a great game against the Cowboys). With the secondary getting back in shape, the rush could get some blitz help. There ain’t a whole lot we can do about it at this point. Got to go with what you got. I wish we had Hugh Douglas.
That one hurts. After all the injuries the team has already overcome, it doesn’t seem like another one would make a different. Like any team, there is a short list of players who need to be healthy for the team to reach the Super Bowl. The list includes McNabb (seems indestructible at this point), Brian Westbrook (Duce and Buck can’t do what he does), Dawkins, and Corey Simon and Darwin Walker (there are no more replacements). Knock on wood.
Pinkston still stinking: Thankfully, the Eagles spread the ball around in the passing game, so Pinkston can only disappoint me once or twice a game by not catching the ball. I’m truly surprised when he makes a catch. If the guy is going to continue taking up space for 40 snaps a game, he has to make a few plays, doesn’t he? Maybe he’ll throw a really important block for one of our running backs.
Where do you think you are. I know this is Philly, but I swear that if the Eagles make the Super Bowl, I will be happy even if they lose (hey, it’s very hard, but not impossible, to type with your fingers crossed!).