Monday Night Football Preview

In Week 4, we thought we would see an epic showdown between Donovan McNabb coming home against his former team and new starting QB Michael Vick. All the hype surrounding the game and Donovan's return quickly became irrelevant when Vick went down in the first half with a sternum injury that eventually sidelined him for the next 3 games. Kevin Kolb came in and was one Jason Avant dropped touchdown away from actually winning the game in the final seconds (Video after the jump). This week, on Monday Night Football, we will (hopefully) get to see that game come to fruition. Only this week, it's the Eagles who seem to be riding high and the Redskins, particularly McNabb, who are clouded with uncertainty.

Not So Small Andy Reid

Video from the game yesterday featuring 13 year-old "Andrew" Reid. WOW.

Kevin Kolb/Mike Vick Remix

Never thought I'd hear Andy Reid's voice in Autotune.

McNabb Speaks from Pro Bowl

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Woman Wearing Cowboys Jersey Assualted in Philly

A 27-year old Lehigh Valley woman was assaulted the other day because she was wearing a Tony Romo jersey by two men wearing Eagles jerseys. Way to go Eagles fans, giving the rest of us a bad name. Yet another incident for the national media to run with about how ruthless and classless Philly fans are. Link below.

LINK

Will the Andrews Bros. Return?

In the summer, many thought this Eagles offensive line had the potential to be one of the best in football thanks to the acquisitions of Jason Peters, Stacy Andrews and the return of his brother Shawn who had suffered a season-ending injury last season. Jason Peters was named to a Pro Bowl, but Shawn Andrews never played a snap due to his recurring back injury and Stacy Andrews was benched and was deactivated for the last six games. While many still wonder if Shawn Andrews will ever play football again, the Eagles cannot afford to keep putting their eggs in his basket. Immensely talented, Andrews has shown a lot in the last year, especially that he is unreliable. The O-Line was abused against Dallas and needs to be tweaked if the Eagles want to take the next step. Linked is a Philadelphia Inquirer article about the futures of the Andrews brothers.

Inquirer Article

Dave Spadaro Spits on The Star

Eagles reporter Dave Spadaro spit on the star on the 50-yard line before the Eagles-Cowboys game last week. 'Atta boy Dave.

Eagles Highlights/Dawkins Entrance

Last Time We Played Denver

Way back in Week 8 of the 2005 Season, the Eagles walked into Denver and got orange crushed 49-21. Jake Plummer destroyed the Eagles D thanks to 309 Yards and 4 TDs. The Eagles were down big but rallied back with 21 unanswered points. They were driving to tie the game when McNabb threw an INT to Dominique Foxworth in the end zone. The Broncos scored 21 unanswered of their own en route to an easy W. The highlight for the Eagles was a 91-yard pass from McNabb to Owens. This would be the last game Owens would play in an Eagles uniform. This would also symbolize the beginning of the unraveling of the Eagles season. They would go on to finish 6-10 that season with season ending injuries to McNabb, Westbrook and the suspension of Owens for the remainder of the season.

Jake Plummer is now Kyle Orton, Terrell Owens is in Buffalo and Brian Dawkins is on the other sideline. A lot has changed since that game 4 years ago.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Westbrook Cleared to Return

Reports are the B-West did "perfect" on all his tests and is "ready to roll" this Sunday against the Broncos. Always good to add another weapon to the offense. No more concussions please.

LINK

Vick Wins Courage Award, Yeah I Said It

Michael Vick is the recipient of the Eagles Ed Block Courage Award. Given annually, the award honors NFL players who exemplify commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage. Recipients are selected in a vote by their teammates for team effort as well as individual performance. It's nice that his teammates are behind him, but come on.

LINK

The Return of Weapon X

In this Sunday's matchup against the 8-6 Denver Broncos, the one person everyone at the Linc will be watching is Eagle legend Brian Dawkins. Weapon X will forever be an Eagle to everyone in Philadelphia and seeing him on the field on the other side will be surreal. B-Dawk is one of the most beloved Philadelphia athletes of all time and I look forward to seeing him at the Linc this Sunday. Although he is in the twilight of his career, you will never be able to replace his leadership and personality in the locker room. He is a type, in the Ray Lewis mold, where he can inspire someone to raise their game to another level. His intensity is unmatched and that is what everyone loved about him, as well as his devastating hits (i.e. Alge Crumpler in the 2004 NFC Championship Game). Attached is a link to Bob Brookover's piece from the Inquirer where he talks about how hard it will be to replace the Wolverine.

LINK

Thank You for Giving Them More to Talk About

I hate when national analysts/talking heads/whomever say things about how nasty Philly fans are and how we booed Donovan on draft day (hundreds of players are booed on draft day) and how we threw snowballs at Santa 100 years ago. I'm sure once national media gets a hold of this video then another log will be tossed onto the fire. There's always a few that gotta ruin it for everyone, I guess.

Maclin Tears Plantar Fascia

Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin tore the plantar fascia in his foot last night in the Meadowlands in the 2nd quarter. He will definitely miss next week's game against San Francisco.

Link

Even the Beer Bottles Can't Catch DeSean

Apparently unruly fans are in cities other than Philadelphia...who would've thought?

According to Rich Hoffman's column, two beer bottles were hurled at DeSean Jackson after he got behind the Giants D on this play for one of his many long TDs this year.

Link

Eagles Extend Reid

Andy Reid will be the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles at least for another 4 seasons. Andy signed a three-year extension to be the head coach until 2013, terms of which were not officially disclosed but it is believed to be in the neighborhood of $5-6 million per year. Jeffrey Lurie called the extension "inevitable" and does not see an end to the Reid era any time soon. "I've always valued stability," Lurie said, and the Eagles if anything are stable in the head coaching department. Reid is the second longest tenured coach in the NFL behind only Tennessee's Jeff Fisher. Reid has often been the object of many fan's gripes over the years whether it be over is time management deficiencies, lack of a dedication to the running game and mostly because he has never delivered the Lombardi trophy for a fan-base that is starving for one. Combined with the fact that there are many high-profile former head coaches waiting for teams to call them with job offers, this will inevitably rile up Eagles fans who have been waiting for the Reid era to end.

Through everything Reid has gone through, you cannot tell me that the man is not a successful NFL coach. All coaches have strengths and weaknesses, but there are not many like Andy Reid who have been this successful for this long. To put it into perspective, Andy Reid joined the Eagles in 1999 and has amassed 115 wins and a .611 win percentage. Inheriting a 3-13 team, in only his second season he led them to an 11-5 record and into the playoffs. In NFL history, there are only 4 coaches who have led the same franchise to 100 or more wins in a decade and they are Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, Don Shula and now Andy Reid. Not bad company. Combined with the family issues Reid had to endure and still is with one son still incarcerated, he has continued to lead this winning franchise with class. Not to mention the fact that Reid has ALWAYS appreciated the Philadelphia fans. "I love Philadelphia," Reid said. "The fans- there's nothing like them. They're always there." You always hear Reid thank the fans at his post-game press conferences, particularly on the road when the fans travel in droves to wherever the team is traveling to.

His fiercest critics point to the Eagles performance in the biggest games as one of Reid's biggest downfalls, going 1-for-5 in NFC Championship Game performances and losing their only Super Bowl appearance in 2004 to the Patriots 24-21. Not all of the blame should be on Reid because he wasn't the one who threw those 4th quarter interceptions or couldn't get off the line against Ricky Manning or couldn't stop Kurt Warner. I know the deal, it comes with the territory for coaches and quarterbacks. You never get the respect you deserve when you win and you get too much of the blame when you lose. But luckily there is a cure for all the criticism that Andy and Donovan take, and that is just win. We saw last year in this town a team in the Phillies that for years the city wanted David Montgomery to sell the team and get a WHOLE new regime in there. Then they win the championship and all is forgotten. A city that once destroyed Charlie Manuel now adores him, a city that cursed Pat Burrell will now give him a standing ovation when he returns. The same thing could happen for Reid if he leads this team to the promised land. The only way we'll know if this extension was a good move or not is if in 2013 there is a Lombardi trophy or two in the NovaCare complex.

Vick Returns to Atlanta

With all the injury storylines filling Sunday's Eagles/Falcons showdown in the Georgia Dome, probably the most under-the-radar aspect of this game will be Michael Vick's first game in Atlanta since he was incarcerated. It is under-the-radar only in the sense that Vick has not been that much of a contributor and once the game starts he'll likely be a non-factor. But for Vick, there has to be so many emotions going through him this week.

From the moment Vick entered the league in 2001 as the number one pick in the draft for the Falcons, he ignited a fan base and started a mass following. His jersey sales and endorsements were through the roof thanks to his unbelievable playmaking ability on the field. Michael Vick for a few years was one of the few "faces" of the NFL and the biggest superstar the Falcons had seen since Deion Sanders almost a decade earlier. Vick earned three Pro Bowl appearances in his tenure with the Falcons as well being the first opposing Quarterback to win a playoff game in Lambeau Field. He also led the Falcons to the 2004 NFC Championship game where they lost to Vick's current team, the Eagles.

Even though I'm sure Vick will look forward to the cheers that he will inevitably get when he steps onto the field for the first time, there will definitely be a deep feeling of regret. When he steps on that field and sees the Falcons on the other sideline, he will see a team that has gotten over Vick after that debacle of a season in 2007. They drafted Matt Ryan with the 3rd pick in the 2008 draft and saw him take a team that were basement dwellers of the NFC South the year before to the division title and a playoff appearance. Things are only looking up for the Falcons and Vick's career is still in limbo. He landed in a great situation with the Eagles where he can ease his way back into the NFL and not have to be the focal point of a team, however there will be a time when Vick will have to again showcase himself for teams wanting to know if he still has the ability to lead an organization as a quarterback, not as a wildcat operator. That opportunity will likely come after this season, when Vick is scheduled to earn over $5 million next season if the Eagles pick up his deal, which seems unlikely for a gadget player in this offense.

It will be interesting to see, with the injuries to DeSean Jackson and Brian Westbrook, if Andy Reid dials up a few extra plays for Vick this week to see if he can recapture some of that old Georgia Dome magic.

Not All There

Lost in the hoopla of the Allen Iverson signing, the Eagles have a huge game in Atlanta this Sunday. It's shaping up to be a battle of backups with multiple injuries on each side. You can now add DeSean Jackson to the list of stars that will not be playing in the game. Jackson says that it is highly unlikely that he'll be able to go on Sunday. Jackson said that he "blacked out" after getting popped by London Fletcher last week against the Redskins.