The Eagles' Incredible Postseason Run Continues

It's hard to believe but just a few weeks ago I, like a lot of others, was sure that the Eagles season was all but over, But here we are it is January of 2009 now and the Eagles will be playing in their fifth NFC championship game in eight seasons, against their former Divisional rival the Arizona Cardinals. They lost the first one as an underdog at St. Louis, lost the next two as home favorites against Tampa Bay and Carolina, then won the last one as a home favorite against Atlanta. There was hope after St. Louis, despair after Tampa Bay, anger after Carolina and elation after Atlanta. The games came in all shapes and all sizes. The Eagles are saying the right things this week about the Arizona Cardinals. If you look deeply into their eyes, there isn't even a glint of a hint of dishonesty when they say they are taking the Cardinals very, very seriously. And then they nod. Very, very seriously. It is true that any team with bruised toes from a season of unexpected stumbles shouldn't be taking anyone else lightly. The Eagles are riding the wave of confidence they have built from the still water around their ankles after the Nov. 23 loss to Baltimore. The first rising tide came just days later - a 28-point win over the - that's right - Arizona Cardinals. Now the streak has reached six wins in the last seven games, including solid playoff victories over Minnesota and the defending champion New York Giants. The Eagles are being carried by their defense, but quarterback Donovan McNabb is healthy and the offense is dangerous as well. Against Arizona in November, McNabb threw four touchdown passes and had his second-highest passer rating of the season, behind only the season-opening rout of St. Louis. Still, what you get this week is what you expect to get, and what you should get. You just wonder if they really believe it.
A seven-time Pro Bowl player in his 13th NFL season, free safety Brian Dawkins is the heart and soul of the defense. He pours his emotions onto the field and is beloved for his intensity and his performance. Dawkins also happens to have a huge assignment on Sunday. He will be required to give help over the top against the Arizona passing game down the field and he’ll also be asked to fill in and aid against Arizona’s running efforts. You may even see Dawkins blitzing Kurt Warner as the Eagles try to get the star quarterback out of his comfort zone. Dawkins has to make plays in this game, and he has to make sure that the Eagles play at a fevered emotional level. The intensity the Eagles have shown during this streak – six wins in seven weeks – has made a difference, and Dawkins deserves a lot of the credit. This is his fifth NFC Championship Game, so he understands how dreams crumble abruptly here. The task is a tall one (fly across the country and play a team that the Eagles defeated convincingly in November at their home in front of their rowdy fans) but Dawkins is prepared for the journey.
He is only one of six players who have been here for all five; Donovan McNabb, Correll Buckhalter, David Akers, Tra Thomas, Jon Runyan and Brian Dawkins. (Buckhalter, admittedly, is a bit of a stretch, injured in 2002 and 2004 but around the team nonetheless.) They are the ones who have seen it all, and felt the different emotions, and dealt with the varying expectations. They have known mostly disappointments on these days, disappointments that necessarily hardened their outer shells and sharpened their inner appetites for success. They are all excited, even if they feel honor-bound to hide some of the it. They are favored to get back to the Super Bowl and they know it. But they have lost this game three times before and they all know that, too. There are scars in the NFL and then there are championship-game scars. There is no camouflaging that level of disappointment. And the lesson, Akers said, "is to make each one count."

Over the long history of the NFL, it has usually taken only a C-minus or D-plus game to beat the Cardinals. Even this season, as the Cards reeled to the finish line, it wasn't that difficult. In the final five weeks of the season, Arizona lost games by 21, 28 and 40 points. Forty points! Beyond that, the collective unconscious of the franchise represents a sticky spider web of failure across the players' faces. The most recent division championship before this season came 33 years and a time zone ago. It was 1975 in St. Louis under coach Don Coryell. Current coach Ken Whisenhunt is the 11th head coach for the team since that last division title, and the 9-7 record this season is just the second winning record since 1984. If the Cardinals should win on Sunday, it will be the franchise's first serious championship since Harry Truman was filling out Franklin Roosevelt's final term. They beat the Eagles in Chicago's Comiskey Park in 1947. I think Arizona was already a state back then, but I'll have to check. The Eagles are having none of it, of course. Not only aren't the Cardinals the team that lost games for all those years. They aren't the team that lost games this season. Again, you just wonder if they really believe it. For now the Eagles' incredible postseason run continues with a trip to Arizona and the NFC Championship Game. We can only hope that after Sunday they will be headed to Tampa.

Who to Watch:

• Eagles CBs vs. Cardinals WRs
• Eagles DE Trent Cole vs. Cardinals LT Mike Gandy
• Eagles RB Brian Westbrook vs. Cardinals D

Game Winner Could Easily be the Next Superbowl Champion

The Eagles are heading to Giants Stadium for the NFC Divisional Playoffs this Sunday. This is Round 3 of the NFC East’s heavyweight match between the Eagles and Giants, with the teams splitting the first two games. New York is the defending Super Bowl champions and the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs. The 12-4 Giants enjoyed a bye week and enter this game rested and healthy after struggling to a 1-3 record in the month of December. There are few surprises here. The Giants rely on an offense that operates behind a bruising line, running first to set up the passing game later. All three Giants running backs – Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw – are capable and each gives a different tempo to the ground attack. Quarterback Eli Manning is a smart, accurate thrower who has supreme confidence after winning the Super Bowl last year. Defensively, New York runs a similar scheme to what the Eagles employ. The Giants generate a lot of pressure from the front seven and the secondary takes advantage. It will be the third time that these bitter NFC East rivals have faced off against one another this season. The Giants won the first matchup at Lincoln Financial Field in early November. The Eagles won the rematch at Giants Stadium back on Dec. 7. Both games were decided by fewer than seven points. Who will win the rubber match? Andy Reid has guided the Eagles to seven Divisional Round appearances since 1999, which is the most in the NFL during that span. The Eagles are 1-2 all time against the Giants in the playoffs, including a 23-20 win in the 2006 wild card round. The Eagles won four of their final five regular season games to make the playoffs as the No. 6 seed with a 9-6-1 record. As for the Giants, they are the NFC's No. 1 seed with a 12-4 record just one year after a remarkable run to win Super Bowl XLII, which was deemed one of the greatest upsets of all-time as the Giants stunned the previously unbeaten Patriots. After starting off the season winning 11 of 12 games, the loss to the Eagles in Week 14 started a string of three losses in the final four games. That one win, however, was a come-from-behind 34-28 overtime win over Carolina to seal home-field advantage for the playoffs.
After completing 23 of 34 passes for 300 yards with one touchdown and one interception, McNabb has another huge test against the pressure-oriented Giants. McNabb needs to be at his best once again to defeat New York and that means making sure the ball gets out quickly and accurately. The Eagles ran the ball very well in the most recent meeting against the Giants on a cold, windy day. Still, McNabb threw 30 passes as the Eagles controlled the clock and dominated the second half of that game. A similar strategy would be helpful as the Eagles look to get the offense on the right track immediately. Playing with a lead is very important in the hostile Giants Stadium. The Eagles must give McNabb time to set up and throw, and it is likely he will see constant blitzing as he did last Sunday in Minnesota. McNabb has been outstanding since the benching in Baltimore, tossing 10 touchdown passes and only two interceptions, while completing 64.9 percent of his passes. The Eagles need more of the same on Sunday to beat the defending champions.

Basically there is nothing new to say here. The Eagles need to control the line of scrimmage, stay balanced on offence, and win the turnover battle. I've said it all twice before this year, and everything in those earlier articles still apply. This is a team that we all know well and one that this team can beat. They need to get out there and do it on Sunday and if they do I think they should go all the way. This is the toughest challenge left for the Eagles and if they can get past it the rest should just fall into place. I will go so far as to say that whoever wins this game will be the next Superbowl Champion. So lets go Eagles Win.

Who to Watch:

• Eagles RB Brian Westbrook vs. Giants LB Antonio Pierce
• Eagles LB Stewart Bradley vs. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs
• Eagles RT Jon Runyan vs. Giants DE Justin Tuck
• Eagles CB Sheldon Brown vs. Giants WR Domenik Hixon

Big Win in Minnesota Leads Eagles back to the Meadowlands

Call this one The Three Phases of a Playoff win. Because at the end of the day, after the Eagles packed up their things and left this frozen tundra of a land, the 26-14 win over Minnesota was possible because all three phases of the team chipped in for a thrilling victory. The Eagles move on to play the Giants in the NFC Divisional Playoff round as a team. They won a tremendously physical game against Minnesota and will now take the appropriate steps to freshen up for a well-rested and battle-tested Giants team. And as the team landed in Philadelphia and put the win over the Vikings behind it – that's what happens in this league, win or lose – the Eagles have a little more trust in one another and in every phase of this team. You want big plays? The Eagles delivered them, first with a 62-yard punt return by DeSean Jackson that set up the first of four David Akers field goals. Score one for the special teams. In the second quarter, it was Asante Samuel's turn as he stepped in front of a Tarvaris Jackson pass intended for Sidney Rice and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles a 16-7 advantage. Kudos to the defense. Later on, with everyone on the edge of his/her seat, and with palms sweating and heartbeats racing, Donovan McNabb completed a screen pass to Brian Westbrook and he got some great blocking, did his usual amazing running through the maze and ended up 71 yards down the field in the end zone for a touchdown to turn a two-point lead into a nine-point, it's-over margin with fewer than seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
The defense led the way, for the most part, battling tooth and nail against superstar running back Adrian Peterson, who exploded for a 40-yard touchdown run but was otherwise pedestrian: He ended with 83 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. While the defense sacked Jackson just once, they harassed him enough into an awful day – Jackson completed only 15 of 35 passes for 164 yards and had a passer rating of 45.4. After a frustrating first half in which the Vikings converted 6 of 10 third downs, Philadelphia clamped down on defense. In the second half, Minnesota managed only 101 yards of total offense, six first downs and only 2 of 10 conversions on third downs. The defense was stout on the edges as the Vikings tested them with pitch plays to running back Adrian Peterson. Super job by Chris Gocong and the linebackers. The line of scrimmage was stout. Chris Clemons continues to make progress as a pass rusher. Trent Cole never stops. Juqua Parker was there to make a big play or three. You get the sense from the secondary that they can cover anybody, anywhere. That's what it was like on Sunday in the Metrodome. There were a couple of missed tackles and a missed interception or two, but the coverage has been excellent since November. Tight ends? Whatever adjustment Jim Johnson made has worked.
The offense didn't have a whole lot going for it other than McNabb's passing game. Correll Buckhalter reeled off a 27-yard run to set up another Akers field goal, but then mysteriously did not touch the ball again. McNabb went to eight receivers, including Jason Avant, who gained first downs on four of his five receptions. A little dinking and dunking did just enough to keep the Vikings off balance, and then the Eagles went for the killer blows in a convincing fourth quarter. The offensive line did a fine job in the face of a relentless pressure-based scheme from the Vikings, who are very good and very fast up front. Tight end Brent Celek had 6 receptions for 56 yards, and Jason Avant had 5 catches, 4 for first downs. Eight players caught passes in all. Give Correll Buckhalter, who was under-used with only a couple of carries for 27 yards, a hug for lining up and playing fullback for much of the second half while Dan Klecko was out with a shoulder injury. And make sure the receivers, who we all watch for the way they run routes and catch passes, are appreciated because of the way they blocked all over the field. Great job.
David Akers is again being taken for granted. He kicked four field goals on Sunday, kicked off well and was a huge reason the Eagles turned away the Vikings, 26-14, in the Wild Card playoff game. Akers was one of several facets of the victory in need of some kudos for a job well done. The entire special teams, in fact, played great in the win. DeSean Jackson had punt returns of 62 yards and 30 yards. Punter Sav Rocca averaged 44.3 yards on his four punts with a net of 44.0 yards and all four kicks inside the 20-yard line. Rocca was terrific and the coverage group was outstanding, as it has been all season. You know who is lights-out on special teams this season, somebody who is under the radar but shouldn't be? How about Sean Considine, the former starting strong safety who has done nothing but help this football team in every game this season. Considine was named the Special Teams MVP by the players, and is a playoff captain. He isn't playing all that much as a safety, and hasn't played much in the last six or seven games, but he sure is making a difference on special teams. Everyone is. The special teams are a huge part of the Eagles' late-season success, and everyone from Considine to Quintin Demps to Akeem Jordan to Omar Gaither to Tracy White and the list keeps going has been terrific in coverage and, as we have seen with Jackson in the punt game and Demps in the kickoff game, in the return phase. Akers, though, has been amazing. Mr. Automatic, almost. Even when he has missed this season -- other than the three blocked attempts, Akers has missed one field goal since October 5 against Washington -- Akers has had plenty of leg and has just been a hair off. Akers missed a kick against the Cowboys, so he's 28 of 29 since the Redskins game in October, and that includes the perfect 4-of-4 performance on Sunday. Those problems Akers had from 40 yards and out are a thing of the past. He has been on cue since October. That's a good thing to know in the post-season.
That's what happened against the Vikings. Every player who stepped on the field helped in the win. The coaches did a complete job preparing the Eagles for the environment and the opponent. Step one of the playoff journey is complete, with a huge one Sunday waiting. The Eagles move on to play the Giants in the NFC Divisional Playoff round as a team. They won a tremendously physical game against Minnesota and will now take the appropriate steps to freshen up for a well-rested and battle-tested Giants team. And as the team landed in Philadelphia and put the win over the Vikings behind it – that's what happens in this league, win or lose – the Eagles have a little more trust in one another and in every phase of this team. Hey, there are smiles all around right now, but there is also the understanding that the defending Super Bowl champions are waiting on Sunday. The scene is set for Round 3 of this season between the Eagles and Giants. It should be a great, great battle. For now, as the Eagles heal and savor the win, the reality is this: A total team has come together here after that baffling 5-5-1 start to the season. The Eagles are playing as One, and that is the formula to win in the post-season. Great win. Great weekend. Thousands of Eagles fans made the trip to Minnesota in search of the win, and they got it. They earned it. Everyone of you did. It's that kind of feeling right now.

Playoff Time is Here Again

The Eagles have surprisingly landed in the playoffs, and now what do they have to do to beat the Vikings? For the seventh time in 10 seasons with Andy Reid as the head coach, the Eagles are in the post-season. This time, they open as the No. 6 seed in the NFC and take to the road to play the 10-6 Vikings in Minnesota. Philadelphia will be tested in a hostile environment by a physical team that features superstar running back Adrian Peterson and Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen. The Eagles must get off to a good start in a hostile environment. Donovan McNabb and Co., coming off the 44-6 blowout win over Dallas, look to stay balanced offensively and establish enough of a running game to keep the Vikings honest, and then attack Minnesota’s secondary with quick, darting routes in the passing game.
Minnesota’s offense revolves around Peterson, who led the NFL with 1,760 rushing yards in 2008. Peterson combines a rare blend of speed, power, moves and aggressiveness. Only in his second season, Peterson is already the best running back in the league. He is a threat to score any time he touches the football. Minnesota revolves its offense around Peterson, but the Vikings also have good receivers and a touchdown threat in tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. Philadelphia's defense is in (knock on wood) excellent shape entering the playoffs and the truth is that the Eagles will go as far in the playoffs as the defense takes them. With a resurgent Brian Dawkins fresh off earning his second NFC Defensive Player of the Month Award for December in three seasons, and with the secondary at the top of its game and the front seven attacking offenses in such a fast and physical manner, well, it's easy to feel confident about what the Eagles are bringing to the table for Sunday. But every snap of the ball is a new challenge, and the Vikings are a scary threat from every yard line. The Eagles have to rally to the ball and they have to have excellent discipline and timing when they get after it as Johnson likes to do.
Defensively, the Vikings have one of the best lines in football, led by Allen, who had 14 ½ sacks this season. The Vikings rank first in the NFL in run defense, and they get to the quarterback with their pressure package. Last week was a marvelous performance through and through. The Eagles gave the ball to Correll Buckhalter 13 times and he produced 122 total yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was terrific in a 12-of-21, 2-touchdown game. The offensive line, maligned during this roller-coaster of a season, shut out NFL sacks leader DeMarcus Ware and paved the way for 137 rushing yards on 36 attempts. McNabb was sacked just once, and he set up and spread the ball around to six receivers as the Eagles made one big play after another to blow open what was a tie game after one quarter. If they can play up to that level again this week this will certainly be another winning game.The Eagles need to get a lead and hold onto it, play tough defense and stop the Vikings running game, force turnovers and maybe most importantly convert third downs. How many times have I said that? Basically the Eagles need to play Eagles football, and remember that we are all behind them and supporting them. Let’s go win a Superbowl. Beat the Vikings this week and we are one step closer.

Who to Watch:

• Eagles LG Todd Herremans vs. Vikings DT Kevin Williams
• Eagles WR DeSean Jackson vs. Vikings CB Antoine Winfield
• Eagles SAM Chris Gocong vs. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson

The Eagles Make the Playoffs!

Well, the stars aligned. And then the Eagles went out and walloped Dallas, stomped 'em, put on a 44-6 whipping that was, well, maybe the most enjoyable 60 minutes of football I have ever witnessed. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Eagles fans were just having a delightful time. They were mocking the Cowboys, Terrell Owens in particular. They were high-fiving and slapping backs and laughing and, oh, it was just like the good old days. Only this day, this Sunday, December 28, was not like any day in Eagles history. To make the playoffs, the Eagles needed the stars to align just to have their playoff destiny again in their hands, and then they had to go out a beat the Dallas Cowboys, a team many felt was the most talented team in the NFL throughout this season. It truly is difficult to put into words what the day was like. Everyone watched the Raiders-Bucs game, from the very start, actually. The Raiders took a lead and they held it, held it .. and then as Lincoln Financial Field started filling up with fans, the groans become more audible and desperate as Tampa Bay took the lead, extended it to 10 points and, yeah, things looked bleak in Eaglesville. But football is a funny game, the greatest game of all, actually. You have to play until the whistle. So that is what the 4-11 Raiders did. They kept pushing and pushing against Tampa Bay and, as Houston held a lead over Chicago and the Vikings came back to beat New York, the crowds swelled around televisions at Lincoln Financial Field cheering and whooping and hollering and, finally, letting out a roar as Jeff Garcia was sacked into submission and the Raiders prevailed. And then, a minute or two later, the Texans knelt down and killed the final seconds off the clock and it was all there for the Eagles, right in front of a team that had some really awful hands holding onto good fortune this season.
Not this time. Not on this day, this perfect Eagles day. The final score was 44-6, but you knew that by now. You knew that the Eagles scored 41 unanswered points against the overwhelmed Cowboys, that the defense registered 5 takeaways, 4 quarterback sacks, 2 fumble returns for touchdowns and a Terrell Owens in a pear tree (couldn't resist!). It was a marvelous performance through and through. The Eagles gave the ball to Correll Buckhalter 13 times and he produced 122 total yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was terrific in a 12-of-21, 2-touchdown game. But this game was all about defense and Brian Dawkins. In the second and third quarters, the Eagles embarrassed Dallas. The defense forced turnovers on five consecutive Dallas possessions and scored touchdowns on two of them -- a 73-yard fumble return by defensive end Chris Clemons (who was fantastic with two sacks, two hurries, two tackles and the fumble recovery for a touchdown) and a 96-yard return by cornerback Joselio Hanson, almost tracing Clemons' footsteps. Both turnovers were forced by Brian Dawkins, who had a sack, two forced fumbles and more oohs and aahs and moments of thanks for being in an Eagles uniform. He was brilliant. The entire defense was superb, blanketing the Dallas pass catchers and keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone. Romo finished the day flat on his face after completing just 21 of 39 passes for 183 yards and a passer rating of 55.8.
Nobody wanted the day to end, and nobody wants this feeling to end, either. There is a terrific surge happening with the Eagles, a team left for dead a few days ago. The Eagles were awful against Washington, but they were given another life when Oakland won and when Houston won. So here we are. It isn't going to be an easy road, so don't fool yourselves. The Eagles have lived to see another day, Sunday at 4:30 p.m., specifically, and they will play in a loud, obnoxious Metrodome against an aggressive Minnesota defense that no doubt has a home-field advantage. The Eagles need to play an "A" from here on out to have a chance. They're on the road, the team against the world, and they know what it's like to take that route. Just one last thing I have to say. How ‘bout them Cowboys!!!