It was nice to see Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb keeping himself busy during Super Bowl week. McNabb took time away from talking about his own contractual status to talk about fellow Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick. Donovan McNabb said in an ESPN interview that he feels Michael Vick deserves a chance to be a starter. I cannot believe that McNabb would even dream of wanting Vick to play on another team next season. Shocking isn’t it?

The comments from McNabb are stunning in light of McNabb’s history in Philadelphia. McNabb has never been the kind of guy to speak up for his teammates when it came to trades or negotiations. McNabb has said many times over the last eleven years that he prefers not to get involved with other player’s issues with management. McNabb said nothing to back up Terrell Owens, Hank Fraley,  Brian Dawkins, or Brian Westbrook when they were trying to re-negotiate their deals to stay in Philly. Mike Vick on the other hand continues to make statements about leaving Philly to start elsewhere and McNabb has his back. Quite frankly, McNabb worked harder last week than Vick’s agent to get him out of town. A bit of irony wouldn’t you say?

First of all, what did any objective eye see while watching Michael Vick that makes you believe he deserves to be a starter? Can he be a starter? Sure, has anyone watched JaMarcus Russell, Mark Brunell, or Trent Edwards lately? Does he deserve to be a starter? Sure, if you think three gimmick touchdowns earn you the right to hold one of 32 of the most prestigious jobs in professional sports. Why not throw him in the Hall of Fame while we are at it?

Tensions have subsided a bit since the Eagles signed Vick and as an Eagles fan, I look back with an objective eye and I can honestly say that Vick was a waste of money, time, drama, and a roster spot. It was evident quickly that Michael Vick 2009 was not the same Michael Vick of 2004. How anyone expected this guy to walk back in the NFL after being away from the game for two years and not miss a beat still continues to astound me. The bottom line is that Vick was not ready for prime time or to even be a part-time for that matter.

Instead of keeping Vick and McNabb in the same package and confusing defenses, Andy Reid opted to rather sub Vick in for McNabb during the game, in the midst of drives. The only ones confused were the Eagles who continually blew time outs whenever Vick would stroll in or wind up moving backwards. It was as if Andy Reid was pulling a practical joke on his entire team. It wasn’t until the last quarter of the season until Reid started playing McNabb and Vick at the same time that defenses started to become confused, and the offense started moving forward. In my opinion, the whole idea of this gadget play offense with Vick was a complete and utter failure.

Did Vick had his moments in the 2009-2010 season? He did, three of them to be exact. The first came when Vick returned as a conquering hero to his former team in Atlanta, GA. The hero received a thunderous welcome echoed with loud boos which surprised Vick’s #1 groupie, Donovan McNabb. Vick answered with a couple touchdowns against his old team. Keep in mind that there were numerous starters missing from the Falcons, but hey the Eagles love redemption.

Then there was that touchdown thrown against the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. As a matter of a fact, it was the only touchdown thrown against the Cowboys in eight quarters of play. Hey, the pass was beautiful and it was surely a glimpse of what Vick used to be. However, this was a play set up throughout the entire season as Al Michaels pointed out on the broadcast. It was a nice touchdown, but that was about the only positive play that Vick contributed in those eight quarters. Does that sounds like a guy ready to start in the NFL?

I am not even going to get into the Ed Block Courage fiasco. I have written about it and quite honestly, there is nothing more that can be said that hasn’t already.

So here we are back to Donovan McNabb. McNabb is faced with doing something practically unheard of from a franchise quarterback, play his contract year. As it stands today, McNabb will be going into next season without any security. For someone as injury-prone as McNabb, that is dangerous. I think back to former Eagles linebacker Byron Evans who did the same thing, broke his leg, and never played again.

Compound this with the fact that the Eagles arguably have more depth at quarterback  than any other team in the NFL. While the jury is out on Kevin Kolb, he is regarded as a future starter by most NFL experts. Michael Vick, according to Donovan himself should be an NFL starter. Unlike most situations where the franchise quarterback is in the driver’s seat, the franchise actually has more leverage in these negotiations than usual. As much as the Eagles would probably like to keep McNabb around, they are going to have a set price, and have the luxury of saying goodbye to their QB if they can’t come to an agreement.

Now why would Donovan McNabb be so adamant, so proud, and so focused on telling ESPN and anyone else with a microphone that Michael Vick deserves to be a starter next season? Funny how he never used the word “here” when making these statements about Vick. Notice how he never said the same thing about Kevin Kolb, who deserves to be a starter next season a lot more than Vick does. Of course he doesn’t, because Kolb would be starting in Philadelphia. McNabb knows that out of the three, Vick won’t get the starting gig over Kolb and McNabb so all of the sudden he is now comfortable playing General Manager.

As a lifelong Eagles fan, I have had it with McNabb. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and a real phony when it comes to sticking up for his teammates. He won’t stick up for his offensive linemen, his safety, his running back, or his wide receivers when they complain about management and ask for new contracts so they can stay here and play. Yet another quarterback on the team starts making waves about wanting to be traded and McNabb is out there doing everything but showing off game film to promote his backup. The jig is up and even I as someone who defended him for ten years can see through this ruse.

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As I always say sports fans, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. The rumor mill is swirling with scenarios in Cleveland, and alot of it is focused on what the Eagles have at QB. As you know, Former Eagles GM Tom Heckert is now holding that position with the Browns, and according to rumors he and new “Prez” Mike Holmgren are looking for a radical change.

So of course you think to yourself, “doesn’t Cleveland have two QB’s, and one of them being hometown favorite Brady Quinn?” Well yes the Browns have men in position, but the offense the last few years has been awful. Several rumors spilling over have the Browns looking at Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, and yes even Michael Vick. Now here is where the wishing makes me laugh: Show of hands, how many Eagles fans would be happy seeing a deal that would ship McNabb to Cleveland for Quinn or Anderson? How many “Green Bleeders” would be happy seeing Kevin Kolb shipped there for some 4th round draft pick? Be careful what you wish for!

It seems to me that Vick will not be in the Eagles plans for next year. Vick can draw something to the birds in return for a trade. Rumors have flown about the Rams and Browns looking into Vick, not so much as a savior, but as a player to put some butts in the seats. I would believe that if he shows a quality work ethic that he can draw a third round pick. Although it would seem unlikely that a team would give up anything this high for a guy who really didn’t show the ability to play full time. His legs aren’t quite what they used to be, and his arm has never been razor sharp.

Now for McNabb, his story is well known. He has just one year left on his contract, and many Philly fans have been calling for his head. Sure, and why not? Donovan McNabb is only the winningest QB in franchise history and is one of very few all time QBs to appear in five conference championship games. This past seasons playoff failure by the Eagles have many looking at McNabb and thinking it may be time for a change. They look and think of how the Packers were able to say good-bye to Brett Favre, and how the 49ers once said good-bye to Joe Montana. In my opinion McNabb is the most ideal choice to stay in Philly because he knows the system and its players. Perhaps a dedicated offensive line would help? The Andrews brothers spend more time in hospitals then nurses, Herremans is more worried about his over bloated social life and Winston Justice has never proven to be worthy of his high draft status.

Which brings us to Kolb. He had a good start against a poor Kansas City team, but outside of that has not really shown anything sparkling. If the Eagles could stand to part with any of these guys, my safest bet would be Kolb. However if Kolb is dealt to Cleveland, Quinn or Anderson would have to be included in the deal so you have steady back up plans for McNabb. I feel that with a better team, Quinn is leaps and bounds better then Kolb, so I’d pull off some kind of deal like this in a flash. Although, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.

The upcoming NFL draft is not loaded with big time QB prospects. Many say about, “well look at Aaron Rodgers”, yes look at him all you want, he was actually projected as the best QB in his draft by many. The Packers just lucked out to have him fall where he did. Come back to earth and look at some recent second and third round draft choices. Drew Stanton, John Beck, Kolb, Trent Edwards, Pat White, Brian Brohm, etc. How many of these guys are making a dent in the NFL? At least if you get a deal done for Quinn you have a guy who has started regularly and knows a little something about being in an NFL game.

Be careful what you wish for, you just may get it Philly fans. Please don’t even begin to ask me how many Super Bowls McNabb has won. If that is the measuring stick then perhaps we should find Brad Johnson, or Trent Dilfer, or Doug Williams? Feel the trend? These guys won Super Bowls, but quite frankly could never be the face of a franchise. It is all not the fault of McNabb. You have an undersized defense and an average offensive line. Look into stuff like that first before you jump up and down in excitement about the thought of getting a 3rd round draft choice instead of your franchise QB.

One way or another it may be safe to assume that 1 of the 3 on the roster will be gone soon. Whether it be Vick, Kolb or McNabb, it will make an impact on this city and this team. Who comes in their place? One can only imagine, but one will also caution: Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!

If you’d like to hear anything else from me on topics or ideas I can be reached at phillyphan1971@yahoo.com

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Here we go again. It looks like it is time for the annual Philadelphia Eagles postmortem blog. For the fourth straight year I sit here in disgust and disappointment as a birds fan. The obvious two names up for discussion here are the head coach and the quarterback. Are we better off without one, the other or both? Unfortunately while a valid question it is one without much merit after the coach’s latest contract extension.

The last two weeks have been embarrassing and downright depressing for Eagles fans. Not only did the Eagles come up short in the two biggest games of the season, they were blown out, and even worse by the stinking Dallas Cowboys. Now I will give credit where credit is due. The Cowboys are hottest team in the postseason and by all rights, should be playing in the Super Bowl if they keep it up. Yet the loss is no easier to swallow if you are bleeding green.

Let’s start with the annual Donovan McNabb debate. I have always been a #5 supporter. Out of 32 NFL quarterbacks, he is a top ten QB and arguably even a top five. He has nine playoff wins under his belt which is no easy feat. He captained the most prolific offense in Eagles history this year. There probably aren’t many quarterbacks in the NFL that could have done better with this team than Donovan McNabb did this season.

However, racking up points against a decimated New York Giants defense and a rookie coached Tampa Bay Buccaneers means nothing to me after last night. In eight quarters of play in back-to-back weeks, against his rival, in the two most important games of the season, he managed one touchdown. Blame it on whoever you want, but his accuracy was abysmal for both games. In the first game specifically, he had plenty of chances to hit open receivers in stride and missed every time. This has become a common theme for McNabb in the big game over the last few years. Yes he will get you wins over a Tarvaris Jackson led Minnesota Vikings, but he won’t get you wins over a hot team and blitzing defense like the Arizona Cardinals last season or the Cowboys this season. We can argue all day long, not only has he not gotten it done, he was a big part of all of the losses.

As a person I don’t know Donovan McNabb but I hear mixed reviews on him from people who do know him and know people around him. A common criticism here in Philadelphia is that he just doesn’t have the passion or leadership needed by a veteran QB like him. It would be unfair for me to accuse him of this as I cannot get into his head. Yet there was a scene before the Cowboys game that really got me thinking. NBC showed McNabb leading the team through the tunnel with only Plexiglass separating him from the fans and playing air guitar. You know I thought to myself for a second and wondered if Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, or even Philip Rivers (today) would lead his team like this? The answer is a resounding no. Whenever I see these guys some like Brees and Rivers are very emotional but not in such a comical way, while Manning and Brady are all business. The question I have is where the heck is this guy’s head before such a big game? I understand the idea of being loose, but there is loose and then there is the guy that is just being a goofball. To me, it didn’t look like a guy who was that focused on beating the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs nor did it look like a guy that will be losing any sleep on Sunday after the loss. Maybe I am just being nitpicky, but it really left a bad taste in my mouth.

On top of all of this, he has proven to be a pretty lousy leader over the last few years. Just last week he made a comment about the youth of the team being a problem in Dallas. While he may think that, what kind of leader goes out on national television and blasts his teammates? It would be no different than if T.O. was here blaming the quarterback, etc. I think it is funny that that an 11-year veteran who hasn’t done anything to put the team on his back over the last two weeks is blaming others for not stepping up and making a play. Last season following the Arizona Cardinals loss, he made a snide remark about the defense giving up the final game-winning drive to the Cards offense. Personally, the guy has worn out his welcome here and has turned into one of the most annoying athletes ever to come through Philadelphia.

Donovan McNabb has one more year left on his current contract. The big debate from McNabb supporters this season has been whether we are better with the devil you know or the devil you don’t? It is an interesting argument because you would think you were living in Cleveland listening to this. Since when did McNabb become so irreplaceable? Not only did Kevin Kolb do okay when McNabb didn’t play, Jeff Garcia led us into the playoffs a few years back. Additionally, as a franchise the Eagles have had a pretty good run on quarterbacks over my lifetime as a fan. Ron Jaworski, Randall Cunningham, and McNabb aren’t that bad. Yes, we had some clunkers but it isn’t like McNabb is the only quarterback to come into Philadelphia and win games for the franchise. It just boggles my mind how a guy that hasn’t beat a good team in the playoffs for several years has become so untouchable?

By saying that the Eagles need to keep McNabb, you are also putting no faith into the God of football, Andrew Reid. Andy Reid picked McNabb eleven years ago and traded with the Cowboys (brilliant!) to move up to draft Kevin Kolb a few years back. The next draft is not going to be a good draft for quarterbacks in my opinion, so the draft is out. I hate Notre Dame but Jimmy Clausen is the best prospect, yet I don’t think any of those guys are ready to step into a win-now situation here in Philadelphia. Keeping McNabb because the Eagles are afraid to move on just shows what little faith they have in Andy Reid making the correct personnel move. Rightfully so, but a poor excuse to keep a guy who has come up small in big games over the last several years with the Eagles.

The birds do have options here. For one, they could trade McNabb and if they aren’t going to re-sign him, they need to trade him and get something for him in the off season. I would love to see them work out a deal with the St. Louis Rams. Their head coach is a former coordinator here so there is a chance that he would give up more for McNabb than someone else. Why not trade McNabb for Steven Jackson and draft picks? Give Kevin Kolb a shot in his final contract year with this offense and Jackson. If not St. Louis, maybe Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert work out a deal with Reid that sends the birds Josh Cribbs and some of his eleven draft picks? Could there be value to Arizona with the talk of Kurt Warner retiring? Who knows whether or not Brett Favre will be back, because I am fairly certain Brad Childress would take McNabb in a heartbeat. There are options out there that could give them the chance to make the Eagles a better team without McNabb.

Now normally I would write about replacing the head coach, because well I do that every year. However, Reid signed a contract extension in the offseason that will keep him here until 2013. Personally, I think the fish stinks at the top and Reid is the biggest problem here. He wins games, but he also loses games, and has only won one NFC title game. There are Super Bowl winners that have been either been fired or resigned and with the right new hire, their teams haven’t missed a step. See the Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants, and Indianapolis Colts as prime example of teams who lost their Super Bowl winning coaches and remained strong and in the case of the Giants, won another Super Bowl. Reid and McNabb have a lot of defenders in the national media which astonishes me. Quite frankly, if these same people feel that both Reid and McNabb are as good as they say they are, than one of them has to go because there is a definite problem here. As much as I would love to see Reid replaced, it isn’t going to happen so I’ll save my space.

I know there are a lot of other problems in addition to Donovan McNabb. However, when the Eagles can only muster up 14 points with such a talented offense in two weeks, you need to look right at the quarterback. We had a good run here in Philadelphia, but to think that no other NFL quarterback can ever come to the Eagles and win as much as McNabb has is ridiculous. There are a lot of other quarterbacks that can come here, score seven points in two weeks, and never win a Super Bowl. So let’s start looking.

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After 17 of some of the most exciting weeks in NFL regular season history, the playoffs have officially arrived. The 2009-10 NFL Wild Card weekend looks more like an NFL Network Replay marathon of the Week 17 regular season schedule. This weekend will feature all season rematches, three of which are rematches from a week ago.

Before jumping into each game there is something that I wanted to point out about all of the games this weekend. Obviously with three immediate rematches, we have three teams that lost last week, four in all if you through the Pats in. Fans and teams can make excuses for their teams and in some games where starters sat, some of those excuses could be legitimate. Regardless of the reason, no team that made it to the final four in last season’s playoffs lost its final regular season game. That is great news for Packers, Jets, Ravens, and Cowboys fans.

Let’s start out with the game that hits closest to my heart between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles. After being declared the hottest team in the NFC, the Eagles reminded fans like me why we can’t trust them in certain situations. Rivalry game, on the road, second seed on the line, and the Eagles decided to take their Bye Week early. The Dallas Cowboys spanked the birds at home and locked up the NFC East, and a home game this weekend with last week’s drubbing.

This is about the only situation that the Eagles do not want to be in on Wild Card weekend. The Cowboys looked to have figured the Eagles out on both the offense and defense last week. The Eagles are a lot like the Philadelphia Phillies. The Eagles are a home-run or bust team. If McNabb can connect on those long bombs to Jeremy Maclin or DeSean Jackson, he and the birds will cruise easily to a win. Take those bombs away from McNabb and this team is in big trouble. God forbid Andy Reid actually has to coach and game plan for one week right?

While the Eagles didn’t get blown out earlier this season in their first meeting against the Cowboys, they were still shut down. I think the biggest issue here facing the birds is the Cowboys 3-4 defense. The defense takes away the screen, which the Eagles also love to play to death. The pressure from speedy linebackers and DeMarcus Ware on McNabb doesn’t allow him to sit back and wait for his receivers to get down field. It is truly a nightmare scenario for the Eagles. The only chance that the birds have at scoring points is to get a run game going early and open up the pass. Otherwise, the Cowboys will tee off on McNabb all day and we will see a replay of last week.

Defensively, the birds have had problems all year. While everyone remembers all of those points the birds put up against the New York Giants, Eagles fans don’t like to talk about the points given up in the same game. This team has serious issues at linebacker, specifically middle linebacker. If the birds put in Omar Gaither, the Cowboys will run all over him. If the birds put in Jeremiah Trotter, the Cowboys will pass to Jason Witten or Felix Jones all night long. The Eagles need to put pressure on Tony Romo and with Trent Cole double teamed, I have no idea where that is going to come from. The Eagles did a fairly good job of holding this offense down during their first meeting. However, that was many weeks ago and the Cowboys just seem much hotter while the birds defense looks more confused than ever going into the post season.

Finally, I have to bring up some intangibles here. There were several off-field incidents this week that hurt the Eagles badly. One, Donovan McNabb and DeSean Jackson have had words over what McNabb said in the post game last week. Two, Jackson has been tweeting some trash talk which is the same kind of stuff that worked against Freddie Mitchell when he talked trash on Rodney Harrison before the Super Bowl. Finally and maybe the most egregious act of all, Eagles employee and media man Dave Spadaro has a video on You Tube of himself spitting on the Dallas star at the new stadium. Not only should Spadaro be fired, as an Eagles fan I am irate beyond words that a little mole who doesn’t even play the game may be the intangible that fires up the Cowboys to go a little extra this week in practice, and destroy the birds on Saturday.

Before I anoint the Cowboys, I do want to bring up a few things. This is the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have looked unstoppable every year that they have made the playoffs with Tony Romo, and have choked in every game. Between Romo’s fumble against the Seahawks and the inept offense against the Giants, there is something about this team that can’t get over the playoff hump. As a matter of a fact, the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996. While the Eagles have choked in many NFC title games, their playoff record under Andy Reid is fantastic. The Eagles under Reid have never lost a first-round playoff game. Keeping all of this in mind, I am predicting a big upset in Big D and an Eagles’ win Saturday night.

Sticking with the NFC, the sexy Super Bowl pick going into the season were the Green Bay Packers. The Packers will travel to Arizona and play the Cardinals in the second NFC Wild Card game. Like the Eagles, these are two teams that you never know what you will get from week to week. As much praise as the Packers get from the media, they are also the same team that gave up over 500 passing yards to Ben Roethlisberger a few weeks ago. The Arizona Cardinals have also been red hot, yet were demolished by the San Francisco 49ers just a few weeks ago on Monday Night Football. Which team shows up is anyone’s guess.

I think it is almost comical that when people talk about this game they immediately rave about the Packers defense, while ignoring the Cardinals defense. This is almost an identical defense to the team that went to the Super Bowl last season. Remember last season when the Carolina Panthers rushing attack looked unstoppable? Not only did the Cards stop them, they crushed them in the post season. This season the team has very average stats, yet their rushing defense has been rather stellar throughout most of the season. It is not inconceivable to think that the Cards will bottle up the Packers rushing attack and turn this into an air-show.

The Packers are one of those teams that just when you think they are the hottest team in the NFL, they give you a Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay performance. Their passing attack is right up there with the best teams in the NFL, ranked number seven overall. Greg Jennings came on late, but has been a beast to contend with as the season came to an end. Jermichael Finley has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL since coming back from injury. Donald Driver has found the fountain of youth and has been a game killer to the oppisition. Aaron Rodgers always keeps this team in games even when it looks like the floor is falling out from under them like the Vikings game in Lambeau Field. This team definitely has all of the tools to make a serious Super Bowl run.

Even strength, I think the Cardinals beat the Packers. However, while the Packers are close to full strength, the Cards are not. The key to their defense, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will either sit out or play at less than 100%. Losing one of the best corners in the NFL against a team throwing Donald Driver and Greg Jennings at you is a recipe for disaster. On the offense, Anquan Boldin is hurt as usual and could miss the game. I don’t expect a team without two critical players like these guys to hang with such a dangerous team as the Packers. The only chance that the Cardinals have here is to get pressure on Rodgers and secure some turnovers. I don’t know if they can do that with receivers who are wide open and I don’t expect them too.

Oh yeah and then there is that Super Bowl loser jinx. Not since the Buffalo Bills in 1994 has a losing team repeated in the Super Bowl. That is not to say that the Cardinals can’t make it back to the title game, but the odds just aren’t in their favor. Between that and the Madden Curse, I don’t see them getting far. The Cards are great at home which plays in their favor and these are two long trips back-to-back for the Packers. However at the end of the day I think the Cards are too hurt at the wrong time to make this a game. I am going with the Packers.

The New England Patriots host the Baltimore Ravens this weekend in the AFC Wild Card round. This is the only rematch this weekend of a game that wasn’t played last week. These two teams met in a thriller earlier in the season which saw the Patriots squeak out a win against the Ravens.

When the story this week for the Patriots is about a guy named Edleman, you know you have problems. The big storyline of the game is the loss of Wes Welker for the Patriots. Welker was injured last week in a routine play and will miss the playoffs, and possibly the beginning of next season. The loss of Welker makes the Patriots a very different team on offense. With Welker, the Pats gave defensive coordinators nightmares. Without him, the Ravens will concentrate on Randy Moss and pressure Tom Brady. This is going to be a much tougher game for the Pats than their first meeting and if not for a Mark Clayton dropped pass in the end zone, they probably would have lost the game.

The Ravens always play the Patriots tough. Even in their destructive 2007 season, the Ravens were seconds away from beating the Patriots. Joe Flacco has been in the playoffs before so this is nothing new to him. Flacco and the Ravens established one of the most dynamic running games in the NFL throughout the season. Ray Rice has turned into the new Brian Westbrook/Marshall Faulk dual receiving/running threat. Willis McGahee turned it on at the end of the season and the two became arguably the best one-two running punch in the NFL. The Ravens are not a team to take lightly at all.

Everyone always says never to bet against Bill Belichick in the playoffs. They are right. He is 15-4 in the postseason with a .789 winning percentage. He missed the playoffs for the first time in years last season, so you know he is hungry for a big run here. If there is any Wild Card team that I would put money on, it would be the Patriots. I know that Welker is done, but the Eagles lost Terrell Owens in 2004 and made a successful playoff run without him. As much as I admire what the Ravens defense has done this year, there are a lot of older guys that aren’t as fast and give up big plays in the secondary. I look for Brady to exploit that with or without Welker and advance to the second round with a win.

Finally, the least appealing game to me takes place first as the Cincinnati Bengals host the New York Jets in a rematch of last Sunday’s marquee game. The Jets spanked the Bengals hard on offense and defense last week. In back-to-back weeks, the Jets beat the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals. Favorable situations or not, that is quite impressive. However before New York fans are ready to crown the Jets, they are forgetting about one incredibly key factor to last week’s game. The Bengals played without Cedric Benson and Benson is back and with a week of rest this weekend.

I think the storyline that amazed me most this week was the idea that the Bengals are falling apart. Yes, it is definitely not a good thing to be sliced and diced like they were by a team you have to play the following week. Carson Palmer and the Bengals offense were stopped on all facets of the game by Rex Ryan and the Jets. However, I find it amazing that the same people ready to call it a night for the Bengals barely mention the loss of Benson. This would have been like the Jets playing without Thomas Jones against a full Bengals squad. The Bengals are a running team and set the pass up with the run. I don’t take a thing away from last week’s game knowing that Benson was on the bench.

I have always liked the Jets and I like Rex Ryan. Yet I think the Jets are the biggest frauds entering the playoffs. The Jets were handed gifts with the Colts pulling their starters two weeks ago and Benson sitting last week. I know Darrelle Revis shut down Ochocinco, but Ocho was the only thing that the Jets had to worry about. Thomas Jones was a beast, but it will be much different for the Jets who won’t be getting the ball in the great positions they found themselves in last Sunday night. I may be dead wrong, but I think the Jets are in way over their heads this weekend.

I look for a big rebound by the Bengals. I do believe that a great running game and a great defense win championships. The Bengals have both. I am very curious to see how Mark Sanchez handles his first turnover, as I do expect a few. I think this game will be a lower scoring affair (can’t score any less if you are the Bengals). There is always at least one blowout game on Wild Card weekend. I think it is this one. I look for a big day out of Cedric Benson, some Sanchez turnovers, and a very exciting game next weekend when the Bengals travel to Indy to play the Colts.

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NFL Wild Card Picks!

I had my worst week of the season going 7-9 with my picks. Keep in mind you had a lot of strange things going on like Cedric Benson, Philip Rivers, and Kurt Warner sitting. Overall I was 162-96 on the season which I think is a very respectable record. Now for the NFL Wild Card Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

New York at Cincinnati

Philadelphia at Dallas

Green Bay at Arizona

Baltimore at New England

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I love the final two weeks of the NFL season. There are always plenty of wacky playoff scenarios that keep a large number of teams alive for the post season. The teams that theoretically have nothing to play for wind up pulling off the biggest upsets of the season. The final week of the 2009 NFL season is no exception as very few teams will have the luxury of resting players with little to play for.

The biggest game of the week takes place Sunday afternoon in Dallas, Texas. The new Texas Stadium will host the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles playing for the NFC East title. Both teams have already clinched playoff spots, but the post season road for each team would be much easier with a win. For the Cowboys, they will be guaranteed a home game. For the Eagles, they can clinch the overall second spot and would only play one game on the road in New Orleans if the Saints win their divisional game. Needless to say, both teams have plenty to play for and nobody will be sitting starters in Texas.

Oh the irony of this game for Eagles and Cowboys fans. Last year both teams played in the final week of the season in a very similar situation. Last year’s situation was a bit more desperate as it was a win-and-in scenario. How did that turn out? The Eagles crushed the Cowboys and jumped on the road to the NFC championship. While the loser of this game still gets in, I have to think that this game is a bit more about revenge for the Cowboys after that embarrassing game in Philly last season.

Are the Eagles the hottest NFC team entering the playoffs? This game will answer that question. As a matter of a fact, I would venture to say that the winner of this game will be crowned with that honor. The Eagles have won six straight games. The birds had a close call at home against Denver last week, but the birds prevailed in the end. Donovan McNabb has done something this season that he hasn’t done in years and that is win games in the fourth quarter. He has had numerous fourth-quarter winning drives and looks to have shed that black mark of his career. Andy Reid continues to make questionable calls, yet his team has continually bailed him out. There is just something about this Eagles team that looks like a team destined for their best post season run since their Super Bowl run.

The Dallas Cowboys have been a fascinating team to watch this season. Every time you think they are done and out of the playoffs, they come back and remind you why they are the Dallas Cowboys. As much as it pains me to write it, Tony Romo has been great down the stretch. If there is one flaw with the Cowboys it is their defense. The fact that their head coach was one of the best defensive coordinators in football and his team’s defense is terrible is a mystery all in itself. This is a team that can be beat by the long ball. The Eagles are a home run team and will be looking to put this one away early with some bombs to D-Jax in the first quarter.

The Cowboys won the first meeting between these two teams. Both teams did a great job of shutting down each other’s offenses for most of the game. Unfortunately for Eagles fans, this game will be remembered as a showcase of Andy Reid at his worst. Reid made terrible challenges with the red flag and went for it on fourth down in ridiculous situations. It was amazing to watch Andy Reid outcoached by Wade Phillips for four quarters. The game ended with the Cowboys killing the clock for over four minutes and Reid having no timeouts to stop them, due to wasting a time out and blowing his challenges. Quite frankly, it may have been Andy Reid at his absolute worst.

I can sit here and make excuses all day long as a birds fan, but the bottom line here is that this was a very winnable game for the Eagles barring their coach’s stupidity. I think the Eagles are too hot right now for the Cowboys to stop them. These teams rarely sweep one another so the split with the birds winning in Big D shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. I see another very tight game, high scoring unlike their first meeting, and a lot of NFC teams shaking in their pants as the Eagle green slides into second and takes a week off. Maybe Romo can get Donovan a good travel deal on Mexico for next week?

The New York Jets are in the most enviable position in the AFC. The fate of several AFC teams rests in the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals who play the Jets on Sunday night. The Jets are in a win-and-in scenario thanks to Jim Caldwell pulling one of the biggest disgraces in NFL history last Sunday and handing a playoff opportunity to the Jets. Living in the northeast I have seen a lot of Jets games this season. This is not a playoff team and unless Marvin Lewis decides to rest some key players, they won’t be.

The Jets and Bengals are very similar teams. Both teams rely on a steady running game and strong defenses. Neither team gives up a lot of points, nor do they score a lot of points. As a matter of a fact the Jets are the overall number one defense while the Bengals are overall number four in the NFL. The Jets have a slight edge in stopping the pass, while the Bengals are a better team against the run. This is a great situation for the Cincinnati Bengals to be in against the Jets.

Mark Sanchez and Carson Palmer are going to have to make plays. At some point, the run is going to stop working for one of these teams. Who do I trust between the two? Carson Palmer has been here before and rarely makes mistakes. He is truly the ultimate quarterback for this type of an offense. Sanchez is not and is exposed when the Jets have to rely on him to get the offense going. I also think that with all of the crap the Colts got last week, no way Lewis sits his starters unless he is in a comfortable position going into the fourth quarter. I look for a Bengals win which opens up the doors for a lot of AFC teams.

The most intriguing AFC game this weekend has to be the New England Patriots vs. the Houston Texans. As the owner of a few Texans in my fantasy leagues over the last two seasons, I have become something of a Texans fan. In the AFC, I think they are the second most dangerous offense behind the Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately a rash of injuries and a head coach that plays musical chairs with his running backs have hurt this offense badly over the last few weeks. However, the Texans have done something they haven’t done the last few seasons. The Texans are finally starting to win meaningful games in December.

For the Patriots, it is really hard to get a read on these guys. They beat the teams they are supposed to beat and struggle or lose to the better teams in the AFC. The Patriots have been a terrible road team this season, coming away with two wins (one of those in England which was considered a home game). The Patriots have already clinched a spot. Bill Belichick could sit his starters and be in the same position when the playoffs start as he would be with a win. However, I would be shocked to see him do anything but play to win the game. He didn’t sit his guys in 2007 so I can’t see him doing it now. Tom Brady has been rather outspoken this week about wanting to play to win this game. Once again, with all of the criticism that the Colts got last week I’d be stunned to see anyone sit for a reason other than injury from the New England Patriots.

Even without Steve Slaton and Owen Daniels, Matt Schaub continues to get it done in the air. Arguably, Schaub has had a better season this year than Brady and should be in the Pro Bowl over Lord Tom. I think that is a minor, yet motivating factor. A win does not guarantee anything for the Texans. They need a combination of ties or losses from the Jets, Broncos, and Ravens to slip into the playoffs. A loss completely eliminates the Texans. I find it very hard to pick the Texans against the Patriots in a meaningful December game. I won’t start now. I am going to pick the Patriots in what could be one of the most fun offensive games of the weekend.

Oh what a difference a year makes. The Steelers are on the verge of missing out on a chance to defend their championship. Inconsistent play on offense and defense in the middle of the season has put this team into a terrible position. The Steelers will be playing the Miami Dolphins this weekend in a game that could decide the final playoff spot. Both teams need a lot of help, but won’t go anywhere without a win on Sunday.

One would think that there wouldn’t be much of a home advantage for the Dolphins. However, several ex-NFL players have shockingly called Miami the hardest place to play in December and January. Those ex-players cite the warmer temperatures as the difference when it comes to cramping and dehydration. The line of thinking is that an NFL player can bundle up and adjust his body temperature better to colder conditions than they can for warmer conditions. Hey, I think it sounds ridiculous as well but enough former NFL players have corroborated this interesting tidbit.

The Dolphins had a nice run but their season is over. They had a chance last week to make their destiny a lot easier with a win over the Texans. Not only did they lose, but they were decimated for three quarters. Injuries to multiple starters have this team looking like a pre season team. Ricky Williams will likely play but was pulled from last week’s game due to an injury. I can’t see him being too effective injured and against this great rushing defense. It just isn’t Miami’s year this season.

<!–adsense–>The Steelers will bring their revitalized air attack into Miami with them. After struggling for weeks to put up numbers, Ben Roethlisberger looks to be back in sync with his receivers and his offensive line. The Steelers were able to squeak past a pretty good Baltimore Ravens team last week. The problem for the Steelers this season has been playing down to opponents. How they are able to beat the Ravens and Packers back-to-back and lose to the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders is anyone’s guess.

Are the Miami Dolphins the Ravens or the Browns? I don’t think they are a terrible team, but it is really hard to judge them when half of the team is injured. It is really hard to fathom the Steelers blowing what should be an easy win in a must-win situation. At the same time, this is exactly the kind of game where upsets happen at the end of the season. I am going to go out on a limb here and pick the Miami Dolphins to upset the Steelers at home this Sunday.

CamelClutchBlog.com Fantasy Football Playoff Standings

Championship Bracket
Team The Nice Guys 3-0 (Jeff Porrini)
Dusty’s RedBellySpot 2-1 (Eric Gargiulo)

Winner’s Consolation Ladder
…Not You!!! 0-3 (John Yomtov)
Havertown Spoilers 1-2 (Bryan Reigel)
1st Place 1-2 (Derek Sabato)
Team Wheelhouse Radio! 2-1 (Jeff Peck)
Team Nuetral Zone 2-1 (Brett Clendaniel)
Team We Own You 1-2 (Erik Espenberg)
The Kings of Krista 2-1 (Josh Usher)
Team Rowland 1-2 (Justin Rowland)

NFL Week 17 Picks!

I slipped a game last week going 10-6. Now I did qualify my Colts pick by picking the Jets if Manning sat, but in fairness I’ll take it on the chin as a loss. There are similar issues this week. The Cardinals have already said that if the Vikings win, they will sit their starters. The last three weeks I have gone 10-6, 11-5, and 12-4, so overall it has been a great final stretch. I refuse to go down with anything less than a double-digit week. I am 155-87 overall on the season straight up in games. Now for the NFL Week 17 Picks (Picks in BOLD) -

Indianapolis at Buffalo
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Cleveland Browns
Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions
San Francisco at St. Louis
Pittsburgh at Miami
New York Giants vs Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
New Orleans at Carolina
New England Patriots vs Houston Texans
Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardinals
Washington at San Diego
Tennessee at Seattle
Baltimore at Oakland
Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys
Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals vs New York Jets

Happy New Year to you and yours.

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Check out the video highlights from one of the most entertaining games of the NFL 2009 season. The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants lit up the scoreboard and raked up over 880 yards of offense to put on a Sunday Night Football shootout. The star of the show was DeSean Jackson who had two touchdowns and 260 total yards after a week off. The Eagles now move into sole possession of first place in the NFC East and are a virtual lock for the NFL playoffs.

This game reminded me a lot of last season’s Week 2 Monday Night Football shootout between the Eagles and the Cowboys. The great news here for Eagles fans is that the birds have never looked better on offense all season. Finally, the team is starting to get creative with Michael Vick and is having success with Vick. The team looks to have solved their red zone issues. DeSean Jackson had no after-effects of last week’s concussion. Leonard Weaver is turning into the unsung hero of the team with another rushing touchdown. This team is clicking on all cylinders, except for one…the defense.

The Eagles under Andy Reid have been known for their great defenses. This team does not have a great defense. Asante Samuel is the biggest high risk/high reward player I think I have ever seen in the NFL. When he jumps a route right, he is the MVP of the defense. However, the guy doesn’t like to tackle and is a turnstile for running backs. As it stands now, I think the birds can hang with almost any NFC team in the playoffs. However, barring a miracle the Eagles will have to go through New Orleans to get to the Super Bowl. Drew Brees and Pierre Thomas will have a field day with this defense. The only post-season hope that Eagles fans have at this point is to hope for a huge upset in the divisional round and a title game against anyone but the Saints.

As for DeSean Jackson, I believe he is right up there with Chris Johnson as one of the top dynamic players in the league. The guy is faster than anyone gives him credit for and may be the fastest receiver in the NFL. He makes teams miss and looks to have shed those rookie mistakes he made last season. As much as I have criticized Andy Reid’s draft picks over the years, he has had two of the best drafts in franchise history in the last two years. Jackson is a true difference maker and as long as he stays healthy, the Eagles are always in the game.

In the meantime, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the DeSean Jackson Show.

Philadelphia Eagles- New York Giants Week 14 highlights

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