The Dallas Cowboys will be battling the Philadelphia Eagles tonight in the NFC playoffs for the third time this year. Dallas is coming off a 24-0 domination just a week ago that gave them the NFC East Division title and knocked their division rival the Eagles all the way to the number six seed. Dallas will be looking to pull off a third victory in a row and beat a trend that the Eagles have maintained for seven times in a row. The Eagles have won their first round playoff game seven years running. Dallas will try to buck that, and the fact that it is very difficult to beat a team three times in one season…
Tony Romo and the Cowboys will hope to pull off the trifecta tonight against the Eagles
Dallas will be motivated as they have had a thirteen year playoff drought. They are coming off three impressive victories and nothing less than a victory tonight will not suffice. Tony Romo will have to prove to himself and the Dallas fans that he can win a big game for them. Dallas has all the momentum in the world and the Eagles are a team demoralized and ripe for a third beating tonight. If Romo does not defeat the Eagles tonight, he and his head coach Wade Phillips could be run out of town. This is a must victory for the Cowboys, plain and simple.
The Eagles on the other hand are headed in the wrong direction. The Eagles were winners of six in a row before last weeks embarrassment. They had the Division title and a first round layoff bye in their sights and let it slip away. They played their worst game of the season and this is no way to start a run in the playoffs. They were held to a poultry 228 total yards last week. Donovan McNabb missed receivers on key passes and seemed to play tight. Maybe the Eagles and McNabb can use the motivation of this embarrassment and right the ship.
With all this being said, I look for the Cowboys to come up big tonight in their new digs. Dallas has had a playoff drought and will be motivated like never before to get the victory and advance in the playoffs.Romo has a lot to prove ,and a loss would be most devastating for this quarterback. Romo and the Boys pull off the trifecta. I just can’t see the Eagles rebounding after last weeks pathetic performance. This shows you just how objective a fan I am, I am a Eagles Fan. Maybe I will be wrong, I hope so.
The Philadelphia Eagles were rolling to close the season again. Six straight victories and a first round bye was staring them in the face. Andy Reid was awarded a contract extension. Six players named to the Pro Bowl. Good times.
Then a dose of reality set in down in Dallas with a 24-0 trouncing at the hands of the Cowboys. The scoreboard was much kinder than what occurred on the field. The Cowboys rolled up 474 yards against a porous defense. The stats could have been much worse if Dallas had not eased off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had no answers, either offensively or defensively against a team considered average by most and primed to the #6 seed.
How could the season unravel so quickly? One loss drops you from the #2 seed to the #6 seed? What happened?
The reality is, the Eagles are not a very good team. Heading into the playoffs, the Eagles are the only team among the 12 playoff teams that don’t have a victory against another playoff team. The Eagles were 0-4 against playoff teams and hold only one victory against a team with a winning record, the Atlanta Falcons. And that victory against Atlanta comes with a big asterisk given that Matt Ryan and Michael Turner did not play that day.
So, what it gets down to is that the Eagles have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat and lost to the teams where there was a question mark. This team lacks mettle. Their 11-5 record is the product of a soft schedule that afforded them matchups against the bottom feeders of the NFL. And even with the soft schedule, their defense still rated at the middle of the pack.
The Eagles have two major weaknesses entering the playoff, a lack of a running game and the inability to stop over the middle pass routes.
Opposing defenses have no fear of the running game. Brian Westbrook is no longer an elite player, LeSean McCoy has shown to be a bust and Leonard Weaver is a fullback that just happens to be their best running back at the moment. This has allowed defenses to sit back in pass coverage, blitz with recklessness and challenge Donovan McNabb to beat them.
As for the defense, the Eagles have been unable to plug the leak that opened went Stewart Bradley went down with a knee injury in preseason. The Eagles rotated Joe Mays and Omar Gaither with poor results. They then pulled Jeremiah Trotter off the scrap heap to no avail. Then they traded for Will Witherspoon before the trade deadline. Nothing has fixed the problem. Opposing tight ends put up Pro Bowl worthy stats against this gaping hole and running backs are feasting on pass routes.
This is not the first time the Eagles have slipped into the NFL Playoffs with a less than deserving squad. Andy Reid and company always seem to find a way to pull out a win. But with no quality wins recorded during the regular, it appears the mountain will be much tougher to climb this time around.
The NFL has been under fire this week after Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell decided to bench his starters, including Peyton Manning, during a loss to the Jets in Week 16. Caldwell followed suit again this week and the Colts got beaten even worse in a snowstorm marred game in Buffalo. Every talk show out there hammered Caldwell for the decision to abandon trying to complete an undefeated. Was his decision wrong?
Welker Likely Out For Playoffs
During the New England Patriots and Houston Texans matchup today, Caldwell’s decision was proven to be the right one. With nothing to gain, the Patriots played their starters and watched as Pro Bowl wide receiver Wes Welker went down to a major knee injury. Early reports are that Welker sustained an injury to his ACL and MCL, ending his season.
The Eagles took risks today playing its starters deep into a game that was clearly lost. At least they had something to shoot for…a first round bye. Major contributors in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek all got shaken up during the game and had to leave the field. No doubt these guys will be on next week’s injury report and the unnecessary hits may impact their play for the playoffs. And Donovan McNabb took his worst beating of the season behind a porous line that was unable to slow down the Cowboys rush.
The fortunes of an NFL team can sway from one week to the next, with injuries being a huge factor. Every team has a few players that are irreplaceable. In Indianapolis, his name is Peyton Manning. His head coach made the right decision. The goal is to win the Super Bowl, not go undefeated in the regular season.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stuck his nose in this week, opening up debate on how to encourage teams to play their players in every game regardless of consequences. He plans to open discussion during the offseason to deter teams from taking what is a smart strategy. The regular season is about earning a spot in the playoff and jockeying for a seed. It makes no sense to meddle with this and it will only serve to hurt the game.
Lets leave well enough alone Mr. Goodell. The NFL is not broken and a rule change diminishes the hard work of players. The bellyaching comes simply from people playing fantasy football and getting upset over the fact that the Peyton Manning coattails could no longer be ridden to a “fantasy” championship.
There is a lot riding in todays game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas this afternoon. Each team has a chance for a first round bye, but a loss by either team could have them go from that #2 seed to #5. Both teams are already in the playoffs. Which team will play with more motivation and drive to get to the bye is the question to be answered.
We will see if Tony Romo will ger the "Monkey" off his back with a big win today against the Eagles.
The Eagles(11-4) control their own destiny. Simply, a win and they are the #2 seed in the NFC. They are the winners of six in a
row and must carry the momentum they have right now into the playoffs. A win would do so much for this team in both seed and psyche. A loss on the other hand would be devastating to their fierce division rival. I am sure the Eagles will go all out today and try to make it seven in a row.
Dallas (10-4) will be looking to capitalize off their recent momentum of two victories in a row.The Boys would need a win and some help in order to secure a #2 seed. A couple of weeks ago, they beet previously unbeaten New Orleans. Tony Romo has been playing well in recent weeks and needs to get the “Monkey ” off his back with a victory today. He has been criticized for not showing up for the big games. Add to the fact, that last year the Eagles whipped the Cowboys 44-6 in Philadelphia will a playoff seed on the line. The score wasn’t even that close. Romo needs to redeem himself in front of the Dallas fans period.
Dallas did defeat the Eagles in Philadelphia on November 8th 20-16. They have all the motivation they need to take out the Eagles today. They will hope to sweep the Eagles. This game is what Pro Football is all about. Get down and dirty and lay it all on the line.
The final week of the NFL season is upon us and the playoff scenarios are the talk of the NFL. In the NFC, the teams have been decided, but the seeding are a crap shoot from positions 2 to 6. Only the New Orleans Saints get the opportunity to rest this week knowing they are assured home field advantage throughout the playoffs and everyone else is fighting for the other first round bye.
The Eagles control their destiny. A win secures a first week bye and home field, a loss send them on the road for the entire playoff. With an Eagles loss, a free-for-all will ensue, giving every team left a shot at that first week bye. The following is a breakdown of all the possibilities for today’s games.
Every time an All-Star team is selected there are always bound to be undeserving guys making the squad and a bunch of bridesmaids hoping to be the bride. The 2010 Pro Bowl selections are no different this year. Unlike most years, there are fewer disagreements on the choices. Regardless, there were some glaringly bad selections and awful omissions.
Here’s my take:
Who Was Undeserving
1. Jason Witten
Here’s a guy that had an awful season. Who cares if he has a lot catches, they’ve been meaningless dump offs and mop up play. He rates at the bottom for YPC, TDs and catches for first downs. Not to mention he is no longer Romo’s go to guy.
2. Bryant McKinnie
Benched two weeks ago as Julius Peppers brutalized Brett Favre, leading to the sideline meltdown between Favre and Childress. His reward…a starting spot on the Pro Bowl offensive line. At least Pepper is on his team this time.
3. David Akers
A beneficiary of playing on a team that can’t put the ball in the end zone. Kicking is about more than just chipshot field goals. Akers has never shown himself to be a pressure guy and his kickoffs rate in the back half of the league. A little known fact: Shaun Suisham and Nick Folk had better averages for 40+ field goals and they both got cut.
4. Wes Welker
Put the numbers aside, this guy has no right in the Pro Bowl. He is not even their top receiver. His numbers are bloated because of the slot passes which are more wildcat formation runs than actual catches. He’s the only top WR where less than 10% of his catches are over 10 yards.
5. DeAngelo Williams
Williams had a somewhat down year on a bad team that he contributed losses to and he gets in the Pro Bowl? He deserved it last year, but not based on his performance this year. After Jonathan Stewart’s performance against the Giants, Williams might not even start next year.
6. Asante Samuel
While he gets lots of interceptions, he gets beaten too often. This is not to mention that the guy likes less tackling contact than Deion Sanders. Its almost impossible to play every down of every game and only have 40 tackles, but Samuels did it.
Who Got Shafted
1. Cedric Benson
How did this guy not make the team? He leads the NFL in carries per game and has made an unbelievable comeback against all the odds. his performance against the Bears should get him in alone. Probably the biggest shaft of them all.
2. Brent Celek
This guy has been a rock in the Philly offense. Unlike Witten and Tony Gonzalez who feed as dump off receivers, Celek goes down the field for his catches because dumps to its running backs. Not to mention taking hit better than anyone in the NFL. Celek is a major reason why the Eagles offense has clicked despite all the injuries. I guess he lost out so undeserving Eagles like Akers and Samuels could attend in his place.
3. Ryan Grant
This guy has been a workhorse. When he is running the ball well, Green Bay wins games. He is perhaps the most important player to their success because he takes pressure off the offensive line that can’t pass block.
4. D.J. Williams
Victim of the ongoing love affair with Ray Lewis that will never end. Williams had a breakout year that should have gotten the recognition it deserved. Williams is a tackling machine but won’t see the Pro Bowl until Lewis retires.
5. Antoine Bethea
94 tackles, 9 passes defended and 4 INTs. This rates you a bystander for the pro bowl. But if you get 45 tackles, 8 passes defended and 3 INTs at the same position, you are in like flint. Congrats to Ed Reed for stealing Bethea’s spot.
Jay Cutler to Devin Aromashodu. Doesn’t really have the same ring to it as Joe Montana to Jerry Rice, but they performed like it as the Chicago Bears took a heartbreaker from the Minnesota Vikings with a 36-30 OT victory. The Chicago victory ensured home field advantage for the New Orleans Saints and the Vikings are now fighting with their backs up against the wall to secure a first round bye.
Vikings Fumble Away First Round Bye
Coming into the game, Aromashodu had just 12 catches for 102 yards for the entire season and just 19 over the course of his 4 year career. Aromashodu lit up the Minnesota defense for big plays with 7 catches for 150 yards, including the game-winning 39 yard catch in overtime.
The game winning drive was setup by another critical fumble by Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. Chicago linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer punched the ball out from behind, leading to the turnover. Peterson’s fumble was his sixth of the season, which leads all NFL running backs.
The overtime loss squandered a solid comeback by the Vikings offense after being down 23-6 in the third quarter. The Viking offense was flat once again, unable to put points on the board and looking listless once again. They exploded once Chicago went into a prevent defense allowing Favre to dump balls in under the coverage.
Despite the offensive comeback, the Vikings looked awful on the field again. The offensive line didn’t block, they didn’t convert third downs, the defensive line didn’t get pressure on the QB, the defensive backfield missed assignments and the special teams were awful. Very little positive to walk away and build upon.
With the loss, the Philadelphia Eagles now control their destiny for a first round bye. With a victory over Dallas, the Eagles clinch the bye. This is bad news for the Vikings who are undefeated at home, but just 4-4 on road. And that road record was aided by victories over Cleveland, St. Louis and Detroit…the three worst teams in the NFL.
If the Eagles win on Sunday, Brett Favre’s chances get slimmer and slimmer in getting back to the big game. While none of the NFC teams appear to be playing impressively at the moment, the Vikings are sitting at the bottom of the barrel.
It’s the end of the year. Its the end of a decade. Nothing great ever ends without a list and a debate over that list. Today, we focus on the 10 biggest sports villians of the 2000 decade and the behaviors that defined their dastardliness.
10. Alex Rodriguez
Talk about a guy that everywhere he goes, trouble seems to find him. While Rodriguez has not run afoul with the law, his personal indiscretions and smug attitude made him a pariah. C’mon, the guy has paintings of himself in his home as a centaur. Talk about an ego. He became this highest paid athlete in sports and blamed his use of steroids on the pressure he felt for signing that contract. Let me shed a tear for A-Rod. Like we’re supposed to believe it didn’t start until then and the cyst in his hip wasn’t the result of steroid abuse. Rodriquez has assured himself the status of the anti-Derek Jeter in New York, no matter how many home runs he hits or Hollywood starlets he invites to sit along the baselines.
9. Plaxico Burress
Burress proved that one player can bring a team to its knees. His nightclub incident where he accidently shot himself in the leg not only cost the Giants possible back-to-back Super Bowl championships, it landed him in prison for two years. Burress’ trangressions are numerous, including speeding, damaging leased vehicles and not showing up for events while taking fees. He’s just an all around bad dude.
8. Adam “Pacman” Jones
Talk about a waste of talent. Pacman came out of West Virginia with huge expectations for NFL success. Jones was on the verge of greatness after a terrific 2006 season. Then the details hit the police blotters. Assault, vandalism, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, marijuana possession, obstruction of justice, speeding, car seizure for use in drug dealing, and causing a shootout in a Las Vegas nightclub that caused a death. A rap sheet a mile long. The Dallas Cowboys gave him one last chance and he squandered that when he beat up the security guard assigned by the Cowboys to keep him out of trouble. And to think, he was on the college same team with recently deceased Chris Henry and never did we hear about trouble in Morgantown.
7. Allen Iverson
Iverson will never be able to live down his infamous 2002 press conference rant when he repeatedly scorned reporters for questioning him about “practice”. He became the poster child of selfishness and the lack of sportsmanship that exists in American professional sports. He was also a key member of the USA Olympic Basketball teams that fell from grace during the decade due to their inability to play a team sport as a team. Iverson is the epitome of what you should teach children not to become when they get older.
6. Barry Bonds
A sure bet, first ballot Hall Of Famer if not for his refusal to acknowledge his use of steroids. The guy was great even without the juice. Tied to the hip of the BALCO steroids case, Bonds smashed the single season and career home run records during the decade. Fans could have cared less. Bonds stopped endearing himself to the people whose admission price paid his salaries before the decade began, but made matters worse with his anger towards the media for essentially doing their job and fans for their desire for the truth. He now faces prison time for obstruction of justice and non-entry into the Hall Of Fame for simply not telling the truth about something that most everyone already believes he did anyways.
5. Terrell Owens
Who can forget the press conference in his driveway working out while his agent ran at the mouth? Or how about calling his quarterback in San Francisco a homosexual. Or questioning the commitment of his quarterback in Philadelphia after a Super Bowl loss. Or accusing his quarterback and tight end in Dallas of conspiring to not throw him the ball and crafting up their own plays in their hotel room on the road. The guy was a walking highlight real of paranoia that ripped apart every team he has played for from the inside out. Shockingly, his stay in Buffalo thus far has been relatively smooth…but lets give it more time. Owens always seems to be a lightning rod in season two of any stay.
4. Tim Donaghy
Did he make critical calls on games he bet or didn’t he? The FBI says no, but we’ll never truly know unless Donaghy decides to purge himself. Donaghy sticks by his story he made bets based on NBA referees and their known bias against certain players (see Villian #7 above for prime example). He also said he made bets based on how referees reacted to word coming down from headquarters on officiating improvements. Donaghy’s behavior placed a black eye on a sport where one foul call can make the difference in a game’s outcome. His behavior no doubt has contributed to the attendance slide and lack of fan interest in the NBA, even if he stands by his story that he never made a call to help with his bets.
3. Marion Jones
Another BALCO client that made millions through the use of PEDs to earn gold medals and become the darling of the 2000 Summer Olympics. Jones lied both to the public and under oath, sticking to the story that she never used steroids until the evidence mounted too high. Not until her pending court date did Jones finally repent in October 2007, admitting she used steroids prior to her Olympic stardom as part of a plea bargain to avoid a lengthy jail sentence. Jones spent 4 months in prison for perjury in the BALCO case and filed for bankruptcy. Jones’ story shows that cheating holds no gender boundaries and that the consequences can be steep when you refuse to repent.
2. Michael Vick
The behavior of Vick was needless to say despicable. And it goes well beyond his conviction of bankrolling and overseeing a dog fighting operation and personally killing some of losers of the fights. In 2005, Vick got his first taste of public scorn under his pseudonym Ron Mexico, accused of knowingly transmitting genital herpes to an Atlanta woman. Vick was detained and forced to surrender a water bottle with a hidden compartment during a airport security check in 2007. Vick also failed drug test for marijuana use. Given the run-ins, you gotta ask yourself how many chances does on guy get? Even if Tony Dungy vows you are a changed man and PETA cuts you some slack.
1. Bud Selig
The Commissioner of Major League Baseball sewed up his status as the top villain in sports very early in the decade and it was going to take a mass-murderer to knock from the throne. Selig has presided over the darkest days in the sport since 1919m as he looked the other way while baseballs flew out of ballparks and turnstiles were spinning at record levels. Baseball was a sport built on the foundation of stats and its greatest hitters failed 7 out of 10 times. While the owners and players got rich, the fans got the shaft. Selig’s retirement announcement could not have come sooner. Here’s hoping that the next decade will bring baseball back to its brighter days as Selig heads off out to the sunset.
The Dallas Cowboys take on the Washington Redskins tonight in Washington. To me, this is a must win game due to what is on the line ,and the momentum they are carrying off of their big win at the hands of the unbeaten New Orleans Saints 24-17 last Saturday. A loss would be devastating to both their playoff hopes and their psyche.
Tony Romo and the Cowboys hope to be smiling after tonight in Washington.
Dallas is 9-5 and right in the thick of both a wildcard spot and they even have a good shot at winning the NFC East. But they need to beat their division rival tonight in Washington. If the Boys win and the Giants lose to Carolina, Dallas would be in the playoffs. Dallas can pull off the NFC East if they win out and beat the Eagles in the final week. So there is a lot on the line for the Dallas Cowboys tonight.
Dallas looked great in their victory over the Saints and got great play from their quarterback Tony Romo. They add no turnovers and held the vaunted New Orleans Saints offense to their lowest output of the season. This is the momentum that you want to carry into the final weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs if you are fortunate to be there. Add this to the fact that their opponent the Redskins looked about as awful as you could look last Monday in their defeat at the hands of the Giants 45-12. The boys must win and carry their momentum.
I think the Cowboys will take out the Redskins and put themselves in a great position for the playoffs and set up a potential big game next week at home against the Eagles for the NFC East. Momentum will be carried tonight in Washington.
The New York Giants will be taking on the Washington Redskins tonight and is a must win if they want any chance of playing playoff football in January. If they were to lose tonight, they would need to win their last two games, need a lot of help, pull out some tiebreakers to get in. The Giants hope this is one of three straight victories they need to end the season to give them the best chance for the playoffs. The Giants would face Carolina next week and finish up in Minnesota. They have their work cut out for them to say the least.
The Giants and Tom Coughlin are in a must win tonight in Washington if they want to see the playoffs.
The Giants are currently 7-6 after starting off 5-0. They never thought they would be in a must win situation after week 13. There was a lot of talk about the GMEN being invincible after that start and now they find themselves fighting their playoff lives. It is a long season in the NFL ,and there are so many factors that can turn a promising season into a failure in a drop of a dime.
Last week the Giants dropped a shootout to their division rival Philadelphia Eagles 45-38. The Giants out gained the Eagles, but it was the big plays by the Eagles on offense and special teams that did the Giants in. One bright spot for the Giants was the play of their quarterback Eli Manning. Manning was 27-38 with 391 yards and three touchdowns. Maybe Eli can bring that momentum into Washington and make the Giants winners tonight.
To add to the Giants worries, the Redskins are playing good football right now and are coming off a impressive 34-13 victory in Oakland last week. Their playoff chances have been over for awhile, but they have been still playing with pride and passion. The Skins would love to win their last three games. This would not only give them momentum for next season but might save the job of their head coach Jim Zorn. Zorn needs these last three victories to give him a shot to be around next season. This game should be a old fashion knockout between to rivals in the NFC East on a Monday night in the Nation’s Capital.
The Eagles control their destiny. A win secures a first week bye and home field, a loss send them on the road for the entire playoff. With an Eagles loss, a free-for-all will ensue, giving every team left a shot at that first week bye. The following is a breakdown of all the possibilities for today’s games.
Every time an All-Star team is selected there are always bound to be undeserving guys making the squad and a bunch of bridesmaids hoping to be the bride. The 2010 Pro Bowl selections are no different this year. Unlike most years, there are fewer disagreements on the choices. Regardless, there were some glaringly bad selections and awful omissions.
