One Last Run....

By Matt Mattare

If the Birds are going to take this roster and gear up for one last run before age and impatience leads to blowing it up and starting over, it's time to go full-throttle this off-season.

TARGET #1: ANQUAN BOLDIN

He's not happy. The Cardinals won't give him up for a King's ransom--doesn't matter. The Birds can package picks (1st, 3rd, and 5th) and Lito together. If they want the McNabb-Reid tandem to be effective they NEED a stud like Boldin to make it go. He's a better alternative than TJ Houshmanzadeh (who I'm not convinced would be the stud Donovan needs) and would make the slew of marginal receivers that litter the roster better (by keeping them off the field). Tell me that McNabb wouldn't improve with Boldin, Curtis, and Desean to throw to?

TARGET #2: RASHAD JENNINGS

Jennings is a big, bruising running back out from Liberty. He's EXACTLY what the Eagles need to complement the increasingly fragile Brian Westbrook. Two years from now he could be replacing #36. This sleeper is going to shoot up draft boards in the next couple months, just watch...Snatch him in round two and don't look back.

TARGET #3: JIM KLEINSASSER

Signing Kleinsasser would kill two birds with one stone. He can replace LJ Smith in two tight end sets (sliding Celek into the starting spot) and provide a legitimate fullback which anyone with a set of eyes and a brain can see.

TARGET #4: RE-SIGN THE O-LINE

They're aging and won't be worth long-term contracts, but unless they want to shell out more big bucks for Jordan Gross it'd be the best way to maintain stability. I'm all for shelling out some big bucks for young studs that could be useful for years, but first of all I realize the front office has its limits and second of all people are going to be severely overpaying for Gross because he's good and young...he's definitely not worthy of the MONSTER contract he's going to get.

That's the offensive side of the ball. Feather, Tim, Chuck, anybody--SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!

LLLLLET'S GET READY TO RAMBLE!

By Matt Mattare

Too much has gone on over the past few weeks to choose a single thing to write about, so let’s touch’em all from the Birds to Happy Valley to Sir Charles to Pat the Bat.

I don’t think you can call him the MVP (because that distinction belongs to the offensive line), but Brodrick Bunkley had himself a ballgame and showed up in two of the games defining moments. His penetration on both failed Giants fourth downs blew up New York’s offensive line and any hope of a first down. Has he lived up to the hype of being a first round draft pick? I’d say on the whole no and I think he’s probably too inconsistent to suddenly blossom—but times like this show you what he could be capable of.

The people that say Joe Paterno should retire are just wrong. That being said, the people that say he shouldn’t retire because he’s still got it (pointing to a few BCS games in the last four years) are delusional. At this juncture JoePa is simply a figure-head while Tom Bradley and Galen Hall run the real show, but Penn State owes Joe Paterno everything. He put their football team on the map, he’s raised and given back millions of dollars to the University, and he’s poured his entire life into his time in Happy Valley—PSU owes it him to let him retire on his own terms. Why? Because his presence obviously isn’t hurting the team (now you can point to the BCS appearances). He still fires people up at pep rallies, goes out for a few big recruiting visits, and deflects a lot of attention from the “real” coaches while essentially overseeing the operation as Head Coach Emeritus. If things weren’t going well then I think it’d be a different story and it’d be selfish for Joe to continue to coach at the expense of the school he loves—that just isn’t the case right now.

Fearless prediction #1: Steelers over the Ravens in a tight one…the difference will be Joe Flacco remembering he’s a rookie. While we’re mentioning his name, announcers need to just stop with the stupid nicknames for rookie QB’s. Matty Ice? Joe Cool? We get it, they’re mature and composed rookies and we know they’ve started enough games that they can’t really be considered rookies anymore. I’ll give a pass on Matt Ryan because that’s actually his nickname…but Joe Cool was Joe Montana’s nickname. Anyone who thinks Mr. Flacco deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the original Joe Cool probably thinks the WNBA should expand to 32 teams.

That whole thing where McNabb went and picked up the phone on the Giants sideline was just lame. I didn’t think he was a punk for doing it and I’m all about funny things even if they draw a flag…I just thought it was stupid. Leave it to Donovan to give the media some sort of negative fodder to discuss about him after one of the biggest wins of his career. The epitaph of his Philly career will probably read something like “a great player who did everything in his power to make sure he was underappreciated.”

I don’t think Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds will ever have a notable NBA career. I just don’t think he’s got the chops…but on the college level he’s one of the most dangerous people in the game. He’s a microwave guy who is totally willing to take over a game, something that is relatively rare today. Against Seton Hall he threw up 40pts and iced the St. Joe’s game for Nova last month. Villanova isn’t a great team but come tournament time they’re a really dangerous team who could make a Sweet 16-Elite 8 run on Reynolds’s shoulders (just like last year).

Brian Dawkins has to be inching up the list of most beloved sports figures in Philadelphia history. Has there ever been a player in this town who has worn his emotions on his sleeve and—without fail—shown up giving every ounce of himself for every game of his career? He might be slipping a little bit and losing a step, but the guy deserves a tip of the cap from even the most critical Birds fan.

Fearless prediction #2: Birds will win an ugly game in Arizona…this will lead to two of the most obnoxious fan bases in all of professional sports invading Tampa Bay. Over/Under on brawls started after “Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl” is responded with an E-A-G-L-E-S chant: 23.5. Get two holding cells ready.

I think Charles Barkley is one of the funniest individuals in sports and a lot of times I love hearing his opinions. But what I’ve learned is the more you open your mouth the more likely you are to sound like an idiot. His initial condemnation of Auburn for not legitimately considering Turner Gill for head football coach because of his race may have had some merit, but as he explained himself more and more he lost more and more credibility. I think the race card is played FAAAAAR too much in sports today. Of course racism is still present, but I’d say 90% of the people in power these days just don’t care about the color of a person’s skin—they care about performance. Example: Michael Wilbon’s insinuation that Notre Dame was racist for firing Tyrone Willingham was indescribably ignorant. There are exceptions to the rule though and I think that most of them are found in the Bible Belt. I agree 100% with Barkley that Auburn never would’ve hired Gill because he was black, but to say that he MUST have been the guy they hired is simply ignorant. There are a few coaches that would have been very viable candidates on par with Gill…it’s just that none of them were chosen. Charles I know it’s hard/borderline impossible, but state your point and then get out of your own way.

Pat Burrell’s off-season was one of the most bizarre things I ever witnessed. Like him or not he was a huge part of the Phillies organization over the past decade and the Phillies made it painfully obvious that they had no desire whatsoever to even extend a contract offer. According to Burrell’s agent the Phils barely even talked with him…and the thing is fans were totally ok with moving on to Raul Ibanez and somewhat miffed when he signed with Tampa. The whole thing is just weird. And for the record, Ibanez will not be as productive as Burrell on the whole, but his valleys won’t be as brutal as the slumps Burrell was capable of.

Don’t think it’s possible that the Eagles can pull it off because it’d just be too good to be true? Well consider what’s happened over the past five years: the Red Sox have won two World Series, Phil Mickelson won three majors, Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl, Kansas basketball won a national championship, Tiger Woods won a US Open with a broken leg, Notre Dame football went 3-9, Roy Williams actually won a big game in the Final Four and won a national championship, Tom Coughlin out-coached Bill Belichick won a Super Bowl, the Tampa Bay Rays won the pennant, and the Phillies ended a 100 season championship drought in Philadelphia. Tell me the sports world hasn’t been turned a little upside down right now…

Fearless Prediction #3: The Sixers will not make a run like their fellow Philly teams have in the past few months…I literally have no fear in saying this. Bet the house on it.

I just read that Jim Harbaugh interviewed with the Jets. I watched him coach at Stanford—he will never be a successful NFL coach. Stick to college Jim. Throwing hissy fits on the sidelines may be excused as passion in Pao Alto, but that kind of volatility won’t win the respect you need in the big leagues.

Fearless Big Five Prediction: Temple will be the best team in Philly within three years…Fran Dunphy is a great coach and if he sticks around—which I think he will—then Jay Wright’s Wildcats will have some serious competition for the Big Five title.

Has there ever been a more insignificant player that garnered so much attention than Pacman Jones? He’s a decent cornerback and an above average punt returner…if he didn’t nickname himself Pacman he’d be in a cell next to Rae Carruth right now.

BIG FIVE SKINNY

THEY'RE BAAAAACK!

By Matt Mattare

Temple 88

#8 Tennessee 72

It’s just too easy to make a reference to the Christmas season or a Christmas gift or any and all things yuletide when talking about this game—espn, cbssportsline, cnnsi all do. I’ll shy away from the clichés: Dionte Christmas is good.

Really good.

This is exactly the type of game Fran Dunphy was looking for; a game where perhaps his Owls turned a corner. Last year’s run through the A-10 tournament established Temple as a force to be reckoned within the A-10 but this victory was a much bigger statement. The team is finally learning to truly run what can be a stifling match-up zone, one that totally took an extremely athletic and dynamic Tennessee team out of their game. The Vols shot only 36.5% from the field—including a paltry 6 of 26 (23.1%) from behind the arc—while being held to their lowest point total of the year (15 points below their average).

The defense was one of the two big reasons the Temple student body was partying at mid-court when the clock hit zero. The other of course was Dionte Christmas. You can’t say enough about this kid. Defenses are keying in on him this year with the graduation of last year’s running mate Mark Tyndale and he continues to deliver. In the second half he threw up THIRTY POINTS and blew the game wide open with three-point bombs on three consecutive possessions. Mark my words, he will be mentioned when they’re listing All-Americans come April.

The media outlets will all give Christmas the headlines for winning this game—and don’t get me wrong, he totally deserves. But everyone knew this guy was a stud. The real story here is the evolution of Temple’s defense. The match-up zone just smothered one of the most prolific offenses in NCAA. This win conjures up memories of the days when Pepe Sanchez ran the point and Temple could lock down the best teams in the country on any given night.

Dionte and the defense that backs him up are delivering the Owl faithful a gift they’ve yearned for: a return to relevance.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!

BIG FIVE SKINNY

By Matt Mattare

Villanova 59

St. Joe’s 56

The old cliché is that you can “throw out the records” when it comes to rivalry games and I suppose this game would qualify for that. The Hawks looked poised for a big-time upset tonight at The Pavilion, but when push came to shove Scottie Reynolds just would not allow Villanova to lose. In the second half he was involved in every Wildcat field goal but two (whether it be with an assist or bucket), finished with 18 points and 8 assists, and led Nova to a three point victory.

There was just recently an article posted on ESPN.com that labeled Reynolds as someone who has been a disappointment since his freshman year and claim he’s dropped from a projected first rounder to maybe not even being drafted. I would argue that this performance showed that Villanova will be dangerous come March because of him. He also provides a perfect contrast to St. Joe’s star Ahmad Nivins. Both stars are capable, but only Scottie goes out and takes control of the game when his team needs him to answer the bell. He’s trying to adapt and become a more efficient game manager at the point guard position, but he’s still a microwave type scorer when he needs to be.

At the same time you have to tip your cap to the Hawks for taking the #12 team in the nation to the brink. This is a team that I was totally unimpressed with in person, but once again Phil Martelli showed how he is capable of maximizing the talent he has to be competitive at even the highest level. The Hawks become a totally different team when Darrin Govens is making shots from outside—he frees up room for Ahmad Nivins to operate and gives the defense something to think about other than sagging and collapsing on big #34.

For all my criticism of Nivins I have to say he’s still a very solid big man. He goes to work, gets his 20 points and 10 boards (tonight he was a little below his averages with 16 and 8), and makes his presence known on the defensive end (just check the SportsCenter Top 10 tonight and you'll know why)...but it’s easy to see the potential he has to be great and I feel like it’s time for the senior to make that jump to a dominant force in a mediocre league like the Atlantic 10. In order for this team to play at a level high enough to contend for an NCAA berth Martelli needs to find a way to get Nivins to be more assertive.

In the end it’s a good, hard fought victory for Nova. On the flip side this could have been a huge non-conference W to throw on the resume for the Hawks but they just couldn’t put it away. Unfortunately the tournament committee doesn’t consider moral victories when plugging teams into the brackets.

Where from here?

By Matt Mattare

So the Eagles have once again resurrected a season from the brink of extinction, this time going into the Meadowlands and dominating what many believe is the best team in football. As I listen to Mac and Mayes and the callers on 950ESPN I sense there is a bit of confusion as to whether people are happy about this victory. Many fans call for change and another late season push that comes up this short might be enough to keep the current regime intact for another year. Does this victory mean the Reid-McNabb era has pulled yet another Lazarus after rock bottom in Baltimore? Should Eagles fans be what Bill Simmons calls “fan-tanking” (hoping the team loses for the good of the franchise) for the remainder of the season? I don’t believe that is the case.

Like I outlined earlier in the year, this isn’t a team that needs to necessarily be totally scrapped—as we’ve witnessed over the past two weeks they are quite capable of not only beating but thoroughly dominating some of the best teams in the league. Andy Reid’s performances over the past few weeks also may have won him a stay of execution, but changes need to be made. Obviously he has (miraculously) tweaked his philosophy a bit and has committed more to running the ball. Philadelphia had 41 rushing attempts yesterday, more than the Cincinnati and Baltimore games COMBINED. Whether or not he sticks with it remains to be seen, but the mere fact that he adjusted at all is something that should give Birds fans hope. After all, if Tom Coughlin can adjust his philosophy and win a Super Bowl Andy Reid can too…right?

I think this is still a very dangerous team that is capable of being the best team in the league on any given day. Will that be enough to get them in the playoffs? Maybe if they would have won that game in Cincinnati, but too many things need to break Philly’s way at this point. Those that want Andy Reid gone should start the fan-tanking but everyone else should still be pulling for the improbable run to the playoffs. If I’m an Eagles fan personally I’m hoping that McNabb lights the world on fire down the stretch—boost that trade value before his time in Philly is up.

After seeing the adjustments and reflecting a bit my stance of canning Big Red has wavered—I don’t think it’d necessarily be a bad move to keep him. However my position on Donovan remains the same and if he plays better and better down the stretch it will only help in the reshaping of this team. After watching the Cincy-Baltimore stretch did anyone think they could fetch more than a fourth rounder for him? Now suddenly he’s back into 1st-2nd round territory. Once McNabb has been traded to Minnesota (this has to happen), the Andy Reid era will hinge 100% on how well and how quickly he is able to develop Kevin Kolb. If THAT is the discussion in July then we’ll know the Birds are at least headed in the right direction.

BIG FIVE SKINNY

By Matt Mattare

St. Joe’s 77
Lehigh 64

Thinking too much about the enigma that is the Philadelphia Eagles or the fact that the Sixers are paying Andre Iguodala $80 million to average 13.0ppg is enough to give anyone an ulcer, so I figured I’d head down to Stabler Arena to relax and get my first live peek at the St. Joe’s Hawks. Every few years they pop up as a dangerous team in March so I was curious to see if I could pencil them in as a potential bracket buster down the road. The answer in a word: no.

After a week in Maui the Hawks looked a little flat against Lehigh, a middle of the road team in one of the weakest conferences in D-I (the Patriot League). The artist formerly known as the Engineers put up a spirited fight—pulling within four points with less than ten minutes to go—but they were outmatched and couldn’t keep up late in the contest. They certainly didn’t help their cause by deciding the best defense would be commit touch fouls when the Hawks went up for borderline uncontested put-backs, but I digress.

The Hawks had problems getting points on the board—which has been a theme the entire season so far (in fact only three players are averaging more than 5.2 ppg going into the game). Guard Darrin Govens has some range but went 0-for-6 from behind the arc after hitting his first two shots to start the game. For the most part they relied on put-backs and hitting the boards to wear down Lehigh and that’s something you can’t do against a conference power like Xavier.

The thing I was most interested in getting a look at was Ahmad Nivens’ game—he’s a preseason all-conference selection who many claim is the best big man in the A-10. He posted pretty impressive numbers (20pts and 17rebs) but he did it very quietly. If I were to give a scouting report I’d say the positives are that he’s got a beautiful shot for a big man, a very solid mid-range game, nice touch around the basket, and gets his share of boards (he’s averaging over 10 rebounds per game). There are plenty of negatives though: he is not very assertive at all, never demands the ball, and disappeared for stretches. Tonight he was far and away the best player on the court and should’ve thrown up 40 points.

If I were to compare him to a player it’d be former Maryland forward Terence Morris; Morris had loads of talent and plenty of hype after two great years to start his college career, but if you ever watched him in person you were never impressed because he was just so passive. Jameer Nelson and Delonte West would have killed to have him anchoring their front line when they made their Elite Eight run, but he’s just not the type of player who will demand the ball and throw a team on his back to take them to a new level.

When St. Joe’s has been dangerous in the past it’s been on great guard play—whether it’s been Jameer and Delonte, Rashid Bey, Marvin O’Connor, or Pat Calathes. They’re lacking in that department this season which means expectations should be tempered—it also means that Villanova should have a pretty easy path to a Big Five crown.

Real World Philadelphia

By Matt Mattare

PART II: THE BLUEPRINT


Alright, as promised earlier this week it’s time to lay out a strategy—a proposal if you will—on how to fix the Birds. It’s a little more complicated than one would think when you delve into the details…but Philly fans don’t care about complications, they want answers. You’ve come to the right place.

STEP #1: Fire Andy Reid

Andy Reid is the most successful coach in franchise history and he has the third best winning percentage of active coaches (.620 behind only Tony Dungy and Bill Belichick) and 16th of all-time. But sometimes numbers don’t tell the full story; those that follow and watch the team can attest to that. There have been mind-numbingly bad in-game decisions, ineffective and head-scratching gameplans, fruitless off-seasons—it’s all come to a head this season. Former Ravens head coach Brian Billick pointed out on the radio yesterday that you won’t get a better coach than Andy Reid, just a different one. A different coach is absolutely what is needed right now though. This isn’t Seattle, Philadelphia fans aren’t simply satisfied with playoff berths (which aren’t being delivered by Andy as of late by the way). CHAMPIONSHIPS—that’s the goal.

Firing Reid does two things: obviously it brings in a new coach but it also allows Tom Heckert (one of the hottest young GM’s in the game) to expand his responsibility and influence. The Birds inked him to a contract extension when the Falcons came calling last winter and it’s time to let him run the show before he takes off for a place that will let him.

Now it’s time to find a new coach. I’ve narrowed the candidates down to two guys, one who will be on a lot of people’s lists and one that I haven’t heard mentioned. The first of course is Steve Spagnuolo. He’s a red-hot commodity in New York and was mentored by Jim Johnson, but he’s also making the most money of any defensive coordinator after signing a beefy extension in the off-season. He’s an attractive candidate who would bring the same toughness to the defense as Johnson has, but luring him back to Philly might be tough. Something tells me that when teams come calling this off-season the Giants will try to arrange something like they’re doing in the college ranks (and essentially with the Cowboys) with naming him the eventual successor.

The other name I’ll throw out there is Steve Mariucci. This guy was successful in San Francisco and given no chance to be successful in Detroit. He’s a West Coast offense guru who employs (get this) a more BALANCED attack than the one Reid currently goes with. An example is in Mariucci’s 2001 season with the 49ers: 506 passes attempted and 509 rushing attempts. He’d bring exactly what the Birds need on offense and if Heckert is willing to be a little more aggressive with free agency and the draft this team can still sneak in another serious run before their window closes. Let’s be honest—for all the bitching and all that’s wrong with the Eagles this is still very much a top 10 team with potential to be much more. That’s why fans are frustrated and that’s why the organization should be frustrated. Doing everything and anything possible to retain Jim Johnson would be a must should Mariucci be the guy. It’s just a matter of whether Johnson’s allegiance to Reid will lead him to wherever Big Red lands.

THE CALL: Get Spagnuolo back in Philly. I think Mariucci would be a great second option but I’m all for looking new blood at the helm. Steve Spagnuolo, welcome home.

STEP #2: Figure out what to do with Donovan McNabb

Now I’m of the opinion that it’s time for Donovan to go, but he’s still a very capable quarterback in a league starved for them. Now looking at every team in the NFL there are five teams that may be in the market for quarterbacks—let’s break them down one by one.

Chiefs: Suddenly Tyler Thigpen seems like he could have potential, but their previously designated quarterback of the future (Brodie Croyle) is garbage. They’re so far away from being a contender that it just wouldn’t make sense to go after McNabb…Odds of it happening: Nope

Lions: The worst quarterback situation in the league. Dan Orlovsky wouldn’t start in the Arena League, Daunte Culpepper is the homeless man’s Donovan McNabb, and when Captain Kitna returns he isn’t exactly a long-term solution. This is something that needs to be addressed through the draft though—Sam Bradford, get ready for some lovely Detroit winters…Odds of it happening: Nope

Chicago Bears: Michael Wilbon has been clamoring to bring McNabb back to his hometown for years now but it seems the Bears may suddenly be comfortable with the thought of Kyle Orton leading their offense going forward (I’ll take this time to allow any Bears fans that aren’t delusional to gag now). This seems like a less and less likely destination unless Orton really stumbles down the stretch…Odds of it happening: Unlikely…but possible

Tampa Bay Bucs: They have a whole lot of old and aging quarterbacks in the land of old and aging people. Jeff Garcia has been effective but it seems Jon Gruden falls in and out of love with him and his contract is up after this season. Brian Griese is a very competent backup but you certainly don’t want to rely on him for anything more than that. There’s definitely a void but would the Bucs be willing to make the big move? They should because they aren’t that far away from being a legit contender in the NFC. Gruden has taken aging quarterbacks and made them renaissance men (Garcia, Rich Gannon), but McNabb is not the game manager that pair was and I just can’t see him falling in love with Donovan…Odds of it happening: Maybe

Vikings: Now here is a team that is VERY close to being a contender—one quarterback away to be exact. Anyone who still thinks Tarvaris Jackson will morph into a legitimate NFL quarterback is probably taking turns staring at a lava lamp and counting the colors in the carpet. Childress is fully aware of McNabb’s capabilities and had great success with Donovan at the helm of his offense from ’03-’05. The Vikings are tight on cap space after their spending sprees the past couple off-seasons (Steve Hutchinson, Bernard Berrian, Jared Allen) so accommodating McNabb’s $9.2 million cap hit will be tough, but they can’t waste a team like this with Gus Frerotte taking the lead. I think this destination makes the most sense…Odds of happening: Good

THE CALL: Let’s send Donovan to the Midwest where fans are easier on their players and all he’ll really have to do is hand the ball to Adrian Peterson. The Patriots netted a first-rounder for Drew Bledsoe…I think that’s totally reasonable for someone like McNabb and a team built like the Vikings will no doubt get more immediate value out of a top-ten quarterback than a mid-first rounder. Donovan McNabb to the Vikings for their 2009 1st round pick.


Part III: The Blueprint for Free Agency and 2009 Draft…coming soon

Real World Philadelphia

Part I: The Reality Check
By Matt Mattare

I have sat here for years and shaken my head -- half in amazement, half in disgust -- as Donovan McNabb was crucified by the Philly media and Philly fans. The first boos came before he even had a chance to walk to the stage at the NFL draft for a photo op with commissioner; the last ones came through the phone lines today as Birds fans voiced how the tie against the Bengals was the last straw. It has taken almost ten years, but I've finally shifted from shaking my head in disgust to nodding in agreement.

It’s time for all Philly fans to readjust their expectations for McNabb. Here is what he is:

* A mobile quarterback with a great arm…There’s no denying he still has mobility and a cannon—he just hasn’t used either very well lately.
* One of the top ten quarterbacks in the league today…For all his limitations, he’s still one of the most capable guys in the league—and at the very least, attractive trade bait. He’s a good quarterback with the ability to be a very good quarterback. He will never be a great quarterback (Why? See the second bullet point in the next list).
* A player capable of big numbers when given the proper weapons…In the one year of his career where he had a stud wide receiver, he had 31 TD’s and a 104.7 pass rating. The rotating door of No. 2 and No. 3 receivers posing as No. 1's (starting with Charles Johnson and Torrance Small, continuing with James Thrash and Todd Pinkston, and ending with Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown) do not qualify.
* Someone that has a knack for sticking his foot in his mouth with the same frequency as George W. Bush…Seriously Donovan, every time you open your mouth it becomes harder and harder to stick up for you—do your job, eat your Chunky soup, and shut up.

Here is what Donovan McNabb is not:
* A quarterback that the Eagles can rely on to win games by himself…He just can’t do it, there’s more evidence than can be listed here. If he could, then we wouldn’t be talking about how Philly needs to get an elite receiver before/during/at the end of every year. To be fair, this isn’t as much his fault as it is management’s for not realizing this after almost ten years.
* A quarterback who can lead an effective drive down the stretch in a close game…In games over the past four seasons where he’s taken the field with less than five minutes left and the game in the balance (tied or within a TD), the Birds are 2-10-1. There were 19 drives in that stretch, and he produced only THREE scoring drives (2 TD’s, 1 FG). Both of the touchdown drives were finished off by screen passes that Brian Westbrook took to the house from 50+ yards. Those are absolutely MIND-BLOWING statistics. Watching him in the two-minute drill is as painful and frustrating as hearing Emmitt Smith speak.
* He’s NOT a quarterback that can lead the Birds to the Super Bowl with the current personnel and offensive philosophy…Because that would require him to do both of the above on a consistent basis. Give him a stud wide receiver or readjust the gameplan and don’t ask him to carry the team.

It’s time that the fans and Andy Reid realize these things and adjust expectations accordingly. This leaves two options for the Eagles with a common theme: change. It’s time to either turn the page on the Donovan McNabb-Andy Reid era (the most successful in franchise history) or change their offensive and front office philosophies, which would consist of taking a combination of taking the burden off of McNabb and legitimately going out and acquiring the personnel necessary to make the offense effective.

I really don’t think it’s reasonable to think the impossibly stubborn Reid will change. Yes, he has been the best coach in franchise history (.620 win pct, five divisional titles, four trips to the NFC Championship, and the second Super Bowl appearance in Philly history), but it’s become painfully clear that he’s unwilling to adjust and push the team over the top. His weekly press conference offers no real answers—just company lines and heavy breathing. His off-season moves never seem to address the team’s most glaring needs and to say his in-game decision making has been questionable would be an understatement. If only he would look to his divisional rival and see how a change in coaching philosophy can lead to great things (read: Tom Coughlin).

Here is one vote to turn the page. Sometimes stats just don’t tell the story and anyone who has watched this team since 2005 realizes the team is at a crossroads. The underachieving and disappointments have become a perennial event and the reasons for it are identical each and every year. Give Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb their propers because they turned the Birds into a contender during their tenure and truly made Philadelphia an Eagles town—but contending just isn’t good enough anymore. The town was painted red in October and the new measuring stick for Philly teams is a championship. Patience has gotten thinner and thinner, and the window for this duo to deliver a parade of their own might close when the clock strikes zero in Week 17.

Now if there’s one thing you learn from listening to Mike Missanelli, it’s that you better not call for change without a plan of action. That’s why later this week I’ll reveal Part II: The Blueprint, which will lay out exactly what needs to happen to better position the Birds to hoist that Lombardi Trophy. In the meantime go grab a cheesesteak, pop in that 2008 World Series DVD, and enjoy the world f-ing champion honeymoon.