Tag: Donovan McNabb (Page 14 of 27)

      Phillips, ‘Boys finally get over playoff hump

      January 9, 2010 /

      Considering the Saints and Vikings haven’t played a down in the postseason yet, nobody should be ready to crown the Cowboys NFC Champions. But with how good Wade Phillips’ team has played over the past month, you get the sense that this Dallas team is primed for a great finish.

      The Cowboys obliterated the Eagles 34-14 in the opening round of the playoffs on Saturday, and the game wasn’t even as close as the final score indicates. Tony Romo completed 23 of 35 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns, while Felix Jones rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries and Miles Austin hauled in seven passes for 82 yards and a score.

      But for as well as the offense played, it didn’t hold a candle to how good the Cowboy defense was. They held the Eagles to 14 first downs and 56 rushing yards, forced four turnovers and were so far up Donovan McNabb’s ass today that he probably thought he went to the proctologist. Fans will criticize him for his performance because, well, they always criticize him. But the fact of the matter is that he had zero time to throw the ball, zero time to set his feet and very few open receivers. I’m not suggesting that he played well, but his offensive line couldn’t block a stationary bike. They had no answer for the Cowboys’ pass rush.

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      NFL

      NFL Playoff Preview: Saturday games

      January 9, 2010 /

      New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
      4:30 pm ET
      TV—NBC

      Last Sunday night, the Jets closed out the actual regular season history of “old” Giants Stadium the way the Giants wanted to the week before, turning a win-and-in situation into a rout against the Bengals, 37-0. The Jets and their # 1 pass defense held the Bengals to zero passing yards for the game. That’s right, ZERO passing yards. That’s not likely to happen again today, when the Jets visit the Bengals for a rematch that will determine who goes home and who moves on to the divisional round of the playoffs. Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis held RB Cedric Benson out of the Week 17 game, and only let QB Carson Palmer play a few series before letting some bearded guy named J.T. O’Sullivan take over. Lewis didn’t want to show too much, but what he may have shown in the process was that his team is fading fast and may have won games early in the season with smoke and mirrors. The Bengals’ defense is also solid, ranked #7 against the rush and #6 against the pass, but if they allow Thomas Jones and the Jets’ running game to control the clock again, this could very well be another dominant performance by the Jets. And don’t forget the way Jets’ all-world CB Darrelle Revis shut down WR Chad Ochocinco on the field and then on Twitter. The hotter Jets should prevail again, but either way, this is a game featuring two of the NFL’s best defenses, so it’s likely to be ultimately determined by who makes the least mistakes.
      THE PICK: JETS 17, BENGALS 13

      Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
      8:00 pm ET
      TV—NBC

      For as surprising as the Jets’ thrashing of the Bengals was last weekend, the fact that the Cowboys shut out the Eagles may have been the biggest surprise of Week 17. Sure, the Cowboys have been on a roll since handing the Saints their first loss of the season a few weeks back, and haven’t given up a point since then. But the Eagles had won six in a row and were (insert cheesy line here like “flying high” or “soaring”). Despite having Brian Westbrook back, the Eagles have fallen to 22nd in the NFL in rushing offense and have been living by the big pass play most of the season, with second year WR DeSean Jackson changing games by himself on offense and special teams. The Cowboys, however, have beaten the Eagles twice this season, and their only losses came to the Giants twice (in games that could have gone either way), Denver, Green Bay and San Diego. They can run the ball (7th overall), pass with Tony Romo, Miles Austin and Jason Witten (6th overall) and they can stop the run (4th overall). The only blemish for the Cowboys is they are prone to big pass plays, but they seem to have remedied that recently, and with DeMarcus Ware coming off the edge, Donovan McNabb has to have eyes on the side and back of his head at all times. This game will certainly be close, and maybe come down to a field goal. And in that case, would you rather have David Akers or (gulp) Shaun Suisham as your kicker? That’s what I thought.
      THE PICK: EAGLES 27, COWBOYS 24

      NFL

      Would a loss to the Cowboys signal the end for McNabb?

      January 8, 2010 /

      Rich Hofmann of the Philadelphia Inquirer speculates that if the Eagles lose their Wild Card matchup to the Cowboys on Saturday that the team will look to dump Donovan McNabb in the offseason.

      Is this the last go-round for Donovan McNabb, the man who has done everything a Philadelphia quarterback can do except for the one thing that everybody so desperately wants him to do?

      Personally, I think this is it. I think the club made that clear without saying it by giving McNabb a raise during the offseason but declining to extend his contract past the 2010 season. If they win a Super Bowl, of course, things change. If they get to another NFC Championship Game, and McNabb plays great, things change. Short of that, though, I think it’s over.

      Eleven years is a long time for a quarterback in one city. Five years is a long time for a fan base to be locked in perpetual debate about a quarterback – and that is how long Eagles fans have been burying me in a digital avalanche every time I type the guy’s name, pro or con. Ever since that achingly slow fourth-quarter drive in the Super Bowl, when McNabb either did or did not throw up in the huddle, the town has been thoroughly divided. During the flash points, you can read the exhaustion on everyone’s face, including McNabb’s. Another flash point is coming, maybe as soon as tomorrow night. When this season is over, there is nothing that anybody will say concerning McNabb that hasn’t already been said a million times. The answer here is not obvious until you look at the contract. McNabb has trade value only as long as he is under contract – which means you trade him now or you have to extend him for X-number of years after the season, with a new signing bonus and plenty of color and pageantry (and a likely one-way ticket out the door for Kevin Kolb, whom you have previously identified as your future).

      If the Eagles lose tomorrow, does anybody really think they are going to do that? Or that they should?

      This has been a heated debate for years. Some feel as though Eagle fans should be happy getting to the playoffs on a regular basis, even though they come up short of a Super Bowl victory every year. But when you watch the same product repeatedly fail over and over again, you get tired of it.

      Personally, if you have a quarterback that can consistently get a team to the playoffs every year, or every other year or whatever, they have to hold onto him. But I understand the frustration that Eagle fans go through in that the team is always knocking on the door of more and never producing.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Can the Cowboys get over their playoff hex?

      January 7, 2010 /

      Over the past three weeks, the Cowboys have managed to end the Saints’ perfect season and hold the Redskins and Eagles to a combined zero points of offense. They’re the hottest team in the NFC right now and will play a Philadelphia team on Saturday that they’ve already beaten not once, but twice this season.

      But the postseason has not been kind to the Cowboys over the past decade. In 2003, the Bill Parcells-led Cowboys were shellacked 29-10 by the Panthers in the Wild Card round. In 2006, Tony Romo had, uh, some trouble with a field goal snap and in 2007, the ‘Boys were bounced out of the Divisional Round at home by the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants.

      Yes, the Cowboys have beaten the Eagles twice this season and yes, their defense is playing lights out. But these are the Wade Phillips-led Cowboys were talking about here: Nothing is a guarantee and nothing should be assumed.

      Dallas clearly matches up very well with Philadelphia. Their front seven has been able to shut down the running game and thus, Phillips has been able to amp up the pressure with edge-rusher DeMarcus Ware. Donovan McNabb hasn’t had a lot of time to throw the ball, which limits the Eagles’ ability to strike for big plays like they have all season.

      Playmaker DeSean Jackson has 63 receptions for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns this year. But in two games against the Cowboys, he has just five catches for 76 yards and no touchdowns. That means Dallas has been able to contain Philadelphia’s most dangerous offensive weapon.

      That said, the Cowboys have found ways to lose before, so why should anyone trust them now? They’ve been a team under Phillips that hasn’t been able to get out of its own way, so would anyone be surprised to see Philadelphia walk into Jerry Jones’ brand new stadium and steal a win? Doubtful.

      Dallas needs to rely on its defense to win on Saturday and limit mistakes offensively. If they can do that, then they shouldn’t have issues beating an Eagles team that has fought their own postseason demons in the past.

      Should make for an entertaining Saturday night.

      NFL

      Are the Eagles the most dangerous team in the NFC?

      December 27, 2009 /

      For most of the 2009 season, fans and pundits alike have gushed about the Saints and the Vikings being the best teams in the NFC, which they have been.

      But are the Eagles the team to be feared the most in the NFC now? Think about it: With their 30-27 win over the Broncos on Sunday, Philly has rattled off six in a row and for the most part, have spanked every team they’ve played. In comparison, the Saints have lost two in a row and the Vikings have dropped two of their last three.

      No team wants to go into Philadelphia and play the Eagles in the playoffs; it’s a hostile environment and the team feed off their fans. And personally, I think Philly is one of those teams that can walk into Minnesota and New Orleans and not fear the Vikings or Saints.

      That said, it’s been the same ol’ song and dance for the Eagles for years. Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb have tortured fans by peaking at the right time, heading into the playoffs with momentum and then choking in the NFC Championship Game. So the Eagles might be the hottest team at the moment, but it doesn’t mean anything if they can’t sustain it and make it to the Super Bowl; their fans won’t settle for anything less.

      Their win over the Broncos on Sunday was hard fought, although they did turn the ball over three times, which kept Denver in the game. Still, McNabb completed 20 of 35 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Philly also held the Broncos to only 241 total yards, including just 70 rushing yards.

      We’ll see if the Eagles can take a win like this and build momentum, or if they’ll flounder again in the postseason.

      NFL

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