Tag: Philadelphia Eagles (Page 18 of 61)

Asante Samuel complains to refs while Austin Collie lays motionless on the field

PHILADELPHIA - DECEMBER 15:  Asante Samuel #22 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates with Quintin Mikell #27 and Trent Cole #58 after an interception for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on December 15, 2008 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Football is an emotional game and emotions are bound to come out following big plays, nasty hits or yes, when players feel that an official missed a call.

But to watch Asante Samuel dance around the field in disgust over a call that a ref made during the Colts-Eagles game as Indianapolis receiver Austin Collie lay motionless on the field was, for lack of a better word, unfortunate.

Collie had been knocked unconscious after three Eagles defenders sandwiched him following a reception (or what was perceived to be a reception) late in the second quarter. As trainers attended to Collie, Samuel began hopping up and down in protest of the call (either the unnecessary roughness penalty that had been drawn or the call of an incomplete pass when it looked like Collie had secured the catch and then fumbled, which resulted in a recovery by Philadelphia).

I realize that helmet-to-helmet hits are a sore subject between the players and the league right now, but Samuel could have handled the situation with more class. There was Collie lying motionless on the ground and Samuel picked that moment to bitch at the official. I wonder how he would have felt if one of the Falcons players did that while his teammate DeSean Jackson was knocked out following a big collision a couple of weeks ago. Again, emotions come out in football but Samuel should have held his in check right before Collie was carried off the field on a stretcher. There were more important things at hand than whether or not the official got the call right.

Hopefully the reports on Collie will be positive. I’ll update this post when I hear more.

Update: Collie is said to be “sitting up and responsive” in the Colts’ locker room, which is great news.

Freddie Mitchell joins in the bashing of Donovan McNabb

PHILADELPHIA - JANUARY 11:  Wide receiver Freddie Mitchell #84 of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a 28-yard catch on defensive backs Jue Bhawoh #21 and Darren Sharper #42 of the Green Bay Packers on the Eagles last posession in the forth quarter during the NFC divisional playoffs on January 11, 2004 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Not to be outdone by Terrell Owens, Freddie Mitchell decided to join in on the bashing of Donovan McNabb.

From AOL Fanhouse:

“I respect both Coach Reid and Coach Shanahan — they have two total different coaching theories,” Mitchell said. “I can only wonder what would have happened in the Super Bowl if Reid stepped up and said, ‘You know what? You’re playing like [expletive], you’re benched.’ I don’t know many coaches that have the balls to do that. He was playing like [expletive] and he should have been benched. … And don’t say he doesn’t have a record of this; he did the same thing in every single championship game.”

What’s interesting here is that McNabb made Mitchell relevant with that 4th-and-26 play (photo) to help the Eagles beat the Packers to reach the Super Bowl. Otherwise, nobody would have remembered who this clown was. If McNabb throws to a different receiver on that play or the pass falls incomplete, Mitchell’s name is never brought up again.

You can measure a man’s character during times like these and I venture to say that Mitchell doesn’t have any. Instead of coming to their former quarterback’s defense, T.O. and Mitchell (who couldn’t get a job in the league if he offered to play for free) decided to kick him while he’s down. McNabb has made six Pro Bowls, led his team to multiple NFC title games and one Super Bowl, yet he’s supposed to take all the blame for losing to the Patriots in ’05.

Football is a team game. God forbid T.O. or Mitchell say something like, “I could have done more, too. We lost as a team.” Oh, no – it’s all McNabb’s fault. He was the one who couldn’t get it done and it was because of him that Philly never won a Super Bowl.

Give me a break. McNabb’s not perfect but he did more for the Philadelphia Eagle organization than Owens and Mitchell combined. And at least T.O. has done something in the league. Mitchell was a joke.

Kenny Britt has a decent day vs. Eagles

NASHVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 3: Kenny Britt #18 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball in warmups against the Green Bay Packers during a preseason NFL game at LP Field on September 3, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans beat the Packers 27-13. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)

If Kenny Britt plays as well every week as he did on Sunday against the Eagles, then maybe Jeff Fisher won’t mind if the young lad got into more bar fights.

Just two days after he was accused of striking a man in a brawl, Britt hauled in seven catches for 225 yards and three touchdowns in the Titans’ 37-19 win over the Eagles. He abused Ellis Hobbs and the rest of Philly’s secondary, which had looked so good last week against the Falcons.

Britt clearly has the talent to be a star in this league, but he needs to stay out of Fisher’s doghouse so that he can stay on the field and receive opportunities. He wasn’t charged or arrested in the fight on Friday morning, but that doesn’t mean he’ll face further punishment (he was benched at the start of the game on Sunday). Maybe his effort today will motivate him to stay out of trouble and focus his attention to football and football only.

As for the rest of the Titans, this was an impressive win coming off a dominating effort over the Jaguars on Monday night. If they can pick up a win next Sunday at San Diego, then they can head into their bye week with a 6-2 record. That wouldn’t be a bad start.

NFL Week 6 MVP, COY and ROY Power Rankings

Every week we have different candidates here, because the 2010 NFL season has been wacky. And that’s okay, as it makes ranking MVP, Coach of the Year and Rookie of the Year candidates more fun. Anyway, here we go….

MVP Power Rankings

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Okay, so Philip Rivers and Kyle Orton have more yards per game, but they play for 2-4 teams. Manning’s Colts are 4-2, and check out these numbers through six games—1916 yards, 67.3 completion percentage, 319.3 yards per game, 13 touchdowns (leads NFL) and just 2 interceptions, for a QB rating of 103.4. As usual, Manning sort of defines what the term MVP is all about.

2. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers—I heard someone on NFL Network the other day call Matthews the “best defensive player in the NFL.” Not bad for a linebacker in his second year, who was selected after 25 other players in the 2009 draft. Anyway, Matthews has 9 sacks to lead the NFL, and 21 tackles through five games…and the Packers sorely missed him last Sunday in a loss to Miami when Matthews sat out with a hamstring injury.

3. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers—We’re leaving Antonio on here this week because he left the game against the Rams last Sunday with an ankle injury, leaving Philip Rivers without his favorite target. And then the Chargers lost the game. To the Rams. Gates only had 2 catches for 12 yards in that one, but on the season he still has 31 receptions for 490 yards and 7 TDs (which leads all tight ends and receivers).

Honorable mention: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles (thanks to Kevin Kolb’s performance last Sunday, Vick got bumped off the list); LaDainian Tomlinson, New York Jets; Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos; Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos; Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers; Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants; Arian Foster, Houston Texans

Coach of the Year Power Rankings

1. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—If you start the season without your star quarterback for four games, and have the likes of Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon, and Byron Leftwich at the helm, coming out of that 2-2 would be a huge moral victory. Well, Tomlin came out of that stretch 3-1 and it could have been 4-0 if not for that last-gasp drive by Joe Flacco and the Ravens a few weeks ago. Of course, the D led by a healthy Troy Polamalu and hard-hitting-to-a-fault James Harrison, has helped, but let’s give Tomlin some huge and well-deserved props here.

2. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—Has anyone noticed that the Rams are 3-3, having already equaled their win total from 2008 and 2009 combined. And they’re giving up less than 19 points per game after allowing 27 per game last year—something that has much to do with the Rams’ defensive whiz of a coach.

3. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—How do you go from the scorching hot hot seat to a coach of the year nomination? Ask Tom Coughlin, who the New York media had being replaced by Bill Cowher a few weeks ago when they lost badly to the Colts, and then beat themselves badly in a loss the Titans at home. The Giants rallied around Coughlin and squashed the previously unbeaten Bears, then crushed the upstart Texans in Houston 34-10, before not allowing the dreaded trap game against Detroit ruin his team’s winning streak. So from 1-2 to 4-2, and tied with the Eagles for the division lead. That’s why Tom Coughlin is on here.

Honorable mention: Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks; Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs; Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs; Rex Ryan, New York Jets; Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles

Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions—Suh leads all NFL defensive tackles with 5 sacks, and he also has 21 tackles through six games, plus an interception—a pretty rare feat for a DT. Is there any doubt that this young big man is the real deal?

2. Jahvid Best, Detroit Lions—Injury may have slowed Best down, but how about the fact that to go along with 249 rushing yards, Best has 31 catches for a league-high 285 receiving yards among running backs. That’s 534 all-purpose yards through six games.

3. Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams—He’s way down the list of quarterbacks stat-wise, but Bradford is averaging 226 yards per game and has 7 TD passes. We’ll let the 8 picks slide for now, because let’s face it—the kid is helping to lead the Rams to respectability.

Honorable mention: Max Hall, Arizona Cardinals; Rolando McClain, Oakland Raiders; Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys; Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals

Should the Eagles trade either Michael Vick or Kevin Kolb?

JACKSONVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 26: Quarterbacks Kevin Kolb  and Michael Vick  of the Philadelphia Eagles talk on the sidelines during a time-out against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on September 26, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Eagles defeated the Jaguars 28-3. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Short answer: No.

Long answer…

The Eagles currently have a luxury that most teams wish they had: They have two quarterbacks whom in the first six weeks have proven that they can start in the NFL. And play well.

Kevin Kolb didn’t prove that until last week when he completed 21-of-31 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 win over the 49ers. He cemented the belief on Sunday when he went 23-of-29 for 326 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles dominated the hapless Falcons, 31-17.

While he isn’t 100% yet, Michael Vick appears closer to returning from a rib injury that has sidelined him for three games (he played at the very beginning of the loss to the Redskins in Week 4 before suffering the injury). With Philly’s bye week coming in Week 8, Andy Reid would be smart to start a hot Kolb against the Titans this Sunday and then decide over the break whom he wants to go with in the second half.

But let’s get back on topic. Should the Eagles trade Vick or Kolb (or hell, why not both? Fourth rounder Mike Kafka is probably ready) before Tuesday’s trade deadline? It should be noted that the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that neither will be dealt, but it’s an interesting topic regardless.

If anything, Vick’s injury only further strengthens the Eagles’ need both quarterbacks. Vick opens himself up to injury all the time with his style of play, so it would make sense for the team to hang onto Kolb in case a) Vick’s rib injury doesn’t heal properly or b) he suffers another injury down the road.

Let’s not forget that while Vick has looked phenomenal in the four games he’s played in thus far, the law of averages state that he’s due for a letdown. Even in his prime, the highest QB rating he’s compiled is 81.6 (which was in 2002 when he lead the Falcons to a playoff win over the Packers), but is a far cry from the current 108.8 mark that he’s sporting now. I don’t care if he says he’s a different quarterback, it stands to reason that he won’t keep performing at this clip.

That said, he needs to start if he keeps producing wins and I think Reid owes it to Vick to stick with him once he’s healthy. If it weren’t for Vick, Kolb may have put Philly in a huge hole to start the season. If Vick struggles upon his return, then maybe Reid needs to make a switch back to Kolb, although he doesn’t want to get into a situation where he’s playing the matchups. This isn’t college football – inconsistency at the quarterback position can doom teams. Just ask the 49ers.

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