Eagles Chick | Philadelphia Eagles Football From a Chick's Perspective

Could T.O. Be Gone From Dallas - Say It Ain't So Jerry-O

Relishing my trip to Dallas next week (yes I will be wearing my Runyan jersey as I always do when I go to or fly through Dallas), I was actually surprised to spot a piece on MSNBC this morning about the Dallas Cowboys.

"Cowboys reportedly consider releasing T.O."

Say it ain't so, Jerry-O.  I giggled like a school girl as I read the article.  "We're lacking chemistry"  and echoes of not playing like a team, more like just superstars stuck together. Hmmmm.... I think I wrote about that about two weeks ago, after the Eagles gave the "superstar" Cowboys a royal ass kicking (Check out Cowboys Lauging On The Flight Home From Their Loss to the Eagles).

They've released Adam "Pacman" Jones already, I guess his unsportsmanlike penalty against the Eagles sealed that right up.  Next up on the chopping block is Tank Johnson and apparently Terrel "T.O." Owens.  You know the egomanical idiot we all here in Philadelphia love to hate.  You know that guy who was going "help" Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips figure out what went wrong with their season.  You know that guy who cried for "his boy" Tony Romo, as if he was the main guy behind the Cowboys to make all the decisions.

In some sense, it will be sad to see T.O. go from the Cowboys, if in fact Jones really does gets over his ego and understands that Owens is a cancer that destroys teams from within and releases him from the Dallas Cowboys.  Why?  Well us Eagles fans really hate the Cowboys, but the fact that T.O. is on the team makes hating the Dallas Cowboys even more "sport".  I mean you can't really hate Romo, the guy flubbed 3 post season tries, and he cries on the football field, you kind of feel embarrassed for the guy.  Most of the other guys on the team are half decent players and have decent personalities. 

Owens though, is different.  Chest thumping, look at me "I'm the Greatest", huge ego, all about the spotlight, never about the team, all about himself and the money, who other than Jerry Jones can deal with that on a team?  He may be talented, but there comes a time where talent isn't everything.  Who would have thought that the Dallas Cowboys would actually be considering this move?

And who the heck would want this egomaniacal cancer spreading, team destroying player on their team next?  Patriots maybe? 

I bet Drew "Give Me More Money" Rosenhause is having a fit right now!

Donovan McNabb Loves Philadelphia Fans

Despite what the press might report, it definitely seems like Donovan McNabb has a thick skin.  Why?  Because after all the intense scrutiny and the rounds from the Boo Birdz and McNabb haters, D-Mac still loves the Philadelphia fans.

At least so he say in this interview with the NFL Network.  His remarks are towards the end of the video, but its definitely worth the watch.  I just wish the NFL network let bloggers embed their videos - yeesh, you want people to see them (and your ads) don't you?

Donovan, thanks for still loving us. :)

Eagles Bring Down the Giants - I'm Still Pinching Myself To See If This is Real!

I hoped, I said a little prayer, but I was so afraid to just say "the Eagles will beat the Giants on Sunday".  I was afraid I'd jinx my belief that they would win.  I think with how all those stars aligned, everyone in Philly is superstitious.  From the guys growing beards, to patting my Eagles Snowman that sits on top of my steps, we're all afraid to utter "The Eagles Will XXXXXXXXX". 

If there ever was a game that showed that the Eagles are a well rounded team, yesterday's game was it.  The defense of course was the MVP of this game, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  However, for as much as everyone thinks our only weapon on offense is Brian Westbrook, they need to look deeper.  From rookie DeSean Jackson, to Brent Celek, even Donovan McNabb himself, these guys are all weapons that should not be overlooked.  While Westbrook and even Buckhalter were mostly contained in the game yesterday, it was the rest of the team that answered the call when it was needed.  The fact is, while you can prepare for Westbrook, you also need to prepare for the entire team - something apparently the Giants didn't count on.

And lets talk about that defense.  Just WOW!  First there was that pick by Asante Samuel (that guy's worth EVERY dollar they spent on him) and then the 3 stands, count them 1, 2, 3 that denied the Giants the 1st down conversion.  That was absolutely amazing.  4th and inches quarterback sneak, 3rd and 3 stop on Brandon Jacobs, and another 4th and inches stop, I'm in total agreement with Andy Reid when he says he's got "the best Defensive Corrdinator in the league with Jim Johnson (even though he's like a 100 years old)."  The Eagles Defense is probably the best we've seen in this entire tenure under Reid and Johnson, and these guys play with heart and detirmination like no other team in the NFL.

Watching all the post game stuff I could (I'm a junky on that kind of stuff), I saw an interview with Quintin Mikkel and he stated they (the defense) really want to win it all for Brian Dawkins.  They all rally around him.  Dawkins is the spritirual heart and soul and leader of this team.  Dawkins is just that special of a player and a person that he rallied this team even in its darkest hour to believe in themselves when no one else did.

Dare we dream?  Could it be possible?  Could all the stars be aligned just right?  Is this the "ha in your face McNabb/Reid haters" retribution us believers have been hoping for?

We can't be cocky enough to think that the next game is just going to be a slam dunk / home run.  The Cardinals the Eagles played on Thanksgiving night, aren't the same team any more.  For that matter, neither are the Eagles.  The Cardinals though don't seem to have as many weapons, just two big (rather good) recievers, so the passing game is what our boyz are going to have to defend against.  If they can just keep putting pressure (of course this is what Johnson does best), on Warner, I'm hoping that'll be enough to silence their offense.

Dare we stop dreaming?  Should we ask them to shave their beards?  Will I stop patting my Eagles Snowman that sits at the top of my stairs?

Nope... not yet.  And I won't stop pinching myself to make sure this isn't a dream either.

Eagles Continue To Roll & Donovan McNabb Continues To Impress

The Philadelphia Eagles' season has been extended another week, and another great performance by Donovan McNabb will help to silence the haters.  There's no doubt now where Donovan's going to be playing next year, especially after Jeffery Lurie's comments to the Boston Globe which he stated he had  "every intention of having him back," for the 2009 season.  With that said, the first half of the game, I think some were beginning to wonder if Lurie was rethinking those words.

Whatever adjustments were made in the locker room at half time, made the difference.  They locked down Adrian Peterson and contained the one true weapon on the Vikings offense.  As "The Gov" pointed out on Comcast Sportsnet's Post Game Live, if you take away that 41 yard running touchdown, the Eagles kept Adrian Peterson at just over 2 yards a carry.  In the second half the entire Eagles Defense locked Peterson down entirely, and attacked Jackson constantly.  

The offense was also much more in tune in the 2nd half.  Finding the right sync, chewing up the clock and everyone working as a team, including Buckhalter filling in for the injured Fullback Dan Klecko who made an amazing block to free up Westbrook to score on that screen pass.  I'd wondered what happened to him, especially after he made the amazing break in first half, he explained to Derrick Gunn after the game on Post Game Live what happened.

The defensive as much as the offense was responsible for yesterday's win, and that folks is Teamwork (something Dallas apparently lacks).

For the entire game Donovan had over 300 yards, one of his best games on record.  If you look at Donovan's entire season, he's actually had a good season despite the Baltimore game.  Some are saying that the benching during that game is what "kicked D-Mac into action".  To be honest, I don't think it did.  I think D-Mac just had a bad game.  Lets face it we all have bad games, only difference is, ours are more private, Donovan's are on national television.

Loosing Donovan McNabb would hurt the Eagles more than help.  Seriously, Kolb is not ready in any shape or form.  The Eagles loose McNabb, we won't see another playoff run for quite a few years.  If it isn't Kolb, who's going to come to the Eagles to lead them?  I highly doubt we'd see another quarterback come here the caliber of McNabb.

So lets roll on into the Meadowlands and cheer our birdz onto a repeat performance of the last game against the Giants, and stop all the talk about D-Mac leaving the Eagles.  I think Lurie's comments speak volumes, as well as Westbrook's and Dawkins' to the press after the game.  I'm hoping Donovan has a longer career here with us, of course I'm not a McNabb hater. :)

In my family this is a bit of a rivalry, my Brother in Law and Sister are avid Giants fans (as well as the Mets), next Sunday is going to be interesting!

Brian Dawkins Ever The Gentleman Even As Weapon X

*Update - Dawkins signed with the Broncos on 2/28/09, this post still holds true, every word, but the EaglesChick is not happy about Dawkins Leaving.

There's one thing I have in common with Brian Dawkins, the love of Wolverine (Weapon X).  Probably the part I look forward to of the games the most is when Brian comes out of the tunnel at the Linc, scratching and clawing just like Wolverine.  There's that force you see, that desire to not give up, to keep clawing and scratching until the very end.

I watched an interview with Brian Dawkins on the NFL network today.  The man never ceases to impress me. On the field he's this amazing player (whom the Eagles would be wise to re-sign until he retires an Eagle), a leader, even a father figure.  He's a force that offenses are forced to reckon with, plan for and above all, respect.

Off the field, he's a gentleman.  A christian man who doesn't curse.  Who prays, who mentors, who leads.  A man that any parent would be glad that their kids idolized, looked up to and modeled their football careers after.  The man is just that worthy.

Against the Cowboys this past Sunday, you could see the intensity in Brian Dawkins' mannerisms, the passion in his playing - two stripped balls, just wow!  The man was on fire.  Did he have something to prove?  Was he playing like a man who on he last leg, hoping for a miracle?  No, he was playing like Brian Dawkins always does - like Weapon X.

Was this his last game as an Eagle (if every fan in Philly had their way, definitely not!)?  Was this his last season wearing the green and silver breath right strip?  Was this the last time for him to come clawing out of the tunnel at the Linc?  I surely hope not, as probably many of you reading this hope not as well.

There are a lot of players who's contracts are up at the end of this season.  Dawkins, Thomas and Runyan are just the top three that come to my mind.  While we know Joe Banner shows no mercy when cutting players even though they are fan favorites (look what happened to our beloved Jeremiah Trotter), I think there's a distinct hope among the Eagles fans that the Eagles realize the worth of Dawkins.  His worth goes well beyond what he's done on the field.  It extends beyond the stripped balls, sacks, tackles and interceptions.  This man is a force that most teams would die for.  He's respected, he's got character, he's a leader and he's a team player.

Let's hope he retires has an Eagle team player.