Phinally Philly

What if I told you there was one move the Phillies could make that would all but guarantee them another World Series title?

Would you do it?

For some unknown reason, one of the most prolific right-handed hitters in Major League history is still available just weeks away from Spring Training. Yes, I am of course referring to one Manny Aristides Ramirez (and yes, that really is his middle name.)

Now before you step up on that moral soapbox of yours and start lecturing me about how ManRam is a “cancer”, “the T.O. of baseball”, and would never be able to handle the pressure of playing in Philly, let me drop some basic knowledge on you:

The Phillies might have the best offensive lineup of any team ever if they added Ramirez, and he fills their need for a right-handed bat to protect Howard and Utley.

Just imagine this insanity on a night-in night-out basis…

1. Rollins

2. Victorino

3. Utley

4. Ramirez

5. Howard

6. Ibanez

7. Feliz/Dobbs

8. Ruiz

How do you pitch to that lineup and not give up 6 or 7 runs a night? I know Manny has perceived luggage, but it sure didn’t affect him in LA. In 53 regular season games with the Doyers Manny managed a .396 BA, with 17 HRs, 53 RBIs, and a .489 OBP.

What about the playoffs? Glad you asked: in just 8 games Manny hit .520 with 4 HRs, 10 RBIs, and a .667 (!!!) OBP.

Even as he gets older his numbers have remained stellar and he is one of the most consistent, clutch hitters in the MLB. Yeah his defense leaves something to be desired, but when the guy hits like he does it doesn’t matter.

Don’t try to pull that, “but we already have Ibanez, Werth, Jenkins, Stairs, and Dobbs” garbage. None of them can come close to matching Manny’s production. So you platoon Ibanez and Werth, keep Stairs as a PH and dump Jenkins (hurts to say that about a fellow Trojan but come on now, I’d swap and average outfielder for an Hall of Fame outfielder any day.)

So why hasn’t a team already snatched this guy up? Might have something to do with the fact that he played his way out of Boston for a bigger contract. Sure sounds pretty Owens-ish…but there’s more to that story than meets the eye and Bill Simmons wrote a terrific article about it at the time of the Manny to LA deal.

Honestly, what if the guy is just a bit misunderstood? After all he did last 8 years in Cleveland and another 7 1/2 in Boston, and it’s not like he ever did anything too devious during that time.

There was that whole selling the grill on Ebay thing. Then the whole hilarious peeing in the Green Monster situation. And what about this…Ramirez’s Amazing Catch.

Doesn’t exactly come off as a devastating locker room influence to me, and I’d fully expect him to earn the love of Philly after that first monstrous shot he hits out of CBP.

Give the man a three-year incentive-laden deal to keep him motivated, and you will have a full-fledged Dynasty in the making on your hands. At least in this Philly fan’s eyes, the risk is well-worth the potential reward.

- Rumors has it that Eagles are going to go heavily after free agent lineman Jordan Gross, who played well this past season with the Carolina Panther. If this is true, what does this mean for the possibilities of Runyan and Thomas returning?

-Sadly, this past Monday Jim Johnson was diagnosed with cancer that has taken the form of a tumor on his back. He doesn’t expect it to affect his ability to coach, which is great to hear. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

-According to reports, former Eagle Doug Pederson is coming to take over the QB coaching job due to the departure of Pat Shurmur. Pederson has been the head coach of the Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Team has a 35-8 all time record.

-Eagles offensive tackle Jon Runyan had knee surgery and defensive end Darren Howard underwent abdominal surgery earlier this week. Both surgeries were reported as successful.

-McNabb has finally come out and put this Deion Sanders nonsense to rest. Mcnabb has been making media rounds in Tampa and said that he wants to retire as an Eagle and said that Deion does not speak for him.

-Brian Dawkins, who is up for the Walter Payton man of the year, said in Tampa this week that he is confident a deal will get done, “They know I want to be back there and hopefully we can get something done and get it on out of the way.”

At least one Philadelphia sports team is playing in Tampa this week…unfortunately it’s not the Eagles.

The Flyers will face the Lightning at 7:30 ET tonight after looking flat in a 3-2 loss to the Panthers on Tuesday. Antero Nittymaki is expected to start, but as ESPN.com points out in their game preview Antero is 0-4-0 with a 4.28 GAA against Tampa. He also hasn’t faced them since October of 2007.

Some other interesting news on the Flyers front: according to Rich Hofmann’s Philly.com blog don’t expect Peter Forsberg to be in the orange and black anytime soon…

Forsberg says today that he won’t be coming here to play this year, or anywhere on this continent. The key quote out of Sweden goes like this: ‘There won’t be any NHL this season, that’s totally clear. If I can play it will be in the (Swedish) Elite Series and Modo.’

Feel free to talk about the game in the comments section below.

I’d also like to take this opportunity, this being my first Phinally Philly post and all, to say I’m really excited to be working with everyone here. Hopefully as time goes on this will become a major source of news and discussion for Philadelphia sports fans across the globe. I’m proud to be a part of it.

It’s hard to imagine Jon Runyan no longer being a part of the Eagles organization. The stalwart tackle epitomizes Philadelphia’s blue-collar mentality with his 190 consecutive starts, which is extremely noteworthy for an offensive lineman, and his probably undeserved reputation as a dirty player. Philadelphia loves people who never give up and bring passion to the game that they love so much and Jon Runyan definitely brings those qualities.  Just this past year, in an interview with ESPN, Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan said that his nightmare situation would be to get caught on a screen pass with Runyan plowing the way and Westbrook right behind him. “A screen with Jon Runyan with [Brian] Westbrook behind him,” he said. “One-on-one with Runyan with Westbrook behind him for a touchdown. Oh my goodness. I know I am going to have to go through him if it’s for a touchdown. I’m just thinking about what body part I am going to use that could be injured. Shoulder? Neck? Back? Those three things I would be highly worried about with Runyan.”

Runyan just recently signed a deal in 2006 for three years and this coming free agency, Runyan will be on the market. The Eagles are faced with huge questions about their offensive line. The offensive line, along with Runyan, has another aging tackle in Thomas, who is at the end of his deal and there is also the question of Shawn Andrews’s health, both physically and mentally. With Winston Justice not shaping to what the Eagles had hoped for, the Eagles will either have to resign their tackles or find replacements in the draft and/or free agency. Luckily, the free agent market and the draft are deep with offensive tackles. Some possible free agent replacements would be Mark Tauscher from the Green Bay Packers, Vernon Carey from the Miami Dolphins and Khalif Barnes from the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the younger tackles out in the market at 26. Tauscher is a pretty decent tackle and even though he is 31, could have a few more good years ahead.  Vernon Carey is an extremely versatile tackle that can play both left and right tackle and is also relatively young with only five years in the league and could get a lot of calls because of his ability to play both positions.

The Eagles will not be able to sign both Runyan and Thomas and have enough caps to deal with the re-signing of other players and possibly going after a big name free agent. Some players that they would likely try to re-sign are Brian Dawkins, Joselio Hanson, Hank Baskett, and Correll Buckhalter and also Mcnabb wants a new contract. With this there is a great possibility that the Eagles could have two new tackles to start the season.

The next place the Eagles will have to go to find some new OTs will be the draft and the draft is extremely deep with OTs. The three top OTs in the draft are, Andre Smith, Eugene Monroe and Michael Oher and most mock drafts that I have read have these three going before the Eagles. Let’s not forget that the Eagles do have two first rounders and could deal one to possibly move up to get one of these three players. One Mock draft that I have read, from draftking, has the Eagles taking OT Jason Smith from Baylor who is 6-5, 305 and is very athletic, being that he is a converted TE and also seems to be very tough with the most consecutive starts than any other returning Baylor player. The only question mark about Smith is his ability to pass block because of the offensive set up at Baylor and we know the Eagles offensive lineman need to know how to pass block. Another good pickup would be Jason Meredith (6’5, 301lbs) from South Carolina because of his ability to play both tackle spots and guard if needed and with still a question mark over Andrews; another guard would not be a bad idea.

The Eagles are currently being very mum about what they are going to do with Runyan and this is not surprising to anyone who follows the Eagles. They usually like to part ways with players over 30 as we have seen with many other beloved Eagles like Jeremiah Trotter, but the Eagles may make an exception with Runyan because his play has seemed to keep up and he is also extremely reliable, but you never know if that next year of play may be the year that they decline. I think that the main problem will be financially and what the Eagles are willing to do. I strongly believe that the Eagles will part ways with Runyan, as much I would like him to stay. With two first rounders and the draft being as deep as it is, it would make much more sense from the Eagles perspective to go with fresh legs, but the draft is always playing Russian roulette and who is to say the picks would work out. I will say that if the Eagles do decide to bring Runyan back, they still will get at least one OT in the draft. The organization has some major decisions facing them this off-season and not just along the offensive line.

The surgery is successful, but Briere is to miss even more time.

Earlier today Flyers star center Danny Briere went into exploratory surgery for his groin issues that have caused him to miss the last 21 Flyers games. He has missed the last 30 out of 31 Flyers games with various injuries. Over the course of the season he has only played 9 of the Flyers 46 games spending 37 games in total out of the lineup. Without a deep Flyers core of forwards the season could have been lost by the injuries of their point-per-game center.

The good news is that the surgery was successful. The bad news is that instead of the minimum two more weeks he would’ve spent on LTIR had there been no complications he will now remain off the Flyers roster for at least double that amount of time thanks to a discovered nerve entrapment. Now Danny will have to wait even longer after admitting that his situation is frustrating. He wants to be with his team.

Of course the Flyers no longer have to worry about their cap issues when Danny Briere returns for at least another month, but the lineup certainly misses Briere. The best the Flyers can do is continue with what they have done all season. It has brought them t0 a position 2 points behind the division leading Devils with one less game played. The Flyers will continue to perservere after resting up for the All-Star break.

List of Games Briere Is Likely to Miss

1. Philadelphia Flyers @ Florida Panthers, January 27th
2. Philadelphia Flyers @ Tampa Bay Lightning, January 30th
3. Philadelphia Flyers @ Saint Louis Blues, January 31st
4. Boston Bruins @ Philadelphia Flyers, February 4th
5. Philadelphia Flyers @ Boston Bruins, February 7th
6. Philadelphia Flyers @ Atlanta Thrashers, February 8th
7. Ottawa Senators @ Philadelphia Flyers, February 12th
8. New York Islanders @ Philadelphia Flyers, February 14th
9. Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Rangers, February 15th
10. Buffalo Sabres @ Philadelphia Flyers, February 19th

Danny Briere is the Flyers highest paid player currently on the roster but has missed most of this season due to injury.

There is absolutely no question that the Flyers can win games. Tonight they welcomed a hot Atlanta Thrashers team to the Wachovia Center once again ending the Thrashers winning streak and sending them packing. It marks the 12th straight win for backup goaltender Antero Niittymaki against his childhood rival Kari Lehtonen, star goaltender for the Thrashers, while in the NHL. Niitty’s success is not all due to his own play however. He has a deadly offense in front of him to thank for keeping the pressure on the Thrashers who despite their winning ways lately have struggled relatively all season.

The win, though it gives the team a chance to rest with the upcoming All-Star break, will not be celebrated by the entire team. The star center that the Flyers had acquired after a dreadful 2006-07 last place finish was once again out of the lineup. The highest paid player on the squad has been out the majority of the season only managing to suit up for 9 games. In those 9 games he has accounted for 5 goals and 4 assists proving he is just as big a part of this offense as ever, but even without him the Flyers continue to put up points; a testament to just how scary this offense can be when healthy. Briere had been sent to the AHL Philadelphia Phantoms for a conditioning stint starting a week ago and managed 5 points in 3 games while leading the Phantoms to victories in all 3 contests. There were of course reports that Briere would be able to play tonight against the Thrashers, but it was not to be. His groin suffered a major relapse sending the center to surgery once more, this time for exploratory surgery on January 22nd. With that Paul Holmgren claims that Briere will be out for another two weeks minimum. After making so much progress with his injury anyone would be frustrated about not being able to rejoin his team.

While Briere’s injury keeps the lineup from its full potential it does buy Holmgren some much needed time. Recently there has been speculation as to what the Flyers General Manager would be able to do with Briere rejoining the lineup. The Flyers would be sent into a cap crunching war that would send players elsewhere whether to the Phantoms or even to other teams by way of trade. With Briere’s cap hit being worth $6.5 million it has been estimated that the Flyers will need to remove a little over $2 million before the center can rejoin the lineup. Though Holmgren has been given this extra time don’t expect him to be thankful for it. He would much rather see the players he signed performing well on the ice rather than on the table in surgery.

Other News

There are rumors floating around that the Flyers are making a push to acquire defenseman Paul Ranger from the Tampa Bay Lightning and Peter Forsberg, who knows the Flyers organization well and remains a free agent due to foot and ankle issues. Paul Ranger is a young offensive defenseman with a small cap hit and a big upside which would make sense for the Flyers. Unfortunately he will likely come at a price. Forsberg on the other hand will also have his price, but what the Flyers would be losing in order to acquire his services is cap space. Many are unsure of whether one of the league’s biggest names will even fit under the salary cap. If Briere is not able to return for the rest of the season for whatever reason expect for Paul Holmgren to lay all of his cards on the table in order to bring Forsberg back to Philadelphia.

Photo Credit: JasonB3 on Flickr

The 2008 Eagles season was a wild ride and reminiscent of a song you may know by Katy Perry:

“Cause you’re hot then you’re cold
You’re yes then you’re no
You’re in and you’re out
You’re up and you’re down”

You get the picture.

Even though we didn’t make the Super Bowl, we had a memorable season filled with great Eagles moments. Here are some of my favorite:

1) Sheldon Brown Decapitates Steven Jackson (vs Rams 9/7/08)

Hits like these are becoming a staple of Sheldon’s on-field arsenal. Remember Reggie Bush? Eagles went on to win the home opener 38-3 against the Rams.

2) DeSean Jackson’s Primetime Fumble (at Cowboys 9/15/08)

If DeSean wasn’t so talented and able to dazzle us with his speed and great hands, this mistake would probably haunt him for a long time. In a big Monday night matchup at Dallas he celebrated prematurely and dropped the ball a yard shy of the end zone. It helped that Westbrook was able to score soon after that infamous play.

3) Weapon X Shows Flashes of his Old Self (vs Steelers 9/21/08)

Criticism after the Dallas game added fuel to the fire and Brian Dawkins responded with a sack and a vintage leaping tackle which forced a Roethlisberger fumble.

4) A Rookie’s First Pro Touchdown (at Bears 9/28/08)

McNabb threaded the needle on a beautiful pass into double coverage – caught by DeSean Jackson in the end zone.

5) Special Teams Gets a Special Player (at Redskins 10/5/08)

A rising star, DeSean Jackson gave our punt return game the spark we’ve been needing, taking a punt 68 yards to the house.

6) Parker’s Big Day (at 49ers 10/12/08)

Defensive end Juqua Parker dominated the 4th quarter and had a career day, recording a sack and his first career interception return for a touchdown.

7) Who Needs LJ? (at Seahawks 11/2/08)

Brent Celek filled in for an injured L.J. Smith and had himself a career game, leading all receivers with 131 yards, his longest going for a gain of 44.

8) After 75 Minutes of Play (at Bengals 11/16/08)

A bewildered Donovan McNabb learned that regular season games can and do end in ties. Final score 13-13, unlucky.

9) I Can Go the Distance (at Ravens 11/23/08)

Quintin Demps was the only bright spot in a tough loss, returning a kick 100 yards for a touchdown, our first kickoff return for a score in several years.

10) From Franchise Quarterback to Benchwarmer (at Ravens 11/23/08)

Donovan’s season, maybe even his time as an Eagle seemed to be rapidly coming to an end after a 2nd half benching and Kevin Kolb coming in as the starter.

11) Movin’ and Groovin’ on Turkey Day (vs Cardinals 11/27/08)

Andy Reid looked like a genius following the benching, seemingly lighting a fire under Donovan’s ass. The team played excellent ball in all 3 facets of the game and rocked the Cardinals 48-20. Donovan went 27 for 39 with 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions on Thanksgiving night.

12) Defense Shines Brighter than Any Star (vs Cowboys 12/28/08)

With their destiny in their own hands the Eagles beat the Cowboys by the largest margin of victory in franchise history. 44-6 final. Our defense arguably had their best game of the season recording 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 2 defensive touchdowns. The planets aligned and with a Buccaneers and Bears loss the Eagles moved ahead into the playoffs. Unbelievable.

13) Why We Pay Him the Big Bucks (vs Vikings 1/4/09)

Cornerback Asante Samuel set an NFL record with his 4th playoff interception for a touchdown – the most in the post-season by any player. He brought this one back 44 yards.

14) Catch Me if You Can (vs Cardinals 1/18/09)

DeSean was able to end the season on a high note, bobbling the ball but making a fantastic catch on a 62 yard bomb from Donovan. Immediately after, DeSean proceeded to celebrate by dancing something that looked like an Irish jig mixed with the famous Eagles arm flap.

15) Almost Doesn’t Count (vs Cardinals 1/18/09)

Similar to many games this season, the Eagles were one drive away from a win and this time a Super Bowl appearance. Even after mounting a comeback of 19 unanswered points, the Eagles fell short 32-25, ending a roller coaster of a season.

Through the ups and downs, this season left us wanting more. It’s never enough, not until we win the big game.

I hope you enjoyed the 2008 campaign as much as I did and that these memories last for months and years to come.

Hartnell (LW) scoring in an earlier meeting between the Penguins and the Flyers.

While the Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Washington Capitals all seem to be growing into a three-sided war, the rivalry really began in the state of Pennsylvania at the end of a Flyers’ postseason birth. The Penguins had defeated the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals earning the right to play for the Stanley Cup. This has never been forgotten in Philadelphia as every time the Penguins and Flyers meet up during the season, wherever they play, the shouts of fans clad in Orange and Black can be heard echoing through the venue taunting the Penguins’ star center, Sidney Crosby.

Currently the season series rests dead even in points per team. While the Penguins started out hot they have now dropped to 10th in the East and are on a major skid. The Flyers on the other hand are looking to control their division. Of course a win against their most hated division rival would help in that cause. After the meeting tonight they will still have two more meetings during the regular season.

Notes For The Game

• Flyers are 12-0-2 in the last 14 games in Philadelphia.
• Flyers have 37 goals in their last 7 home games.
• Flyers are 19-4-6 in their last 29 games.
• Flyers are 17-1-5 when scoring the first goal.
• Flyers all time record at home against the Penguins is 89-20-8-2.

Season Series

• October 14th 2008: Penguins win when Pascal Dupuis (RW) scores an overtime game winner with 10.8 seconds left in overtime making the score 3-2.
• November 13th, 2008: Penguins win in a shootout after a late third period goal by Sidney Crosby (C) to tie the game at 4. The Flyers had originally rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the game to lead the game 4-3. Alex Goligoski (D) of the Penguins scored the only goal in the shootout though Simon Gagne (LW) and Mike Richards (C) both had the opportunity.
• December 13th 2008: Flyers win in spectacular fashion 6-3 as 6 different Flyers had multi-point nights leading from Kimmo Timonen (D) who tallied himself three assists. 
• Flyers Season Series: 1-0-2 for 4 points
• Penguins Season Series: 2-1-0 for 4 points

Injuries

• PHI – Derian Hatcher (D): On LTIR indefinitely.
• PHI – Josh Gratton (RW): Had surgury January 10th for abdominal tear and will be put on LTIR for 4-6 weeks.
• PHI – Claude Giroux (RW): Is questionable tonight after he suffered a mild concussion on a league penalized cheap shot by Corey Perry on January 2nd. His status will be determined after morning skate.
• PHI – Antero Niittymaki (G): Is expected to rejoin the team and back up Martin Biron tonight after suffering a groin pull January 3rd. He will likely start Thursday night in Tampa Bay.
• PHI – Jon Kalinski (C): Is out indefinitely on the LTIR. A severe contusion occured when his left thigh was kneed and so he was rushed to surgery to drain blood.
• PHI – Danny Briere (C): Is currently still on the LTIR after a odd string of injuries this season. While there is still no timetable for his return it could be as early as later this week.
• PIT – Ruslan Fedotenko (W): Is out 4 to 6 weeks with a broken right hand suffered on January 6th.
• PIT – Pascal Deupuis (W): Is unknown for game tonight but has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury. He did practice yesterday.
• PIT – Mike Zigomanis (F): Is on LTIR until at least mid-January with a shoulder injury.
• PIT – Sergei Gonchar (D): Is still on LTIR after having surgery to fix a dislocated shoulder on October 2nd, 2008 after being injured September 20th. He could be out until March.

Flyers’ Possible Lineup

• Line 1: Simon Gagne – Mike Richards – Mike Knuble
• Line 2: Joffrey Lupul – Jeff Carter – Scott Hartnell
• Line 3: Scottie Upshall – Glen Metropolit – Aaron Asham
• Line 4: Riley Cote – Darroll Powe – Andreas Nodl
• Def 1: Kimmo Timonen – Ossi Vaananen
• Def 2: Braydon Coburn – Matt Carle
• Def 3: Andrew Alberts – Randy Jones
• Goal: Martin Biron

Luca Sbisa (D) was selected by the Flyers in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and has become a star at the age of 18.

The Philadelphia Flyers have become the epitome of underappreciated as the NHL hands out its mid-season honors to the players it feels have exemplified the best of the best out on the ice. It’s not unlike the league to ignore some of its more talented players in favor of bigger names, but this year it seems that the Flyers have lost out in far too many ways.

The success of the previous All-Star Game in 2008 had the NHL brimming with excitement about what could be acheived in Montreal for the 2009 All-Star Game. In 2008 the Flyers had both Mike Richards (C) and Kimmo Timonen (D) attend the game as NHL All-Stars. Unfortunately this season only the incredible revamped Jeff Carter (C) with his league leading 29 goals will be attending the game. This comes in light of the fact that Simon Gagne (LW), Mike Richards, and Kimmo Timonen, all players on the ballot, were not given the nod. Daniel Briere’s (C) injury issues clearly sidelined him for the game, and with the outstanding play of other goalies in the Eastern Conference it’s understandable that Martin Biron (G) was not able to attend. Unlike Carter, those 5 Flyers were on the ballot to join in the All-Star festivities. This marks the first time in history that not a single Flyers’ player from the starting lineup ballot has made the game. Instead Carter makes the squad in the same fashion that Mike Richards made it last season; as a write-in. Many blame the stuffing of the ballot for the game’s starters by Montreal fans pushing to get their slumping fan-favorites into the game on home ice. Because of this even the Capitals’ great Alexander Ovechkin (LW) did not get to attend the game as a starter but instead a 2nd line player.

This is not the only instance where the Flyers have been forgotten. The NHL has focused its media coverage on teams like the slumping Pittsburgh Penguins who have a more nationwide audience even though the Flyers’ attendence is in the top 5 in the NHL once again this season. The Flyers, now 3rd in the Conference and 1st in the Atlantic Division, are still 7 places above the 10th seed Penguins in the East and 3 places above the in the division. The general understanding of the situation in the locker room seems to be a lack of regard for the situation. The Flyers are winning games quietly, but they are still winning. That is the only thing that matters to them at this halfway juncture of the regular season.

The lack of recognition does cause problems with the fan base though as a group restless about the NHL’s chosen players for important events becomes ever frustrated. Recently with the NHL’s Young Stars Game taking place as part of the festivities for the All-Star Game there was a hope that 18 year old defenseman taken 19th overall in this past year’s draft would be able to show the NHL his skill. Instead the League didn’t go with the smooth skating Flyers blueliner Luca Sbisa (D) instead opting for a more widely known 2008 draftee at defense in Luke Schenn (D) from the Toronto Maple Leafs. While both have a +/- of -4 at the moment Sbisa has accounted for 4 more points than the young future star of Toronto who only has accounted for 3 assists while getting a lot more ice time with his struggling team. While the two play clearly different styles Sbisa is very talented for his size. His smooth skating is well-known, but many often forget that at the age of 18 he is willing to hit even the biggest NHL bullies should they cross the blueline. Young Star or not the Flyers are very happy with Sbisa’s progress as a solid defensive option.

The Eagles defense forces two turnovers on downs and even more punts in their 23-11 win over the Giants.

Winning is clearly for the birds even though it seems that every major newspaper will have an article with such a headline. This weekend the Eagles and Cardinals have both pulled off upsets leading them into a matchup that the Eagles have already seen this season. That may have been a different Cardinals team though as the Arizona birds have been stronger than usual as of late. Still a 48-20 thumping of the Cardinals on November 27th tells the story of a new Eagles team as well. It was right after the disappointing loss in Baltimore which at the time seemed to seal the fate of the Eagles. Well as many know Dovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, and co. have tempted faith more than once this season passing through in unlikely fashion. Their statement game back in November, though not out of memory, is not what the Eagles will be focusing on. These Cardinals are different. Even though the Eagles have continued to win consistently since November 27th doesn’t mean this team is quite the same either.

The Eagles defense that had originally been thwarted early in the season by the Giants run game with Jacobs was only thought to have beaten the Giants in their second meeting because Jacobs wasn’t present. This time though the defense made a statement of their own by defeating the reigning Super Bowl Champions including two fourth and one stops. The Eagles defense bent in the wind but of course did not break, especially in the 2nd half which means the Eagles have not let up a second half point all postseason so far. They will not take the Cardinals’ offense lightly. There is still work to be done. It will clearly be a battle, but for the 5th time while Coach Reid has been at the helm the Flyers will take the field in a Conference Championship game. Their last trip to this level of the playoffs ended with a birth in the Super Bowl even though their first 3 consecutive attempts ended with the Eagles flying home. The lockerroom is an optimistic one, but more importantly they are ready for the Battle of the NFC Birds.