Phinally Philly

- 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.”

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 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.

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.

THE RIVALRY STILL LIVES

It has been a while for the Philadelphia Eagles. Everyone remembers the thrill of the NFC Championship. Those same people also remember the frustration of losing 4 straight. Either way it has been a while since the Eagles could say that they were in the running for the Super Bowl. This rivalry game against the Giants stems all the way back to 1933 and is a game that the Eagles will need to be sharp in. The Giants are, after all, the defending Super Bowl Champions.

In two divisional matchups this season both teams are 1-1-0 against each other. The Eagles are 10-6-1 with a win last week in the Wild Card Game against the Minnesota Vikings. With a bye last week, the Giants are still 12-4-0.

KEY INJURIES

• PHI – Shawn Andrews (G) – out
• PHI – Dan Klecko (FB) – doubtful
• PHI – Victor Abiamiri (DE) – probable
• PHI – Jon Runyan (T) – questionable
• NYG – Zak DeOssie (LB) – probable
• NYG – Justin Tuck (DE) – probable

EAGLES KEYS TO VICTORY

• Protection for McNabb.
• Pound the ball with Buckhalter.
• Dawkins and the entire secondary must play with high energy.
• Stop Jacobs at all costs.