According to FOXSports.com's Adam Caplan, the Philadelphia Eagles have requested permission to interview Chicago Bears secondary coach Jon Hoke.

Not too much later, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com reported that the Eagles have already interviewed Hoke for the team's open defensive coordinator spot, and the team has since confirmed.

So Caplan wasn't wrong, the information was just a tad behind.

Or maybe it was wrong. Brad Briggs of the Chicago Tribune is reporting Hoke's contract had run out, so the Eagles did not need permission to interview him. The fact that Andy Reid could have interviewed him at any point last week and chose not to could be a barometer of his true interest in Hoke.

Hoke is not a guy that excites me in the least. He's credited with turning the Bears' secondary around since he's been there the past two seasons (after spending seven years with the Houston Texans), but the Bears' successes seem more a result of Rod Marinelli and his scheme than the work of the assistants coaching up the individual players.


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Peppers and the Bears had Vick running for his life.


-- Mike Vick had, by far, his worst game of the season. Overall, he seemed very rattled and indecisive. He threw his first interception of the season and fumbled four times, but didn't lose any. The play-calling certainly didn't help, but Vick must be better moving forward. That said, his worst game was still actually pretty decent.

-- Once again, LeSean McCoy went under-utilized. He had only 10 carries, but still averaged 5.3 yards per carry. He also chipped in with eight catches for 67 yards. It's just mind-boggling why a play-maker like McCoy is not used more often.

-- We have a Brent Celek sighting. For once, his lack of production (for most of the game) wasn't his fault. Had Vick hit him when he was open, Celek would have ended the day with three touchdowns and well over 100 yards.

-- Owen Schmitt seemed to be used a whole lot less than usual. He lined up at fullback and at tight end a little bit, but did nothing of note other than his usual solid blocking performance.

-- Jeremy Maclin had only four catches for 47 yards, but hauled in his eighth touchdown of the season and, to this point, has been the team's best receiver. He still does everything he can to avoid contact, but not if it means sacrificing a catch. Which, of course is more than I can say for some receivers on the team.

-- I won't keep you in suspense for very long. The receiver who will sacrifice a catch to avoid contact is DeSean Jackson. I don't care about the concussions. Short-arming on that pass in the endzone to avoid getting hit was inexcusable. If you're afraid to get hit, then get off the field and let someone play who isn't afraid of his own shadow.

-- Jason Avant rebounded strongly after a terrible drop against the Giants. Avant pulled in eight receptions for 83 yards including a few important first downs to keep drives alive. Avant hasn't been able to find the endzone a lot this season, but he's been instrumental in moving the ball in the middle of the field.

-- Overall, the offensive line did a decent job with the Bears. Most of the sacks on Vick were a result of him holding the ball far too long, but they were poor blocking for McCoy. Any yardage McCoy gained was by waiting for a seam to open up and dancing through it. Nick Cole and Todd Herremans were especially bad.

-- Clay Harbor was the second tight end for the third straight week, and was more productive than DeSean Jackson, hauling in two catches for 27 yards. Harbor lined up outside as a receiver and as a tight end, and figures to get more of a look over the last five weeks.

-- Riley Cooper had a big catch for 29 yards, but that was it. He hasn't been getting a ton of targets, but given the Eagles' red zone struggles over the past two weeks that could change.

-- Jerome Harrison was given one carry. Just one. Apparently a 100-yard game doesn't warrant some more touches.

-- The play-calling, once again, was atrocious. Who in the hell thinks it's a good idea to call play-action time after time after time when you have yet to establish the run? The Bears didn't fall for it, and all it did was open up Vick to getting hit and cut down the time he had to make reads. Andy Reid and Marty Mornhinweg are the worst play-calling duo in the league.

-- Trent Cole finished with two sacks on Jay Cutler, but he could and should have had at least two more. Cole has at least one sack against every non-NFC East team the Birds have played this season.

-- This is a different defense with Antonio Dixon in the lineup. Offensive linemen just can't block him one-on-one and he's able to make up for the fact that the defense lacks a true middle linebacker.

-- Mike Patterson pitched in with a sack, but he was given a clear path to Cutler on a busted screen. Patterson must generate more of a pass-rush on first and second down from the inside and do a better job of getting off blockers.

-- Brodrick Bunkley had another quiet game. He seems to lack the power to shed blockers since suffering the elbow injury, but is still hard to move off the line. The problem is that until he can get in the backfield and disrupt opposing offenses like Dixon does, he's going to remain the third guy in a rotation.

-- Brandon Graham, starting in place of Juqua Parker, racked up his third sack of the season. He is still not good enough against the run, however. He allows tackles to get into his body and push him off the ball, which interferes with the way the linebackers flow to the ball.

-- Trevor Laws, Darryl Tapp, and Daniel Te'o-Nesheim were mostly useless. Laws got a pass-rush a couple times, but that's it. At least he has been a pretty decent backup all year, but Tapp and Te'o-Nesheim continue to be useless.

-- Has Stewart Bradley had a good game all year? He missed a tackle that sprang Matt Forte's first long run, and would go on to miss more and more as the game went on. He still gets caught in the wash, still can't disengage a blocker, and doesn't seem to have the fire or leadership a MIKE linebacker should have.

-- Ernie Sims has essentially all the same problems Bradley has. But, at 6'0, 230 pounds, at least he has an excuse to get caught in a crowd. On top of that, however, he doesn't seem to understand angles and is not the big-play guy the Eagles thought they were getting.

-- Moise Fokou, like Akeem Jordan before him, is the best linebacker on the field. He will actually step up and take on blockers rather than playing patty-cake like Sims and Bradley. He didn't have a great game today as the Bears were able to attack the outsides pretty effectively, but he has yet to be outdone by Sims or Bradley.

-- Joselio Hanson said he played his worst game since entering the NFL. I'm inclined to agree. It was clear all night that he was very frustrated and it hurt his game even worse. I've said this before and I'll say it again: he does not belong on the outside. Ever. He's a nickel corner and that's it. I would have preferred to see Trevard Lindley start on the outside.

-- Speaking of Lindley, he looked like a rookie. It's not surprising considering he is a rookie, but his inexperience really killed the Eagles defense. He was slow reacting when the Bears tried crossing him up and allowed some easy receptions right in front of his face. He has shown flashes and could be a contributor in the future, but he showed he's not ready quite yet.

-- Dimitri Patterson was the bright spot of the secondary. He didn't have a great game, but he was certainly the best one out there. Had he jumped a half-second later or been an inch taller, he would have had at least one interception instead of giving Greg Olsen a touchdown reception.

-- Nate Allen and Quintin Mikell took awful angles and missed tackles all game long. Allen was late reacting near the goal-line once Hanson released his man to the inside, and Mikell just plain got beat by Earl Bennett. Allen has been less than impressive since returning from injury, and Mikell seems to be getting progressively worse as the season goes on.

-- Sean McDermott proved once again that he has no ability to adjust on the fly. If his gameplan works from the outset of the game, he can do just fine and his defense plays well. But if the defense and his gameplan gets exploited early, he's unable to fix it and immediately loses all control of the game.

-- The coverage units reverted to their old ways. After a few weeks of playing very well, Bobby April's unit laid an egg against Devin Hester and Daniel Manning. Special teams will continue to underperform every year until Reid takes it seriously and keeps guys like Tracy White and Kelley Washington on the team.

-- Jackson's fear of contact has affected his return game too. He had a good 35-yard punt return, but was pushed out by the punter. If he wasn't so afraid of being hit, he could have easily cut that return back inside and taken it all the way. Another return saw him dance around and fall to the ground. Jorrick Calvin was good returning kicks, but unfortunately received no blocking.

-- The loss was a team effort, but can be traced back to terrible play-calling on offense and a depleted defense that got no help from a poor gameplan and a coordinator who doesn't know what he's doing well enough to adjust. Had the coaches been better, this is a game the team could have won even with their poor play.
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Tapp could be running out of chances to contribute.


When the Eagles traded for Darryl Tapp, I thought they overpaid big time. A fourth-round pick would have been bad enough, but including Chris Clemons in the deal sent it over the top.

Heading into Week 12, it's looking like my first reaction was right. As it stands, Tapp has two sacks, 15 tackles, and has only played in eight games, starting none of them. Clemons, on the other hand, has 7.5 sacks to go along with 34 tackles and 10 starts.

Tapp has been nearly invisible all year long with his most notable play coming against the New York Giants last week when he recovered Eli Manning's fumble to seal the win. Outside of that, the deal is looking like a total misfire.

But now, with Juqua Parker likely to miss the Bears game and the team clearly having no faith in third-round pick Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Tapp must step up and give the team -- and the fans -- a reason to believe he was worth the hefty price the team paid.

Parker on the bench means the team will likely have four defensive ends active: Trent Cole and Brandon Graham will be the starters, Tapp will be the primary backup on both sides, and Te'o-Nesheim will likely see time on third down as an inside pass-rusher.

Tapp is going to be counted on to create a pass-rush against a weak Chicago offensive line. Cole usually plays over 90 percent of the snaps (on a bad day), but Graham is still in the learning phase and could split time with Tapp almost 50-50.

Overall, that's not an exciting prospect.

Tapp reminds me a lot of Jevon Kearse in that he's a one-trick pony. His move is usually a bull-rush, and if that doesn't work he's basically out of the play. He doesn't seem to have an overly active motor or any real ability to disengage a blocker.

Even in the "Joker" position where he stands up and is essentially an inside linebacker, he seems to get tied up very easily if there's too much movement ahead of him. He seems flustered and is usually watching guys run right past him while in coverage.

Blitzing isn't much better as he usually gets stood up by the center or guard and stopped dead in his tracks more often that not.

Hopefully his poor performances thus far mean he's due for a big game. He could get the chance to see a substantial amount of snaps and turn his season around, but to date he's shown nothing to give anyone the slightest inclination that he'll do anything but disappoint.
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If Parker sits Sunday, Graham would be the starter.


The Chicago Bears' offense has been incredibly disappointing all season long. The team is winning, but Mike Martz's presence has not produced the type of fire-power everyone was expecting with Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Johnny Knox, and Devin Hester.

The biggest problem has been the offensive line. They're not an overly-impressive group to begin with, and Martz has never been known for his great blocking schemes. This has left Cutler open to hits and sacks.

Overall, the Bears are 30th in the league in quarterback hits allowed (64) and are dead last in sacks allowed with Cutler going down 37 times already.

Those numbers are the only thing that give me hope the Eagles can improve to 8-3 this Sunday.

Asante Samuel and Juqua Parker have not practiced all week long. Then in Thursday's practice, starting defensive tackle Antonio Dixon was forced to leave practice and took only mental reps on Friday.

Usually players missing practice on Friday means they're not going to play. All three guys have been listed as questionable (which means a 50-50 chance of playing), but head coach Andy Reid has said missing practice Friday does not necessarily mean they won't play.

Reid said during his Friday press conference that because Samuel and Parker are veteran guys the mental reps don't mean as much for them. They're veteran guys, so if they get to a point where they feel like they can play -- even as late as Sunday afternoon -- he would have no problem playing them.

As for Dixon, he only missed part of Thursday and did at least watch practice on Friday. Because of that, it's possible that Dixon could dress.

All three, according to Reid, are scheduled to make the trip to Chicago.

But even though they're all listed as questionable, the feeling is that Parker is probably more doubtful. No one seems to think he's going to play. In his place, rookie Brandon Graham becomes the starter once again.

Graham hasn't been overly impressive in his rookie season, but he has made some plays to show that he is coming along. Perhaps against a bad offensive line he can get his season on track and gain some momentum heading into the home stretch.

Samuel is a bit of an unknown. He says he wants to play and that he's going to give it a shot, but the feeling is that no one would be too surprised if he starts or if he's scratched.

But if I'm Sean McDermott, I'm praying to any god I can that Samuel plays. Without Samuel, Joselio Hanson and Dimitri Patterson become the starters. Hanson has played well as the nickel corner, but he's just too small to play on the outside. The Bears don't have great receivers, but they're probably good enough to give Hanson fits.

That would also mean that rookie Trevard Lindley -- who has been a healthy scratch more often than not -- would see a lot of playing time in the nickel. And for those who don't pay close enough attention, the Eagles probably run the nickel more than 50 percent of the time.

Jorrick Calvin and Brandon Hughes would be next in line should the Eagles play in a dime package, but it's likely the team would call on third safety Kurt Coleman before they resort to either of those guys.

If Dixon can't go, (and, like Samuel, no one is quite sure if he can or not) Brodrick Bunkley would step in and become the starter once again. Bunkley has seen a lot of time in a rotation and has been the starter for a few years now, so there's not too much cause for concern there.

That would just leave Bunkley and Mike Patterson as the starters with Trevor Laws rotating in on passing situations or to give either guy a break.

With Parker and Dixon out, it's also possible that third-round pick Daniel Te'o-Nesheim could be active for only the third time this season and the first time since facing Tennessee in Week 7.

The replacements should be good enough to slow down an already-weak offense. The problem is that the Bears' defense has shown they're more than capable of slowing down a good offense, so Chicago's offense might not need to do a whole lot of scoring to pull out a win.

For an UPDATE on this story, click here.

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Brown, for now, isn't an option for the Eagles' defense.


Many, including myself, viewed defensive end as a high priority heading into this offseason. The Eagles made a couple moves by bringing in Darryl Tapp and cutting Darren Howard, and it looks like they are done addressing the position until the draft.

According to Geoff Mosher, via Twitter, former Chicago Bears' defensive end Alex Brown is not "on (the Eagles') radar." Brown became expendable after the signing of Julius Peppers -- a guy the Eagles also made a run at.

Brown never really looked like a starter, but that doesn't mean he's not a good player. In every year of his eight-year career with the Bears, he ranged from 2.5 to seven sacks, with the 2.5 sack season coming in his rookie year.

If we take out his rookie season, he has never had less than four sacks in one season.

He's also highly durable as he misses very little time and is clearly a consistent player -- something the Eagles lacked in Darren Howard, which was a key component behind his release.

Brown is going to be 31 during the 2010 season, but he's a guy who would come cheap and is clearly good for at least four sacks. It's not great, but he could certainly make an impact as a rotational guy were the Eagles to actually consider it.

You're not going to hear me complaining if they decide they'd rather draft one or two defensive ends in the draft rather than signing a 30+ veteran, but it's probably a move that wouldn't hurt to make.

If he doesn't pan out, he could be cut in the preseason without a second thought.

He doesn't seem to be attracting much attention on the open market, so he could be an option if the Eagles can't get a defensive end they like later this month. However, for now, it doesn't look like a move the Eagles will make.
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Someone needs to wipe this stupid smile off his face.


Playing the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. Playing under the lights, McNabb heading back to his old stomping grounds on a nationally televised game -- What in the world could possibly make this game any worse?

Oh, well, how about the fact that the team we haven't been able to beat over the past two years anyway, now has a legitimate threat at quarterback? Yeah, I guess that could make it worse.

Call me a pessimist but the Eagles, over the past two years, have been absolutely awful against the Bears and on Sunday Night Football. So, throw those two components together and add on that this is a must-win game and you have the makings of a tough night for the city of Philadelphia.

But since I am optimistically pessimistic, let's take a look at what the Eagles must do to change their fortunes.

Put Pressure on Jay Cutler

Unlike last week against Philip Rivers, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott has to bring the pressure on every play. Whether it's first and 10, or third 15, McDermott must have someone in Cutler's face all game.

Cutler is a strong-armed quarterback who can will his team to a win if given the opportunity, or he can throw the game away by forcing throws that aren't there to inadequate receivers. He still feels like he's throwing to Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, so he'll take chances they would have rewarded, whereas these receivers just don't have the talent.

The linebacking corps is once again depleted this week with Jordan sitting out again, so it's imperative that McDermott get pressure in Cutler's face to make up for it.

Joe Mays may be getting his first NFL start, which is difficult enough without having to worry about putting the defense on his shoulders.

Run the Football with McCoy and Weaver

It seems like this is a key to the game every week, but it will stay that way until Reid actually does it.

This is a good football team that can run the ball if they are allowed to get into the rhythm of it. Running the ball is all about the mentality of wanting to run it, which these linemen simply don't have because Reid doesn't allow it to happen.

A lot of people are ragging on the Eagles' line for not being tenacious enough, and some of it may be warranted, but most of the blame for the lack of a running game rests on Reid's shoulders. If you don't instill the mentality, it won't just show up out of the blue.

Don't Settle for Field Goals

The only time I want David Akers on the field today is to kick the extra points and for kickoffs. That is absolutely it. If he has one field goal attempt, especially in the redzone, I think my head is going to explode.

At this point, I would much rather see Reid go for it on fourth and goal from 20 and not make it, rather than kick a field goal that proves absolutely useless later in the game.

Is that a bit extreme for effect? Of course, but at this point I'm half-serious.

Every time Akers is on the field for a field goal attempt, the feeling is that the offense has lost. It doesn't matter if it's a 19-yard attempt, or a 59-yard attempt, when the offense fails to punch it in that first time down the field it starts a trend that is tough to stop.

Running the football in the redzone could help to prevent the redzone field goal attempts, but it will still be on Reid to call the play and the offense to execute. This is a group effort of futility and it's getting very difficult to watch.

Cover the Tight End at All Costs

If Sheldon Brown and Asante Samuel can't shut down Earl Bennet and Devin Hester by themselves, or with the help of just one safety, then they don't deserve the money they're making and the jersey they're wearing.

These Chicago receivers are decent on their best day, and downright awful on their worst. If two of the better corners in the league cannot shut them down, then the Eagles will lose anyway.

What the defense needs to do is bracket Greg Olsen and make sure he's not allowed to expose the middle of the field. Whether it's Chris Gocong or Will Witherspoon, Quintin Mikell always has to watching and helping out.

Bottom line: if Olsen is allowed to get big numbers and take control of the game, the Eagles will lose.
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A strong showing by Mays would be cause for optimism.


After starting middle linebacker Stewart Bradley went down for the season with a torn ACL, most fans thought it would come down to a battle between Omar Gaither and Joe Mays to see who would be the team's starter for 2009.

It began that way, but when it became obvious that Mays was in over his head and that Gaither could not stand up to the beating that a middle linebacker must take, the job went to Jeremiah Trotter.

Then after Trotter came in and made it evident that his age and injuries had caught up to him, the Eagles decided it was time to swing a trade for Will Witherspoon. Brandon Gibson and a fifth-round pick later, we have the Eagles third starting middle linebacker.

Then, last week, we were forced to suffer through the fourth as Chris Gocong, while his effort was a valiant one, fell on his face in the MIKE position.

He looked out of place, confused, and clearly out of his comfort zone -- as well as his coverage zone.

So with Akeem Jordan still out with a knee injury, the Eagles are looking for other solutions to their middle linebacker troubles. As is the case with most chronic problems, the Eagles went back to square one and started over -- right back at Joe Mays.

Mays has taken the majority of the first-team snaps at MIKE, with Witherspoon and Gocong at WILL and SAM respectively. There have been other sets of linebackers -- most likely with Witherspoon in the middle and Moise Fokou also in the mix -- but the most prevelant has been Witherspoon, Mays, and Gocong.

It could either be a sign that Mays is finally getting acquainted with the defense, or just a sign of desperation from a team trying to deal with a depleted defense thanks in large part to unfortunate injuries.

Mays is from the windy city, so it would be fitting for him to get his first career start back where it all happened.
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"Get closer and I'll bust your freakin' nose, tough guy."


In the most recent Top Five segment done by NFL Network, Jamie Dukes was given the task of counting down the top five fanbases.

He says that the teams were chosen based on home-field advantage, memorabilia sales, how well they travel, and a couple other factors.

His top five went like this:

5. New England Patriots
4. New York Giants
3. Dallas Cowboys
2. Green Bay Packers
1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Now, while I don't have a problem with the Giants, Packers, or Steelers being on here, the fact that the Patriots and Cowboys are on here is insane.

How in the world can you put two franchises on this list with perhaps the most front-running fanbases in not only the league, but in all of sports.

How many Patriots fans, outside of New England, were there up until around 2001? Four, five, six at the very most, and that's being generous.

The New England Patriots were an afterthought on the national level. No one cared about the Patriots, again outside of New England, until they started winning Super Bowl.

Teams like the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have been more loyal while their teams were losing than Patriots and Cowboys fans were when they were winning.

So right away, those two teams get knocked off because they're nothing but a pack of front-runners and closet fans while the team is losing.

So who does deserve to get on this list? Well, it's pretty hard to leave out you, the wonderful fans of Philadelphia.

How can they leave out the only city that threw snowball at Santa Clause? Not only that, we threw batteries at J.D. Drew.

We're the most knowledgeable, meanest, and most loyal fanbase in the country. Hands down, no questions asked it's the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles. Not even an argument.

Want the proof?

Had Jamie Dukes given that top five in the Linc, I'd bet my last dollar that he's be at the bottom of the steps.

You know, after some "accidentally" tripped him.

Then someone "accidentally" threw beer on him, threw out a few choice words not suitable for this website (we're child-friendly), and "accidentally" kicked him once or twice or 19 times.

Want the real top five fanbases? Well here we go. Sit back because you're in for a treat.

5. Oakland Raiders

No one has stuck by their team through more nonsense and losing over the past 10 years (that is, barring any Lions fans that are left).

No matter how the season is going, you can bet that there will be a sea of black when Oakland is in town. 2-14? No problem, let's put on spikey shoulder pads and scare the bejesus out of some Broncos fans.

4. New York Giants

Dukes got this one right. We may hate them almost as much as the Cowboys, but their fans are loyal and are always there to cheer their team on while the Eagles whip them in the playoffs year after year.

Plus, they're starting to come around to Eli and may actually be in favor of keeping him around for the next 10 years. Go for it, we'd love to continue to whoop him.

3. Chicago Bears

One of the original NFL franchises, they've been selling out and selling jerseys before it was cool to own one and wear it backwards like Nelly.

Bears fans are a crazy bunch and even through the years of mediocrity after losing in the Super Bowl they've stuck by their team and never shy away from a good debate. Team isn't all that good, but ask a Bears fan and they'll have you convinced that they'll win the Super Bowl for the next five years.

2. Green Bay Packers

The Packers may have the smallest media market in the league (I'm not sure, I don't have access to the dollar figure or a census, so what, sue me) but still have one of the biggest fanbases.

Not only that, but they also have some of the best names in football. Brett Favre, Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr, and the like. Notice I left out Reggie White, that's because he's ours, dammit. Anyway, perhaps it's because they have a stake in the team, I'm not exactly sure. All I know is these people are everywhere.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

This is an absolute no-brainer. Even for fans of other teams, this is obvious. Along with the reasons I stated before, the Eagles also have one of the longest waiting lists for season tickets (over 100,000), are consistently in the top 5-10 in merchandise sales, and have a following all over the country.

Most Eagles fans are spoiled now, but I remember the 3-13 years and even then there wasn't a single Eagles fan hiding that he/she was in fact a fan. They'll show you their tattoo and the Bobby Hoying jersey still hanging in their closet.

Oh, and the finger that fell off when they went to the Vet in December in -9 degree whether just to see Hoying throw 35 interceptions and lose 216-7 to the Cowboys.

Steelers? Patriots? Cowboys? Please. Nothing compared to Philly.
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