McNabb was under pressure while Dallas gave chase.


After another humiliating loss to Dallas, people are scrambling to pick out just went wrong. And as is always the case, most of the uninformed are pointing at Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. If you want to blame Reid because he's the head coach, then fine. He'll gladly take the blame for his team.

However, blaming McNabb is a showcase of ignorance.

The man was under constant pressure all game long -- and from everywhere. One play it was DeMarcus Ware, the next play it was Anthony Spencer, the next play it was Jay Ratliff, and even the safeties were in on the action.

The offensive line, namely Nick Cole, Todd Herremans, and Max Jean-Gilles, could not pick up the blitz to save their own lives, much less the life of their quarterback.

I've been screaming about it since the day he was put in as a starter; Cole is not a starting-caliber lineman in this league. His footwork is atrocious, he's obviously not very football smart and can't identify a blitz, and even worse, he's lazy on the field.

Multiple times there was a linebacker or safety showing blitz, but instead of picking them up he was usually double-teaming someone with Jean-Gilles, or just standing around looking straight ahead as someone blew past him. From there, McNabb was forced to move around and make a throw on the run.

The same could said of Jean-Gilles, who was victimized by a line stunt all game long. He and Cole lack the footwork to be starters in this league, especially in a pass-heavy offense.

Then we come to Herremans. Herremans has pretty good feet for a guard, but he lacks the mass and upper-body strength to be any help in the running game and can't stand his ground in the passing game. He got beat up all year long by defensive linemen stronger than him, and it's time for a replacement.

Jason Peters stopped his feet a few times against Ware, but when you pass every down, Ware is sure to get his eventually. Once again, Winston Justice was the best guy across this line and didn't really get beat -- noticably, anyway.

But because of the defecit the Eagles faced, the Dallas defense was able to pin their ears back and attack McNabb. Add that to the fact that the interior of the line couldn't pick up even the simplest of linebacker blitzes and you have a recipe for disaster. Just the fact that McNabb didn't have to leave the game is a miracle and a testament to his escapability.

Were it not for McNabb, the outcome would have been a lot worse. He probably avoided about a dozen sacks (no exagerration) and, in the conditions and dealing with the line he had in front of him, did a fairly decent job.

Yes, he missed some passes here and there, but that was a result of being under pressure all day and his receivers not getting open at all down the field.

But, even if they did get open, his linemen allowed him no time to set up and survey the field. So, before you criticize McNabb, maybe you should go back and actually watch the film. Learn a little something before blindly throwing out your opinion and having to back it up with "Oh yeah, well how many Super Bowls has he won??"

Come on.
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Guess who: One has carried his team on his back, the other has cost his dearly in the playoffs.

The influence that the media has on the thoughts and opinions of the masses is staggering. In fact, it's almost horrifying that reading or hearing the opinion of an "expert" will cause most people to fall in line with no thoughts of their own.

But, that's the world we live in today, isn't it? Whether it's right-wing ideologies on FOX News or left-wing ideologies on CNN, people will fall in line with anything that's being shouted loudly enough. Sports, football in particular, is no different.

Shout an opinion loudly enough on ESPN, Comcast, or NFL Network and most of the people within earshot will fall in line shouting the same opinion, nearly verbatim, at their office's water-cooler the next day.

So what's the popular opinion being shouted nowadays? Well, the Cowboys have already punched their ticket to Miami to play the Chargers in the Super Bowl.

Wait, what? We're talking about the same team that hasn't won a playoff game in two tries with this same head coach-quarterback combo, right? And they are playing a team that's been to five NFC Championship games in eight years, including a Super Bowl appearance in 2004?

Yes, that's what we're faced with, but the majority of "experts" are convinced that the Eagles just don't stack up to this team. Because, for some reason, there's something "different" about this Cowboys team.

Sure, the team is different here and there, but the leadership is still the same. It doesn't matter if you replace a team full of scrubs will all-stars, but keep the same leadership, you can expect about the same results from that team.

That's what has happened with the Dallas Cowboys. Sure, they may have upgraded in some areas, and downgraded in others, but as long as Tony Romo and Wade Phillips are the guys in Dallas, nothing will ever change.

Right about now, pessimistic Eagles fans are thinking the same thing about Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid. However, the difference is that Reid and McNabb have been somewhere and have accomplished something. Not to mention that more often than not those two are not the problem. In Dallas, Romo and Phillips are the problems.

So, even though the Super Bowl odds may be teetering away from the Birds for the moment, they'll find them right back in their favor once they take care of the underachieving Cowboys this Saturday in Dallas.

Oh, and just for good measure, I hope someone else spits on the star before, during, and after the game.
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McDermott must be more aggressive for take 3.


I saw an article on GCobb.com the other day saying that it wasn't the absence of the blitz that hurt the Eagles as much as it was the absence of effective blitzing. Normally, I would agree with that assessment. I think that, overall, the Eagles have not done a very good job blitzing this season and that gap assignments need to be more emphasized.

However, when it comes to playing Tony Romo and the Cowboys, even an ineffective blitz is enough to rattle Romo.

Even in the 24-0 blanking the Eagles took last Sunday, it was quite evident that Romo still has a fear of the blitz and of being hit. All the Eagles had to do was have a man in arm's-length of him and he was willing to throw the ball up for grabs -- all to avoid any contact.

Watching that on film, it should become obvious what Sean McDermott and the defense must do this Saturday, and that's blitz every single down. It doesn't matter if it's effective or not, just seeing the blitz will get into Romo's head and cause mistakes.

It may be that deer-in-the-headlights look he'll get as he fumbles the ball away, or it could be an errant pass that falls into the arms of one of the Eagles' ballhawk defensive backs, but he will give the Eagles a chance for big plays on defense.

The one thing McDermott can not do (again) is sit back and allow him to have time to see the field. This is the NFL. If you give any quarterback, whether he's Peyton Manning or a third-stringer just signed from the UFL, time to sit back and comfortably see the defense, he's going to pick you apart.

The Eagles have now gone with this ineffective defensive scheme the last two times they've played the Cowboys. If they go with it a third time, they will once again be embarassed at the Jones-mahal. Romo will pick them apart, and Marion Barber and Felix Jones will stick the dagger through their collective heart.

Romo is not a good quarterback under pressure. Don't let him escape the pocket and get a guy in his face, on top of the atmosphere of a playoff game, and he will shut down entirely.

Quite honestly, if McDermott goes in with the same gameplan this week, win or lose, I'll be starting a movement to see that he's fired. Don't do this to us, Sean. Make JJ proud and blitz until Romo is crying for his mommy on the sidelines.
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Not a whole lot of good out of this game in Dallas.


Sunday was an absolute train wreck. It was bad from start to finish and the Eagles deserve every bit of criticism that comes their way. Donovan McNabb used the word "embarrassed" in his post-game press conference a few times, but it doesn't even begin to describe how that crew should feel.

It really was a group effort, though. Brent Celek dropped a key third down pass, DeSean Jackson looked either hurt or uninterested, Jeremy Maclin was a non-factor, but I can't exactly put my finger on the reason. It was probably because the 'Boys defense realized DeSean wasn't going to be a factor and began doubling Maclin.

Brian Westbrook continued to show that his vision as a runner is simply not good enough. Not only that, but when he did break into the open field he was tackled from behind -- something that would not have happened to the old Westbrook.

Even Jason Avant, usually one of the most sure-handed receivers in the league, dropped two passes. McNabb wasn't hitting the deep ball like he usually does, but there were a few times when he guys right in the hands and they just couldn't come up with it.

The line was shaky, but okay. They gave McNabb ample time for most of the game, but the receivers were bottled up all game long and didn't give him anywhere to throw. McNabb will squeeze the ball into some tight windows, but there was just nothing open.

Then there's the defense, who were in a league of their own last night. Literally, they should have been in a different league. From the way they were playing the UFL's Florida Tuskers would have taken them to town.

But the beautiful part about the post-season is that nothing that happened in the regular season matters. Yes, a better seeding would be great, but the Eagles made it to the NFC Championship last year as the sixth seed with a less-talented team.

The competition, however, is better than last year, but it still doesn't mean the Eagles are doomed to yet again watch someone win a Lombardi that could very well have come to Philly.

It's time to move on, kick-start into playoff football and start winning. Learn from the mistakes of last week, apply them this week, and get on a roll.

Look at it this way: the Eagles just need a four-game winning streak and they're Super Bowl champions. They've already had six this year, what's another four?
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