Friday, October 06, 2006

Go To the Eagle!



He did it for the 49ers when they played the evil Cowboys.



He did it for the Eagles when they played the evil Cowboys.

He has demonstrated that he will lead the charge to piss off the rival in their stadium.

Now, T.O. I am begging you.

Do it to them.

Catch that touchdown. Take it to midfield. Spread your arms. And look to the sky. It may open up a war with 70,000 mutants, but I will be happy.

Prove to the Cowboys that you are worth the trouble.

Philly paper believes in emotional factor …I do, too…


On paper, Dallas looks better than the Eagles right now, but it might not matter.
It might not matter that, when healthy, Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn are the best receiving duo in the league not named Wayne and Harrison. It might not matter that the Cowboys actually have an effective running game with the speedy Julius Jones and the workhorse Marion Barber. It might not matter that the Cowboys' cover guys have the Eagles really, really worried.

None if it might matter, because in rivalry games like these - especially ones that have the additional hook Owens will provide - emotion often trumps talent. Let the paper fly through the air like confetti, because paper won't determine the winner of this one. Emotion will.

And make no mistake, be it good or be it bad, the atmosphere Sunday inside Lincoln Financial Field - heck, in all of South Philly - will be like nothing we've seen there in a while. It's the Cowboys. It's Owens.

"It's going to be wild," Brian Dawkins said.

Eagles home games always are crazy. Fans here have a well-earned reputation for being brutal, nasty, passionate and creative, the NFC's version of those of the Oakland Raiders, minus the black face paint. They say anything. They do anything. They can be crude, and cruel.

How players feel about playing here depends on what jersey they wear. The home team loves it. The visiting team doesn't. It's kind of how fans feel about Owens. If he's on your team, you love him. If he's not, you loathe him. It's as simple as that.


John McLain looks at the Eagles chances


No matter what you think about Owens' theatrics or his penchant for becoming a disruptive force, there's no denying his marvelous ability and his determination to produce on a big stage. Owens works hard, and he has an uncanny ability to focus, no matter how much controversy is swirling around him or how much of a distraction he becomes for his teammates.

The hype over Owens' return has overshadowed the importance of the game. The Eagles are 3-1 against a weak schedule. The combined record of their four opponents — none of which has a winning record — is 4-11.

The Eagles have significant injuries on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys (2-1) are relatively healthy.

Naturally, Philadelphia fans would love to see Owens drop an easy pass early in the game. They'd get hysterical if safety Brian Dawkins obliterated Owens on a route over the middle.

In Philadelphia, it's almost inconceivable that Owens could have an outstanding game and the Cowboys could leave the stadium with a victory and a 3-1 record that would enable them to leapfrog the Eagles into first place.

Just imagine what life would be like in Philadelphia next week if it turns out that the Cowboys, not the Eagles, are invincible on Sunday.



Rich Hoffman tells Eagles fans that 2005 is not TO’s fault …wow. I trust he is not stoned for this…


The real truth: that the Eagles would have had a lousy 2005 season whether T.O. ever opened his mouth or not.

You say that to some people and they look at you as if you are a brain-dead heretic - but it was true last year and it is true now. Yes, yes, Owens split the Eagles' locker room and ruined the team's chemistry. But no, no, he did not turn them into a 6-10 team. They did that all by themselves.

The entire Eagles organization has comforted itself with the notion that a T.O.-ectomy was the most important action it took to fix things. It is all any of them talk about. They believe that Owens dragged them down and they will accept no argument to the contrary - and that verdict is pretty much unanimous.

When Donovan McNabb snarkily said, "One guy doesn't make a team. Break a team? Maybe," he was speaking for all of them. That is the Eagles' gospel.

No one wants to recognize the reality. No one wants to see that an injured quarterback and an anemic pass rush turned 2005 into a disaster. That is why the Eagles failed. T.O. provided the background music - calliope music, mostly, loud and annoying - but the collapse really occurred elsewhere. In many ways, Owens was as much of a spectator as the rest of us.

This was a 4-3 team before T.O. was banished to the land of misfit wideouts, and it was a 4-3 team on merit. This was a team that had already been smoked in a game in Dallas (33-10) and embarrassed in a game at Denver (49-21) before any of the fuses had been ignited. Owens was playing fine. The team was not.

Everything became overshadowed in the weeks that followed, with the one-game suspension, which grew into a four-game suspension, which grew into a rest-of-the-season banishment. All reality was altered from the moment T.O. did that interview with the kid from ESPN.com in which he clumsily agreed with a statement about Brett Favre made by his last media ally, ESPN's Michael Irvin, and then refused the club's insistence that he apologize directly to McNabb.

But the team just wasn't very good and it had nothing to do with Owens. McNabb had the sports hernia and his play deteriorated as the weeks rolled along. The pass rush was dismal from the beginning and it left thedefensive secondary painfully exposed.
If the T.O. business had never happened, the Eagles' record would have been what?

Maybe 8-8? Maybe 7-9? That's all you're talking about. This was not a playoff team, not last year, not even with T.O. - unless, that is, in the unlikely event that Andy Reid had chosen Owens to be the quarterback who replaced the injured McNabb, rather than the dreadful Mike McMahon.


The marquee game of the season in the NFL


When the NFL released its 2006 schedule way back when, there were a few games worth mentioning.

Payton Manning vs. Eli Manning was cute, complete with adorable home videos of the
two quarterbacks bickering as kids.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that knocked him out of the playoffs last season, had some juice.

But for sheer made-for-television drama, nothing until December could top Terrell Owens (and the Cowboys) in Philadelphia.

"I think the whole talk started back when he signed with them," Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said. "Everybody kind of highlighted this game."


Mike Tirico with funny error


ESPN Monday Night Football announcer Mike Tirico has a brief message for the fans of Philadelphia. "I'm sorry for the William Penn-Ben Franklin reference," Tirico said earlier this week in a phone interview.

When ESPN showed a panoramic view of William Penn's statue atop City Hall, Tirico said: "Ben Franklin, high atop the city of Philadelphia."

While Tirico wouldn't say it, his production team at ESPN let him down. Somebody should have caught the error. Tirico won't point fingers.

"I'm the one who made the mistake, and when you are wrong you have to stand up and
admit it," he said.


So that is what the scribes think. What do I think? I think that based on my experience, there are various occasions when a crowd is so juiced that the home team cannot lose and the visiting team has no chance. For instance, when the Cowboys finally had to visit Lambeau in 1996, and when the Saints re-opened the Superdome a few weeks ago. I think this may be one of those cases.

Eagles will get a defensive touchdown. Eagles 31, Cowboys 21

If I am wrong, the Cowboys have a chance to win the Super Bowl this year.

Stoops knows Vince won’t be there Saturday


At a news conference this week, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was innocently asked how this year's Texas offense was different.

"I don't really need to answer that for you, do I?" Stoops said in reply.

The same two teams, Oklahoma and Texas, will be back in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. The same two head coaches. The same two snarling sides of the stadium -- half crimson, half burnt orange. The same stakes -- a leg up in the Big 12 South race and a likely boost in the national rankings.

But no Vince Young.

"There's no denying that, with Vince Young back there, things were just different," Stoops explained. "Colt McCoy has done an excellent job. But you're talking about a guy [Young] who was picked third in the NFL Draft.

"There was a different dynamic back there, which no one can deny."


The Longhorns are better in the trenches …we think…


the Longhorns don’t have the best player in the game. No one in burnt orange is as
good as Adrian Peterson. Then again, no one in college football is as good.

Have you seen some of the holes Peterson has run through?

No? That’s because some have been invisible to the naked eye. Peterson is finding a way when there is none, and he is running over defenders, pummeling and punishing as he goes.

Heck, the Sooners even have the best quarterback in the game, too. Paul Thompson was supposed to be the caretaker, the stop-gap after Rhett Bomar’s dismissal. Instead, Thompson has been as good as any quarterback in the conference. Go figure. Always good to head south of the Red River with the best player and the better quarterback, but those advantages are not enough to overcome the ones the Longhorns have.

Everywhere else, they are equal or superior to the Sooners. OU receivers vs. UT defensive backs: even.

OU offensive line vs. UT defensive line: edge to Texas.
UT receivers vs. OU defensive backs: edge to Texas.
UT offensive line vs. OU defensive line: edge to Texas.

The most glaring advantages for the Longhorns are the least sexy. Talk about the offensive and defensive lines, and you’ll put most people to sleep. But the fact is, Texas has serious talent up front. Three on offense and three on defense return from lines that were as good as any in the country a year ago.


Barry Horn on the spies in the rivalry

I have no idea who wins Texas-OU. I really don’t think Colt McCoy is any more prepared to win this game than he was to win the Ohio State game. The good news is that Ohio State is much better than Oklahoma.

I think Texas wins, 21-17.

TCU loses again


SALT LAKE CITY -- Plays that TCU made over and over again last season just aren't going the same way in 2006. And neither is the Horned Frogs' season.

Two long Utah completions in the second quarter should have been interceptions, TCU coach Gary Patterson said. Instead, Utes receivers gained big yards that led to points, and the result was a 20-7 Utah victory Thursday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
At 0-2 after two Mountain West Conference games, TCU's hopes of a second consecutive league title are all but dashed, as are the lofty goals they had at the start of the season.


Quisy update


Indiana Pacers player Stephen Jackson was hit in the mouth, struck by a car and fired a gun outside a strip club early Friday, police said.

Jackson, 28, told officers he fired his 9 mm pistol four or five times in the air in self-defense after he was punched and hit by a car outside the club, said Sgt. Matthew Mount, spokesman for the Indianapolis Police Department.

The other Pacers at the scene were Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels and Jimmie Hunter.

Tinsley and Daniels also had guns in their cars, and all three players had permits for the weapons, Mount said, although Daniels' permit was issued in Florida.


Bill Guerin update


Bill Guerin tipped in a shot by Keith Tkachuk as the clock ticked toward 0:00 to give the Blues a point in the first of three games on a very difficult road trip that continues in Los Angeles and Anaheim. The goal bailed out Eric Brewer, whose turnover in his own end put San Jose ahead with 5:42 to play and seemed to doom the Blues. But San Jose got the extra point as Curtis Brown tipped in a rebound to win it for San Jose 2:12 into overtime.


youtube:

Hey Ya (acoustic) -4:31




Bathroom Etiquette

30 comments:

Drew J said...

http://thebiglead.com/?p=1116

Doug Cristie and his wife discuss their intimate life.

Mark said...

I'm so glad Cristie flamed out with the Mavs. A full season of him raising his arm in the air to tell his wife that he loves her and to avoid getting his ass beat would have been too much of a whip.

Anonymous said...

I just hope after the game Sunday T.O. runs up to Donovan with arms spread wide and says those 4 little words:

"Hug it out, Bitch!"

Cause that's what men do after a fight. They hug it out.

Flaco said...

I love when the gays dont get the first post.

--------------------

"If I am wrong, the Cowboys have a chance to win the Super Bowl this year."

lol. Bob....

------------------------

Also...Good for Bill Guerin. But every time the Sharks win a game this year I'm going to grind my teeth together and curse someone. The Coyotes looked real solid last night too.

watch out Stars...

Anonymous said...

no mention of the 76ers losing to a Euro team and Iverson being teh suck?

no mention of Marquis Daniels and 4 other Pacers being involved in a strip club shootout?

oh well, merkin me!

Arthur

Anonymous said...

I think Bob's wrong about his predictions for the Boys and Ou-Ut, but hell, what do I know?

Anonymous said...

I fought through the bathroom etiquette video. Pretty good. Everyone could use a refresher course.

Kipster198 said...

Arthur-

I think you need to re-read the blog. Pay special attention to the link that reads "Quisy Update."

Go FROGS! Can anyone say 8-4????? Ft. Worth Bowl now????

Cap It said...

Man I can't wait for Sunday. T.O. was made for this most enormous of stages. He made the stage, and he will absolutely soak it up.
I may be overlooking someone, but I can't think of any other player than T.O. that will be totally comfortable on the biggest stage in the NFL this year.
Don't prove me wrong T.O.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get my popcorn ready.

Drew J said...

Watching TCU every season is much like watching the Rangers.

Every season begins with, "This is the year! We're important! Everyone pay attention to us. It doesn't matter that we play against subpar competition!"

About halfway through every season the tunes changes to "Oops. Well, next year will be different."

Anonymous said...

Who is that FREAKING MORON on the Staubach SportsBiz commercials? He has got to be one of the biggest idiots on the face of the planet.

Kipster198 said...

Drew-

That's a little harsh, not to mention completely untrue.

TCU can only play who is on their schedule. If a BCS conference comes calling, I assure you that TCU would jump at the chance to join them. Unfortunately, the conferences are all pretty secure in their alignments for now.

They have these games lined up in future years (note ALL of the teams are from BCS conferences):

2007 Baylor, Texas, and Stanford 2008 Arkansas, Stanford
2009 Arkansas
2010 Baylor
2011 Baylor
2013 LSU
2014 LSU

So, to say they play only subpar competition is a farce. In the last 2 seasons, they have beaten OU, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Baylor, Utah (longest winning streak in the nation at the time).

They are willing to play anyone at anytime. Now, I will give you that they are having a down year this year. The offense has been less than stellar all season. But, they should still finish with 8 or 9 wins before the bowl game.

In any case, I wouldn't say that they falter every year. At 56-20 (.737), TCU has the 13th-best record in Division I-A since the start of the 2000 campaign.

I could go on, but I won't. I'd just like to ask you to check your facts before using such generalizations in the future.

Go FROGS!

Andy Douthitt said...

Cowboy talk...

We have a good team. We know that. Phillly has a good team. We know that. We have an above average offense. Philly has an average offense. We have an above average defense. Philly has an average defense (have you looked at their pass defense ranking?
strug-e-ling)

That means that we will and should win. TO is TO, but we really need to watch out for Glenn. HE will be the difference.
Blesoe will throw for over 300 yards.

Cowboys 31 Eagles 20

I can't wait.

Anonymous said...

Kipster, if you're going to play the "they can only play the teams on their schedule" card, that means the teams on their schedule suck. And TCU just lost to two of them in a row.

P.S. Baylor and Stanford sounds a lot better than it really is.

Anonymous said...

Tom's and F-ing Moron. Send him back to Kraddick immediately. His arguments are so stupid that he needs to be with the Soccer Moms.

Anonymous said...

I resent that remark.

Gribble is my leader; I'm unemployed, I haven't bathed for two days and I have skidmarks in my underwear.

That is all.

Anonymous said...

Bob, it was actually 1997 when Packer finally got Cowboy at Lambeau Field.

But that's OK, the total Cowboy domination of Packer in the 1990s was simply payback for what Packer did to Cowboy back in the 60s.

Drew J said...

Fake Sturm, that was the TCU point I was trying to make. That's great that TCU will take on all-comers, but when they are still stumbling against the likes of BYU and SMU its hard to take them too seriously.

And gloating about a 70% winning percentage looks a lot less impressive when you play in a mid-major. I didn't say that they ONLY played against subpar competition, but when the bulk of your games are against schools like Concy, UAB, Memphis & USF that number loses a lot of luster.

Flaco said...

Who said the cowboys have an ABOVE average offense? and the eagles have an average offense?

The Eagles have scored the 2nd most points in the league, right?

what a dumb thing to say....

THey beat the University of Tenn Titans, and all of a sudden the offense is ABOVE average?

we're having fun here, no?

Anonymous said...

Give the Frogs a break. For a little private school they've given us quite a ride these last few years. If you want to crap on a school try Tech or A&M.

As for Cowboys Eagles....agree with Brad. Should be a good game but reality is going to kick in on Sunday.

Drew J said...

Letting in a dry erase board knowing the P1's hate for Corso? Amateur move Gameday.

Anonymous said...

So...ummm...Go Stars and Go Cowboys.

Congrats Texas. You guys manhandled us today.

And I'll save the outrage over the forward pass that was ruled a backwards lateral and allowed to stand by the replay official. Wishing for a replay system to do what it's supposed to do ranks at 1,000 on my wish list behind such things as:

1. Wanting a defensive line that doesn't get it's ass kicked in the trenches.

2. Wanting a team that doesn't committ so many stupid penalties. The delay of game on the punt was kind of a microcosm of how bad a day, mentally, it was for us.

3. My lifeforce is drained.

I'll just say that Colt McCoy didn't look like a Freshman out there. He and the Horns made the plays to turn third down conversions into Touchdowns. We had a chance at the end of the first half to get one on third down and instead, Paul Thompson's feet got tangled up with Adrian Peterson's and we had to settled for a Field Goal.

Anonymous said...

The lateral/pass for a UT TD was borderline and could have gone either way really, but the review going against them certainly didn't cost OU the game this time. I'll give them full credit, Texas absolutely dominated in the second half and they totally earned this one...

Anonymous said...

I'm not a fan of either team, but didn't the officials explain the call? They said that it was "even" - not forward or backward. In such case, it is considered a backward lateral. In other words, tie goes to the backward. I don't know if that's the rules, but I'm taking there word for it that it is. I don't keep a CFB rulebook at home.

Adrian Peterson made a pretty boneheaded play. If it is EVER close you have to hustle and get that ball just in case.

Texas just came out determined in the second half. OU made too many mistakes. That fumble after the catch in converting the 3rd and 15(?) around the Texas 20 really took the wind out.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, I guess Mack Brown can win a game against OU without Vince...

Anonymous said...

FWIW, they said the pass was thrown from the 12 and it hit AD at the 12. And since a forward pass is any pass that is neither sideways or backwards, that would qualify as a lateral.

And yes, it was boneheaded of AD to let up there. Until you hear a whistle on a play like that, you go after the ball.

"That fumble after the catch in converting the 3rd and 15(?) around the Texas 20 really took the wind out."

Allowing Texas to drive down the field and score two TD's on their first two possessions is what took the wind out.

The fumble on that play pretty much sealed our fate for the day.

I give Texas full marks for this win. They did what they had to do and unlike Oklahoma, they took care of the ball. Still, this loss stings more than last year's loss because on paper we were better and Texas wasn't playing anywhere near the level they were last season.

On the LOS, Texas' O-line manhandled our guys for three quarters. That unit clearly hasn't been the same since the whipping we took from USC in the Orange Bowl in 2005. And I haven't the foggiest idea how we're going to get that back.

Anonymous said...

The Hoerns did not beat the great Sooners. They were lucky with there drives. Believe that. That call on replay, showed us all that there agenda showed what their trying to do to us. We are a great team. Wait until Bayolor comes around. We will show them there heads. The Sooners will their. Write it down. Mark it. Free-base with crayons. It will happen. Their. Take that.

Anonymous said...

what game were you watching dude? the horns didn't beat the sooners? yea, have fun taking your revenge out on baylor and then enjoy the holiday bowl again. texas was dominant today and clearly looked like the better team. the sooners had some chances but made too many costly mistakes. i was very impressed by the poise demonstrated by colt mccoy. he really stepped his game to another level on that third down conversion and made an excellent pass to sweed on the touchdown. the sack for the big loss by robison early on set the tempo for the longhorn defense that did not let up. they were able to force the turnovers and turned them into points.

looks like the only tough game left is mizzou for the big 12 title...

btw, what happened on gameday today?

Anonymous said...

Moron at 12:12, please come up with your own name and post your thoughts instead of pretending to be me.

As far as the game goes, I congradulate Texas for the win. Texas deserved this one with the way we played in the second half. We cant make that many TOs and expect to win against a talented team -- it just cant happen. I do have to say that the refs made many bad calls and some did effect the out come.

I still do not believe that the better team one. But the team that played better did win. We have work to do to get back in the BCS picture and now we cant do it all ourselfs.

Brian said...

"And I haven't the foggiest idea how we're going to get that back."

You can't. Tommie Harris ain't coming back. The Chicago Bears line is pretty good right now. Strange.