Vick, Maclin both ruled out against the Giants

Whatever slim chance the Eagles had of beating the Giants likely just went out the window.  According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, both Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin have been ruled out for the Sunday Night Game.  Vick suffered a rib injury against the Cardinals while Maclin injured his hamstring.

There really wasn't much of a chance that either player could have played on Sunday, what with neither player practicing all week.  Still, the Eagles hadn't ruled them out until today with the hopes that one or both could recover in time.

In Vick's place, Vince Young gets his first start as an Eagle.  Riley Cooper will likely play a much bigger role with Maclin out.  It could be a long night for the Eagles offense.

Eagles downward slide continues in choke against Niners

We have a disaster on our hands, Eagles fans.  After making a number of mistakes in the first half and still building a 20-3 lead, the Eagles allowed the Niners to score the final 21 points of the game to win, 24-23.  Here are my thoughts on a brutal loss for the Eagles:

-Were do we place the blame for that loss?  On the defense that still can't stop the run?  On Jeremy Maclin for not protecting the football?  On the rookie kicker who can't make a chip shot?  On the defensive coordinator who is clearly overmatched?  How about on the coach who put this mess together?  I've never been a "fire Andy Reid" guy but something has to give after what happened today.  The pieces are all there but this isn't working.

-I don't have a clue how to fix this defense with the current personnel.  You have to be able to stop the run, which they can't do.  You also can't let Alex Smith throw for 291 yards.  How you can have three of the best corners in the game and let the Niners crop of mediocre receivers be open all game long is a complete mystery.

-One guy who is giving his max effort on defense is Jason Babin.  He was disruptive all game long and picked up three sacks.  The d-line continues to consistently create pressure but the rest of the D is letting them down.

-Another guy I can't blame for this loss is Michael Vick.  He had a few bad throws here and there but at least he was busting his butt on every play.  With the offensive line still barely able to block anyone, Vick made the most out of what he was given.  His career high 416 yards passing and 75 yards rushing only added up to 23 points, though, and that just isn't enough.

-How about giving LeSean McCoy more than 9 carries?

-David Akers must be dying of laughter right now.  Alex Henery is a rookie and games like this will happen but he had two chances to put the game away and couldn't do it.  Akers missed one, too, but a million bucks says he doesn't miss that 4th quarter attempt from 33 yards.

-I almost forgot about Ronnie Brown.  What the heck was he thinking?  That could have been the worst play I've seen a professional football player ever make.  Even high school kids don't do that.

Something has to give with this team, something has to be changed.  Someone needs to get fired or this is all going to keep happening.  I'm not looking forward to the game against a good Bills team next week at all.  At least we have the Phillies!

Eagles vs. Niners inactives: Maclin to play

The Eagles and the Niners announced their inactive players for their Week 4 matchup:

Eagles: CB Brandon Hughes, T Winston Justice, CB Curtis Marsh, DE Juqua Parker, DE Darryl Tapp, OL Julian Vandervelde, G Danny Watkins

Niners: DT Demarcus Dobbs, WR Braylon Edwards, G Daniel Kilgore, FB Moran Norris, G Mike Person, QB Scott Tolzien, DT Ian Williams

Despite his injured hamsting, Jeremy Maclin is suiting up.  The only change in the inactives from last week is that Jaiquawn Jarrett is suiting up for the first time of the year and Brandon Hughes is benched.  There are two new starters on defense as Brandon Rolle is starting at WILL and Nate Allen is starting at free safety.

For the Niners, Frank Gore is suiting up but shouldn't have much burst due to a bad ankle.  Kendall Hunter will even start at running back ahead of Gore.

Its only Week 4 but this is pretty much a must-win for the Eagles.  If they lose to this weak Niners team and go 1-3 you can kiss the playoffs goodbye.

Michael Vick breaks right hand, Maclin injures hamstring

Another week, another Michael Vick injury that knocks him out of the game.  This time, Vick has broken his right hand and was removed from the Giants game in the 4th quarter.  Mike Kafka has once again taken over under center.

With the way Vick plays and the way the offensive line has issues protecting him, he is going to continue to get knocked around this season.  At least it wasn't his head this time and at least it wasn't his throwing hand.

In other Eagles injury news, Jeremy Maclin was knocked out of the game against the Giants with a hamstring injury.  This season has been nothing short of a nightmare so far.

Eagles fall to Falcons on Sunday Night

Tough, tough loss for the Eagles, who went from having the game in hand to losing their lead and their starting quarterback in a 35-31 loss to the Falcons.  Here are a few quick thoughts about the game:

-The game completely turned when Michael Vick left.  Even though backup Mike Kafka played about as well as he possibly could have, the momentum in the game completely shifted when Vick got knocked out.  Let's hope Vick is okay for next week.

-For as good as the Eagles defense looked at times, they gave up 5 touchdowns on 5 Falcons red zone attempts.  That's completely unacceptable.  For all the great pressure they put on the quarterback and all of the shutdown corners they have, they have to come up with the big stops inside the 20.  It's almost the opposite of the "bend but don't break" defense.  Don't bend but break?

-Trent Cole had a hell of a game.  So did Cullen Jenkins.  The defensive line is simply phenomenal and will be a force that other teams are going to have a hard time figuring out how to stop.

-Despite all the names on defense, the Eagles still can't cover a tight end to save their lives.  Oh, that's right, there aren't any "names" playing linebacker.

-Kafka is well on his way to being traded for a second round pick in two years.  The kid played great, throwing only two incompletions that weren't his fault at all.  Even though it's probably just the system, Kafka seems accurate enough to be a solid backup.

-Jeremy Maclin went from hero to goat on one play.  He had 13 catches for 171 yards and yet will only be remembered for dropping that perfect pass by Kafka on 4th down.

-Why the heck did the Falcons punt to DeSean Jackson at the end of the game?  They were lucky he didn't win the game right there just like the Miracle at the Meadowlands.

-Speaking of the Giants, as long as Vick is healthy next week, the Eagles should bounce back and put a beating on the G-men.  Heck, even with Kafka I like the Eagles chances.

Tough loss for the Eagles but there is no shame in losing to a solid Falcons team on the road.  Yes, the game was theirs for the taking but there is no reason to lose faith in a good Eagles team.  With their next two games against the Giants and Niners, this team is in position to bounce back nicely.

Jeremy Maclin cleared to return to football after Lymphoma scare

The mysterious absence of wideout Jeremy Maclin from Eagles camp has finally been explained. According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Maclin has finally been cleared to play football after months of tests for Lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.



Apparently Maclin had some weight and anemia issues a few months back and went in for a series of tests and has been waiting on the results, which came back negative. According to Glazer, Maclin had his lymph nodes removed a week ago and that has removed whatever virus he had from his body.



With all the mystery surrounding Maclin for the last few weeks, the fact that he is healthy and ready to return to the Eagles is great news. A cancer scare is obviously a big deal but it sounds like he is out of the woods and ready to return to his normal life. The virus he had may have sapped him of his strength so don't count him being ready to play immediately upon his return to practice.