Eagles get back in the win column against the Skins

That was much more of what we expected from the Eagles.  Just like they did against the Niners, the Eagles had a 20-3 lead at halftime and allowed their opponent to crawl back; this time, however, they didn't let their inferior opponent come all the way back as they held on to win, 20-13.  Here are my thoughts on the game:

-That is the defense we thought the Eagles had.  They made strong tackles, forced turnovers, stopped the run, shut down the Redskins wide receivers and put pressure on the Redskins QB's throughout the game.  Sure, they were still unable to cover the tight end but you can't expect them to fix everything in one week.  While the Redskins offense isn't exactly a juggernaut, holding your opponent to just 13 points is an impressive feat in the NFL.

-The Eagles safeties came to play today.  While the safety position has been a revolving door of mediocrity for the Eagles this season, Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen both had big games for the Birds.  Coleman especially had a career day, picking off Rex Grossman three times.  If the Eagles can get play like this from their safeties, their defense will continue to shine.

-I've been calling for it every week and the Eagles finally listened: LeSean McCoy got a boatload of touches (28 carries and 2 catches) and proved once against that he is a beast.  Good things happen when they give Shady the ball so I can never understand why he ever has fewer than 20 touches in a game.  He is the most consistent weapon the Eagles have and the offense needs to be run through him at all times.  Plus, he hilariously popped Andy Reid in the gut near the end of the game.

-Michael Vick played a better game this week, making only one truly terrible pass that was picked off.  Much had been made about how the offensive line was going to struggle to hold up against the Redskins pass rush but Vick has just enough time to make plays with his arm and his feet.  Of course, he did get knocked out of the game briefly with what looked like a possible concussion, but he thankfully turned out okay.

-The Vince Young era started out brutally with a lame duck interception on his first pass.  For the guy that coined the "dream team" moniker, Young looks like a nightmare.  Pray for good health for Mike Vick.

-The bye week comes next for the Eagles, who can rest up, get their offensive line healthy and prepare for three very winnable games against the Cowboys, Bears and Cardinals.  Looking further down the schedule, the Eagles really only play two "good" teams, the Patriots and the Jets.  A playoff run isn't that ridiculous of a notion.  Yeah, I got sucked back in already.

Eagles vs. Redskins Week 6 inactives

The Eagles and Redskins have announced their Week 6 inactive players:

Eagles: LB Keenan Clayton, DE Trent Cole, T King Dunlap, CB Curtis Marsh, S Jarrad Page, T Jason Peters, OL Julian Vandervelde

Redskins: WR Anthony Armstrong, CB Philip Buchanon, WR Leonard Hankerston, DE Darron Scott, FB Mike Sellers, T Willie Smith, LB Markus White

With Dunlap out, the Eagles will start Todd Herremans at left tackle and Winston Justice at right tackle.  This will be Justice's first start of the season and he will be protecting Vick's blind side.  This could go badly.

Obviously, this is a must-win game for the Eagles this week.  Scarily enough, if they do win, they will be right back in the mix for the NFC East division.  I'll believe it when I see it.

How the mighty have fallen: Donovan McNabb benched for Rex Grossman

The Donovan McNabb trade is looking better and better for the Eagles every week. According to multiple sources on Twitter, the Redskins have decided to bench McNabb and start Rex Grossman in his place in their Week 15 game against the Cowboys. With the way McNabb has played this season, its really not all that surprising that the Redskins would look to bench him, but do they really think Rex Grossman is a better quarterback?

Given how McNabb and Michael Vick have played this season, I don't think any Eagles fan can argue that the Birds traded McNabb at the right time. I for one don't miss the bounce passes he used to throw to the wide receivers.

Monday Night Massacre: Eagles demolish Redskins

Where to begin with this one?

The Eagles exploded right out of the gate and never looked back, riding a nearly perfect effort by Michael Vick to a 59-28 beatdown of Donovan McNabb and the Redskins. From the opening 88 yard touchdown bomb to the defense shutting down the Redskins on every 3rd down opportunity, the Eagles drubbing was historic on a number of levels. Of the many team and NFL records the Eagles set in the game, perhaps the most impressive was the team record 593 yards of total offense the Birds piled up.

Vick was the story of the game by far as he put together possibly the best performance by a quarterback I've ever seen. Vick was sharp with his arm, completing 20 of 28 passes for 333 yards and 4 touchdowns, and with his feet, rushing for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Not only was Vick the best player in this game, he also made a case for being the MVP of the entire league with how he dominated the game from start to finish. You can't say enough about the transformation that Vick has undergone in the last year from simply a running back who occasionally throws to a quarterback with tremendous speed. Now that Vick is a legitimate pocket passer, he has become even more dangerous when he can't find an open man and decides to make things happen with his legs. He has truly turned himself into a dual threat as the most dangerous weapon in the game. Now, about that contract that ends following the season....

As for the rest of the Eagles team, there were plenty of other offensive players who stood out for the Eagles as they racked up the second most points in team history. From DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, who were really only needed on one play each, to LeSean McCoy, who had nearly 100 yards of total offense, the Eagles once again proved they are loaded with playmakers. Add in the recently acquired Jerome Harrison, who rushed for 109 yards on just 11 carries, and the Eagles offense is an embarrassment of riches.

Making the beatdown even sweeter was the fact that Donovan McNabb was standing on the opposite sideline. Fresh off his huge contract extension, McNabb had a miserable night, throwing 3 interceptions while getting sacked twice. Sure, the Redskins defense is to blame for not even attempting to slow down the Eagles offense, but McNabb didn't do himself any favors with his usually array of questionable decisions and erratic throws and his inability to convert a single 3rd down in the entire game.

With the win against the Colts last week and this nearly perfect effort, the Eagles have made their case for being the best team in the NFC. With a huge NFC East showdown against the Giants next week, the Birds will have their chance to make another statement. If Michael Vick continues to play like he did tonight, that statement could be that they are the best team in the league.
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Cowboys and Redskins losses, McNabb benching highlight Eagles bye week

The Eagles didn't play in Week 8 but they have to be pretty happy with everything that happened to their divisional rivals in the week. Not only did the Cowboys and Redskins lose, they both lost in embarrassing fashion, with the Cowboys getting worked by a very average Jaguars team and the Redskins collapsing in the 4th quarter against the Lions. Oh, and of course, there is the little matter of the Redskins benching Donovan McNabb.

With the Redskins still within a touchdown late in the game, head coach Mike Shanahan chose to bench McNabb, turning the offense over to Rex Grossman. Yep, Shanahan thought the team had a better chance of winning with Rex Freakin' Grossman than they did with McNabb. While Shanahan said after the game that McNabb was still the starting quarterback, you can bet the sensitive McNabb will sulk in practice and won't soon forget getting benched. The Redskins can probably forget about signing McNabb to a long term deal.

As for the Cowboys, while their season was pronounced over once Tony Romo went down, starting the season 1-6 is still a nightmare scenario for "America's Team". The disappointment on the face of Jerry Jones is enough to bring a smile to any Eagles fan.

Of course, with a game against the Colts looming in Week 9, the Eagles don't have much time to enjoy the suffering of their biggest rivals. With the way the rest of the NFC is playing, the door is still wide open for a darkhorse contender like the Eagles to get hot and make a Super Bowl run.

Eagles lose ugly to McNabb, Redskins

When two teams play as poorly as the Eagles and Redskins did today, it's hard to say that one team really beat the other. In a game filled with injuries, bad decisions and poor execution, Donovan McNabb and the Redskins outlasted the Eagles, 17-12, to help pull them into a tie atop the NFC East.

The biggest storyline coming out of the game will be the injury to Michael Vick, who suffered an upper body injury at the end of the first quarter when two Redskins sandwiched him as he scrambled towards the end zone. Vick was forced to leave the game and did not return, handing the reigns over to Kevin Kolb. The initial reports on Vick are saying that he has a chest injury and that he will have an MRI tomorrow, with some speculating that he has a collarbone injury that could keep him out for a few weeks.

As for Kevin Kolb, he certainly didn't make a great case that he should be starting quarterback if Vick is healthy enough to play. Kolb played the checkdown game all afternoon, dumping the ball off 4 yards at a time and refusing to look downfield for DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin. Because of this, Kolb finished a respectable 22 of 35 in the passing game but only managed 201 yards and Jackson and Maclin combined for only 4 catches. LeSean McCoy ended up being the beneficiary of Kolb's ineptitiude as he ended up with 12 catches for 110 yards. Adding in his 64 yards on the ground, McCoy was clearly the offensive MVP for the Birds.

Cheered in his return to Philadelphia, McNabb hardly made Eagles fans wish they had him back. He was incredibly inaccurate, completing just 8 of 19, and made several dumb decisions, like running out of bounds to stop the clock when the Redskins were up late in the game. While he didn't play great, McNabb did look pretty nimble on his feet and does deserve credit for leading his team to victory, taking advantage of what the Eagles defense gave him, which was plenty at times.

As for the aforementioned Eagles defense, they certainly weren't ready to play in this one, allowing the Redskins to do whatever they wanted against them in the first half. Sure, they did well to shut them down in the second half, but that was more a product of McNabb not being able to complete a pass than anything else. For a defense that thrives on putting pressure on the quarterback, McNabb looked way too comfortable in the pocket, and even when was flushed out, there were open lanes for him to run through.

Now at 2-2, the Eagles season appears to already be at a crossroads, with much of where they go from here dependent on the health of Michael Vick. If Vick is healthy, the Eagles can continue to push for a playoff spot with a potent offense. If he isn't, they will have to spend the rest of the season getting Kolb comfortable in the pocket and able to complete passes more than 5 yards down the field. Of course, if the defense played like they did today, it may not matter who the Eagles have at quarterback.
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Eagles vs. Redskins Week 4 inactives

The Eagles and Redskins have announced their inactive players for their Week 4 matchup:

Eagles: DE Antwan Barnes, RB Joique Bell, LB Keenan Clayton, TE Clay Harbor, OL Austin Howard, QB Mike Kafka, CB Trevard Lindley, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

Redskins: CB Kevin Barnes, QB John Beck, DL Anthony Bryant, LB Vonnie Holliday, DL Jeremy Jarmon, TE Logan Paulsen, LB Perry Riley, T Trent Williams

Only one change for the Eagles this week as Omar Gaither is once again active and recently signed running back Joique Bell has been benched. The rest of the Eagles inactives are identical to last week. Nick Cole is active and starting today.

Despite all the buzz surrounding the return of Donovan McNabb to Philadelphia, the Eagles are the better all-around team and they need to win this game if they have any intentions of being a playoff team. Go Birds!