Eagles Waste Valuable Time Against Cowboys

In a game that neither offense could get untracked, some bad decisions ended up costing the Eagles the game and first place in the NFC East. A few of those decisions were on the Eagles and one was on the officiating crew, but all led to Dallas taking control of the game in the 4th quarter and time running out on the Eagles.

The Eagles squandered their time outs in the second half through their own actions and what appeared to be a bad decision by the officials, then compounded it all with a highly questionable decision to kick a late game field goal and hope to get the ball back. First, the Eagles had to burn a timeout when they wasted time shuffling Donovan McNabb back onto the field to replace Mildcat QB Michael Vick, who came in the game to hand off for a 3-yard gain.

Later, Andy Reid unsuccessfully challenged a third down spot on a pass reception by LeSean McCoy that appeared to have little chance of getting overturned. And, he lost his third timeout challenging a 4th down spot that appeared should have been changed to give the Eagles a first down. Unfortunately, Head Umpire Walt Coleman seemed more intent on backing up his crew than getting the call right, and the Eagles lost both the ball and their final timeout.

This proved to be very costly as the Cowboys promptly scored on a 49 yard pass to Miles Austin to take a 20-13 lead. On the ensuing drive, the Eagles moved the ball to the Dallas 33, but after a one yard loss on a sack, they faced a fourth and 11 with 4:36 left in the game. Rather than go for a first down, Reid surprisingly elected to kick a 52-yard field goal that left them still needing a touchdown. They kicked off and never got the ball back.

The Eagles showed none of the explosiveness that they have displayed throughout the season. The Cowboys kept DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin under wraps all night, with the team's only long play being a 45 yard screen pass to McCoy. The other big play was an Ellis Hobbs 96 yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half, but it was nullified by a penalty.

Once again, the Eagles could not attain any consistency on offense and the Wildcat proved to be a detraction. The formation continues to disrupt the Eagles offense, gains a miniscule amount of yardage and last night cost them a valuable time out. Vick shows little in the way of speed, elusiveness or passing ability. It would seem well past the time for the team to acknowledge their error and keep Vick on the sideline as the emergency quarterback.

The Eagles find themselves once again at 5-3 at mid-season. The big play capabilities in all phases of the game tend to make this look like it is underperforming their potential, but perhaps that is an illusion. They now leave the friendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field, playing 4 of the next 5 games on the road against teams with winning records.

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Cowboys Visit Eagles for NFC East Showdown

The last time the Cowboys visited the Linc to face the Eagles was last season's finale. Once again the game carries significance with first place in the NFC East on the line. Last season, a playoff spot was at stake and Philadelphia fans witnessed a total dismantling of the Cowboys as the Eagles won 44-6.

Both teams come into today with their offenses clicking and having won 4 of their last 5 games. The Cowboys seemed to lack belief in themselves early in the season, perhaps a hangover from their disastrous season ending game, but now appear to have regained their "mojo." After being dogged by turnovers, Tony Romo is now playing with conviction and new found confidence, particularly with the emergence of wide receiver Miles "Yeh, baby" Austin.

A little intrigue developed this week, however, as fellow receiver Roy Williams has openly chafed at Romo's ability to get him the ball since he views himself as the #1 receiver. The Eagles would feel fortunate if this would cause Romo to look for Williams over Austin as the former has done nothing to distinguish himself as a top receiver since coming to the team last season.

Speaking of receivers, the Eagles are quickly gaining recognition for having one of the best corps in the NFL. At this point, they possess the most explosive group, which matches up well against a Dallas secondary that is a little shy on speed. Donovan McNabb will once again look to make full use of the arsenal of weapons around him. Reports are that Westbrook will sit out again, so look for LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver to share running and pass catching duties. McNabb will surely look to take some strikes down the field with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, while using Brent Celek in the middle to move the chains.

Romo spread the ball around last week, and with Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice all healthy, expect the Cowboys to do the same this week. The Eagles defense has been vulnerable to tight ends, so Jason Witten will likely be a big part of their offense and might easily ring up 100 yards receiving.

Both defenses rely on a strong pass rush to keep pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Accordingly, expect a few turnovers and some drive stopping sacks. Ultimately, though, both teams should be able to move the ball and a high scoring contest seems most likely.

Expect a seesaw game with the Eagles winning the turnover battle to register some easy points. The Cowboys will use a running back by committee approach and Witten to control the ball on methodical drives, while the Eagles will continue to use big plays on both offense and defense. Although the game will be the challenge from the Cowboys they expected last December, at the end of the day, the Eagles will have sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

Eagles 37

Cowboys 31

NFL Power Rankings Top 15 Week 8

Two teams remain undefeated, while the Broncos suffered their first defeat at the hands of the Ravens. Both the Saints and Colts struggled to win at home, although the former was playing a more formidable team in the Atlanta Falcons. The Ravens came into the game well rested and man handled the Broncos from start to finish.

The Brett Favre led Vikings had their way again with the Packers, this time in mostly hostile Lambeau Field. While the Patriots, Bengals and Steelers all had a bye week, the Eagles and Cowboys moved up the rankings with convincing wins. Philadelphia's victory was the most impressive of the week as they totally dominated the Giants in every phase of the game, winning by a 40-17 score that sounds closer than reality. This week the Eagles and Cowboys go head-to-head with first place in the NFC East at stake.

The Texans have been somewhat off the radar, but jumped into the top 15 for the first time with another impressive win. Their offense continues to improve and post big numbers, but they suffered a big blow when Owen Daniels was lost for the season to a knee injury. The Cardinals have been Jekyl and Hyde, losing at home to the Panthers after seeming to have emerged. This season's edition is looking a lot like last year's team that barely reached .500, but then played with greater energy in the post season.

1. Saints (7-0)-Another win against contender makes them team to beat
2. Colts (7-0)-Lucky to get by the 49ers, same effort will get an L this week
3. Broncos (6-1)- After lopsided loss face another big test vs Steelers
4. Vikings (7-1)-Have all the ingredients to go to Super Bowl
5. Patriots (5-2)-Brady hoping for snow to roll up TD passes
6. Eagles (5-2)-Crushed Giants with NFL's most explosive offense
7. Cowboys(5-2)-Coming on strong after slow start and questions
8. Bengals (5-2)- Repeating against Ravens will be doubly difficult
9. Steelers (5-2)-Looking to make a statement to league in Denver
10. Giants (5-3)-Third straight loss has them reeling, confidence down
11. Texans (5-3)- Could Schaub lead Texans to upset of Colts?
12. Ravens (4-3)-Defense back just in time for the Bengals
13. Falcons (4-3)- Saints were too much, but Redskins should cure them
14. Cardinals (4-3)-Up and down team that lacks motivation to excel
15. Packers (4-3)-Favre led Vikings proved they are a better team

Great Season Ends in Disappointment for Phillies

Today's a tough day in Philly. A great Phillies season ended in disappointment at the hands of the New York Yankees in the Bronx last night. It took 371 days and 177 games to do it, but the Yankees dethroned the defending champions of baseball with a 7-3 win in Game 6 of the 2009 World Series.

Surely the Phillies team's unsuccessful attempt to defend its championship is a major disappointment to the players and coaches, who have tirelessly worked towards this goal since they hoisted the trophy a year ago. The National League Champions are a marvelous collection of talent congealed by an intangible chemistry and an unwavering focus on repeating last season's feat. Suddenly, the dream ended late last night in Yankee Stadium to another highly talented team congealed by a $208 million payroll. The pain and lack of fulfillment was etched on the faces of the Phillies players who lingered in the dugout to witness the Yankees on field celebration.

The disappointment is also deeply felt by Phillies fans, who have invested a great deal in this team. Besides the obvious financial investment made in packing Citizen's Bank Park every night to support the team, the hurt derives more from the tremendous emotional investment that is expended. This a remarkable team and an extraordinary period in Philadelphia sports history. The stakes are raised by fans knowing deep down that this edition of the team presents an unique opportunity that will not always be there.

Whether its going to the Bank, watching on TV, listening to sports radio or reading about the team, the Phillies are an important part of its fans' daily lives. The team and its journey are part of water cooler conversations, dinner talk and in the forefront of minds. This won't suddenly end, but the year long euphoria will shift towards the quest to wrest the trophy back, which unfortunately is not quite the same.

Although the team fell just short this year, it was still another magical run packed with excitement and thrills. Besides their considerable talents, importantly, the players themselves are tremendously appealing and likable. Things did not break their way in the World Series, which is always part of the equation that makes winning a championship so difficult, but that does not detract from the fact that it was a fabulous season against any standard.

As the World Series progressed, I found myself simply feeling that I didn't want it all to end. Although the desire to see the Phillies repeat as champions was consuming, I wanted the great adrenaline rush and pure pleasure of the quest to continue. Whether its the sheer enjoyment of watching these players perform at such a high level or the daily anticipation of what's next, the energy and emotion it evokes is relatively infrequent and something to be cherished.

That is the very essence and magic of sports. The quest can and does captivate an entire fan base, an entire city. It lifts spirits, puts smiles on faces, creates bonds and puts a skip in people's steps. As a Phillies fan, as a Philadelphian, although melancholy over the loss, I feel extremely fortunate for us to have such a marvelous team that took us to the brink.

Although this season did not culminate with a trip down Broad Street to a raucous celebration in Citizen's Bank Park, it sure was a fabulous journey and an immense amount of fun. It is still a season and team worthy of celebration and recognition. And, the great news for Phillies fans is that there should more to come as the team is currently poised for ongoing success. The sometimes hollow chant of "wait till next year!" rings true, and having come so close this year, another championship will probably be appreciated that much more.

Phillies Fall Short in Quest to Repeat

Shane Victorino battled Mariano Rivera for ten pitches, before finally grounding out to end the game and the Phillies dream of repeating last year's World Series Championship. Instead, it was the media darling New York Yankees who hoisted the trophy at the end of the evening. Victorino's struggle to keep the Phillies' hopes alive mirrored the team's tenacity and fighting spirit despite an uphill struggle.

Last night the Yankees seized an early lead and never let go similar to the Phillies in Game 5. The much anticipated pitching duel between two accomplished veterans never really materialized, although Andy Pettitte had the best of it and battled to get the win. Pedro Martinez probably had his worst stuff since his late season return to baseball, lasting only four innings and getting torched again by Hideki Matsui.

It was unclear whether Martinez was bothered by the cold weather, not being in a regular regimen, lingering illness or all the above, but it was clear that he was not at his best from his initial pitch. In the first inning, his velocity was in the 70's to low 80's, but survived a couple hard hit balls to set the Yankees down in order. He walked A-Rod to open the second, and then after several hard hit foul balls, Matsui launched a home run down the right field line.

The Phillies countered in the third to cut the lead to 2-1 when Carlos Ruiz smacked a triple high off the center field wall and scored on Jimmy Rollins sacrifice fly. In the bottom half, though, it was Matsui inflicting more damage when he lined a two-out, two-run single to center to extend the Yankees lead to 4-1.

Chad Durbin came into pitch the 5th inning with Martinez struggling and the top of the order coming up. He quickly worked into trouble, yielding a double to Jeter, a single to Mark Teixeira and a walk to Rodriguez. Charlie Manuel opted for J.A. Happ to pitch to Matsui, who greeted him with a double off the center field wall to give the Yankees a 7-1 lead. This gave Matsui 6 RBI for the game, and was a large reason why he was later recognized with the MVP award.

Pitching on 3 days rest, Pettitte did not appear to have good stuff, walking 5 batters in his 5 2/3 innings of work as he nibbled at the corners, but the Phillies failed to capitalize. They finally chased him in the 6th inning after Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer to left and one out later Raul Ibanez doubled.

Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte worked through some trouble until Rivera was called in with one out in the 8th inning. The Phillies hit him hard, but were unable to break through, and Rivera was able to preserve the win 41 pitches later. When Teixeira caught the final out to end the game, Yankees players bounded into a celebratory pile.

The World Series victory gave the Yankees organization their 27th title in their storied history. Meanwhile, the Phillies passed the torched after making a gallant effort to be the first National League team in 33 years to repeat as champions. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing end to another great season by a truly remarkable Phillies team.