Andy Reid’s Home Finale – 1st Half
Posted: December 23rd, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 115 Comments »The Skins are in town to say goodbye to Big Red. This game may seem meaningless to some, but it actually is critical. Andy is down to just 2 games in which to come up with a shutout. He hasn’t had one in his time as Eagles HC. Ray Rhodes had one. Rich Kotite had 2. Buddy Ryan had 3. Marion Campbell is the last Eagles coach to leave without a shutout.
Do I think the Eagles will shut out the high flying Skins? No, but a man must have a delusional dream. In some alternate universe Funyuns are better than vitamins, Megan Fox stalks me, Andy Reid eats celery and obsesses on the run game, and the Eagles will come up with a shutout before the end of 2012. I must find this universe.
As for today, I do want a win. It would be great to see Andy close out his time in Philly with a home win. Plus it would greatly sadden Redskins Nation. I hope there is some moment in the game when fans can show their appreciation for Reid. He deserves a big cheer. He’ll be fired in less than 10 days, but that doesn’t mean we can’t acknowledge what he’s done over the last 14 years.
Inactives:
Michael Vick
Danny Watkins
Matt Kopa
Chris Polk
Stanley Havili
Greg Salas
Darryl Tapp
Emil Igwenagu will start at FB. Evan Moore is active and could help at TE.
Danny Watkins won’t dress. Matt Tennant is your top backup interior OL. That’s not a good sign for Danny.
No Tapp means lots of young guys on the DL. More reps for Curry and Hunt. I want the DL to have another strong game.
Let’s hope today is fun, if nothing else.
* * * * *
Sorry I was quiet the last couple of days. I was out of town while attending a funeral and had limited internet access.
_
Ahh, nothing like waking up on a crisp winter Sunday morning and watching the Philadelphia Eagles make a complete mockery of the sport known as football. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you.
You to Tommy. Hopefully Santa will bring us a better Eagles team next season.
Sorry, you’re on the wrong site – see Jets, New York for what you want.
Off topic Tommy. There was a story where the QB guru said that Tebow’s mechanics could be fixed. Just wanted your take on this from what you’ve seen.
I’m not advocating for the Eagles to get him, I just wanted your opinion.
I’m not sure this is likely, but it is possible. He’s thrown the ball this way for so long that I don’t expect him to ever fully break from it.
Also didn’t they try to fix his delivery pre-draft?
Go to NFL.com’s Video Library and type in the name “Bobby Douglass.”
Douglass was a U-Kansas lefty QB drafted by the Bears in Rd 2 of the 1970 draft. He set the record for yards rushing by a QB with 968 yds in 14 games (later broken by Vick in a 16-game season).
The Bears tried everything with Douglass — even having the QB coach move in with him. Despite a truly explosive arm, he was erratic, a scrambler foremost with a slow delivery and mechanically inconsistent.
That said, the Bears stuck with Douglas for 6 years, having him start about 70 percent of the time. Finally, the team gave up on him and sent him to the Chargers — who sent him to the Saints — who sent him to Green Bay.
He was, in short, Tebow before Tebow — and lasted 10 years in the NFL
I am as pumped for this game as I was when seeing the Eagles beat the Giants at the Linc this year. You may ask yourself why…
Well, I am in my fantasy football final and I have the Eagles Defense and Special Teams today. As a result I wouldn’t mind a shutout by the Eagles D at all… 😉
Eagles special teams? Ouch,
Well, it’s the fantasy league on cbssportsline.com. You won’t get any minus points for giving up long return TD’s. 😉
Call me selfish but I want that 4th pick in the draft. Lose, baby, lose! That said, I want all the young guys to do fantastic, Foles have a perfect passer rating, Graham and Cox to combine for 8 sacks and we lose by 1 point. Good confidence builder to take into the next season.
yea, same. I want a good showing by the young guys, yet lose.
Nods. I want to see our young players improve and the skins pull out a win in the end. A win is devastating to our draft prospects
I could live with this. But I’d also laugh like a hyena if the Eagles messed around and won today.
Watkins was a horrible pick then and it’s showing now.
Re: What do you want for Christmas?
I just want Nick Foles to hit a WR in stride about 50 yards downfield.
Ditto.
I want no major injuries for any of our young guys.
22 more yards and you would have gotten your wish.
Looks like a decent crowd — at least down low
A stiff arm on London Fletcher by Bryce? Wow.
I like AR as far as Eagles history goes, but I absolutely do not care if they win in this game. In fact, my ideal scenario would be for the young guys to all play well and then for us to loose on some fluke play. It would be nice that AR gets credit from fans, but right now fans are understandably upset with this team and I would not blame them for not cheering AR in his last home game.
I was with you until “not cheering AR.” The hell does that accomplish? Cheer Reid for his time here, and if we accidentally lose and move up the draft order for Coach Shaw/Kelly/Zimmer/Arians, that’s fine.
Again, I would certainly prefer there is a moment that the fans cheer AR, but I think fans have a lot of emotions in regards to the team right now, and most of the current emotions are negative, so I would not be surprised if it never happens.
Well . . . Bryce Brown’s problems the past 2 weeks are hard to lay at his feet
enjoying the opening drive so far…
I think I like Nick Foles throwing on the move more than I like him throwing when he’s standing in a clean pocket.
TD!!!
Looooooove seeing that throw.
YES!!!!
Very nice.
Well, that was nice. I’ll take some more of that please.
Mr. AC Viking didn’t get the major bomb he asked for, but that was a good TD pass.
27 yds. Just need to double that and find some zip…
Forget what I wrote yesterday. I got excited for this game, and that opening drive helped.
Now to watch Brandon Graham vs. LG-filling-in-at-RT Maurice Hurt.
Just one incompletion on that drive. Foles still on target for that perfect passer rating!
NO just went through the Dallas D like a hot knife through butter!
7-0 NO.
Excellent.
Dallas was driving, then Romo took a 3rd down sack and they had to punt.
Oh, boo hoo!
I’m not rooting for the Eagles to lose. I HATE the skins and cowboys more than anything. My hatred for the Giants is much lower because I don’t know any big mouthed NY fans believe it or not. Too many skins and cowboys fans at my work. Why? Why do they talk trash when they are from this (philly-delco) area? Scum, go Eagles! Beat these loser clowns.
I have had to do some similar soul-searching this week, i.e. if the Eagles lose, someone’s still gotta win the division. For whatever reason, the Redskins (fans) have become more tolerable after the years and years of suffering (and also because I have gotten to know a bunch), but I still think the Giants are most bearable and Cowboys least.
Re: Play Calling
I wonder if this will be one of those games — like the MNF game in 2010 — where MM just nails it.
Regardless . . . the O-line has to step the run blocking. Come On.
Nice stop on 2nd down!
D should be a lot better. I’m thinking WAS doesn’t attempt to put RG3 in danger with called runs.
Good play by Anderson there. If the receiver caught the ball, he was there to stop him short of the 1st.
Great stop on 4th down. Nice to see some intensity…
That was nice. And the shutout is intact!!!
The patented Maclin give up dive…. meh
True, better than him fumbling though. lol
Re: AR’s 1st Shut out
T-Law:
If this Eagles team shuts out the ‘Skins, then Todd Bowles should be the DC next year
No. no-no-no.
Tongue firmly planted in cheek . . . in the words of Johnny Fontaine: “No Chance. NO chance.”
Eagles running to set up the pass? Tommy’s Christmas wish comes true.
Two back attack.
Loving this running back tandem…
I feel like I’m watching the wrong game.
oh ok, yeah I’m watching the right game.
Awesome fake
The throw was a bit behind Celek, but nice play overall.
As I say that, the announcer says he SHOULD have thrown it behind Celek. Was I missing a defender on that play?
2 Flip 90s . . . where’s that been all year
They were setting up this game by not using it. Genius.
Great point there by Billick. Can’t set up your TE to get blasted.
This play calling is unreal!
Marty is Red Hot right now
Lol. Can’t wait to be free of Morningweg…
Not a fan at all.
Just picking up on a comment I made earlier that maybe this is the one game this season where MM calls a great game.
The play wasn’t there, chuck it out of bounds.
Terrible couple of plays. Sacks can just kill a drive. Nick has to throw that 3rd down ball away.
Looks like a screen gone bad and there was no second option.
Should’ve thrown it away when he got to the outside.
It was a great 7 minutes.
Ugh
Nick knows about our draft position. Great unselfish play there.
Re: Fumble by Foles
For those keeping score . . . the Eagles’ 22nd fumble ties a team record set in 1964.
TFL -> Thorton?
Do I feel an interception coming?
The tackling on this drive is emblematic of the whole season.
Missed tackles. Gang tackling missing.
Great play by Graham!
Wait for the shutout against the gints.
The death of a dream, pt. 1.
you still have dreams?
The Eagles have one option, when It’s shutdown, there’s no other option. Wtf is that?
Can’t rely on screens on 3rd down, whether to the WR or RB. Must be able to run conventional plays.
What about the one option and no other options once that option is shutdown? Lot of options in that sentence.
Conventional plays? Conventional plays!
Wait ’till next year for conventional plays – we’re still in charge here!
Sincerely,
AR & MM
Re: McBriar
I’m going to forego my weekly, “bring back Chas Henry” comment.
How much worse could he have been in the context of this season?
Eagles defense is holding the Skins to FGs. Much better than the first meeting.
T-Law:
How much of that is Griffin’s reduced mobility, you think?
The best part of the game is the fact that we get commercials after every change of possession.
Ridiculous.
Ouch. That was ugly.
There goes the passer rating!
Barf.
Our turnovers are never answered making other teams turn it over.
It’s amazing how when that kind of pass deflection happens to our D the ball always sails into 20 yards of open grass.
So true.
Are the cowboys paying Saints #21? Is he magnetically repulsed by Dez Bryant?
Colt did not wrap up on that play. He needs to make that stop.
wrap up?
He missed Garcon completely. And he missed making the tackle for a loss on an end around.
Safety is a SERIOUS problem for the Eagles. Coverage. And tackling.
Oh I absolutely agree that safety is a huuuuge need. It’s been a huge need for awhile now.
This offensive playcalling is driving me nuts. Such a great first drive and then it went something like pass (sack), pass (sack), pass, pass (sack), pass (sack), pass (interception).
Let’s agree . . . Colt Anderson is NOT a good open field tackler.
Erratic. Tends to go too low. That time he was going for the midsection, but was just out of control.
Maybe he’s too used to being on STs, where slowing the guy down might be enough to let the pursuit get him. His torpedo act of flying across at knee height isn’t so good as a S.
Eagles are down 6.
Is the running game finished now?
I think it was done when we went up 7.
Eagles have done nothing on offense since Foles’ fumble.
Spoke too soon (but was true at the time.
Glad to see that they woke up.
Oh look an Andy Marty conference on the sideline.
“Hey you think we should run?”
“Nah.”
“K, good. Me neither, cheesesteak?”
Unfortunate int, but foles looks decent.
Dumb fumble, but a rookie still.
Avant was open on that play. Foles looked right past him and didn’t see him.
Somebody pleeeze fix his jersey
Stop calling screens …
Just aren’t working.