Posted January 11th, 2026 | 2 Comments »A weird regular season is in the books and we get to see the Eagles back in the postseason. They host the Niners this afternoon in an intriguing game. SF finished the season on a roll, winning 6 of 7 games. The Eagles won 3 of their last 4, only losing the finale when a lot of key players sat out the game. And we know these teams don’t really care for each other. Sounds like the makings of a good playoff game.
The Eagles overwhelmed SF back in the 2022 NFC title game, knocking out two QBs. That was one fun day. The Niners got some measure of revenge in 2023 when they came to Philly and dominated, winning 42-19. That was not a fun day. The teams managed to avoid each other last year.
When you think about the postseason, you think defense. This is an advantage for the Eagles. They have been the best defense in football since about midseason. They can rush. They can cover. They play the run well. This is a complete unit. And a healthy one. The Niners offense has also been on a roll in that same time frame. Can the Eagles handle a red hot offense?
Those are encouraging numbers for the Eagles, but this will be Brock Purdy and Christian McCafferey and that makes a difference. We’ve seen Vic Fangio’s unit shut down elite offenses so we know it can certainly happen. Just don’t count on limiting SF to 13 points or some other low total. This will be a challenge.
The real key will be, as we saw in 2022, winning the LOS. It sounds like LT Trent Williams will play, but he won’t be 100 percent. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith need to win some of those battles. Jalen Carter will have an advantage over Dominick Puni. Jaelan Phillips should be able to get pressure off his side. The Eagles DL should be the superior group in the matchup. They must win and make some plays.
Purdy has been using his mobility more than ever this season so he won’t be a statue in the backfield. He’s shown the ability to move around and even create some plays. You don’t need to spy him, but rushers do need to stay under control and stay aware.
McCafferey will be an interesting challenge. He is a good runner, but is really special as a receiver. We’ve seen some RBs burn the Eagles in the pass game this season. Fangio will make McCafferey a focus of his defense so that will be different than the previous games where the RB was part of the offense than the key guy. Eagles safeties and LBs will need to cover well and tackle well. You don’t want CMC loose in space and turning short/medium gains into big plays. Zack Baun wasn’t voted All Pro this past week. He can show the voters they made a dumb mistake with a strong performance against a great player.
Fangio can’t sell out to stop McCafferey because TE George Kittle is another dangerous weapon over the middle of the field. He can catch the ball short and downfield. He’s also outstanding after the catch. SF loves RAC yards from all of their weapons. The Eagles defense must tackle well. Don’t let this group get loose in space.
The other side of the ball is more of a mystery for both teams. The Niners have an injury-depleted defense. They finished the season with 20 sacks. 20! That’s nuts. Over the last month they allowed 25 points and 121 rushing yards per game. Their overall numbers aren’t terrible, but many of the guys from early on are gone.
We’ve discussed the Eagles offense all year long, waiting for it to finally get going. Never really did. This is the postseason and that will mean everything is on the table. Expect Jalen Hurts to use his legs more often. You aren’t protecting yourself for tomorrow. You’re focused on winning today.
The game will be cold and windy so that could lead to additional focus on the run game. Saquon Barkley ran the ball better down the stretch. We’ll see how the coaches want to run the ball. That could be more under center stuff, heavier packages or more Cam Latu as a FB/lead blocker. The coaches have options. The real key will be the play of the OL. That group has struggled this season. Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens got last week off so that extra rest should help them.
What about Lane Johnson? He did practice this week and looked good to go. Then came word that he aggravated the injury. It sounds like he is going to try to play. We’ll have to see how effective he is. If Lane is able to go and play reasonably well, that’s a huge upgrade for the offense and would make the run game all the more effective.
The OL should be able to give Jalen Hurts time to throw. It is then up to him and the receivers to make plays. That can be tough on a windy day. Hurts likes to throw downfield. Wind doesn’t work well with that. AJ Brown has a size advantage over Niners DBs so he should be able to catch slants and some other shorter stuff. This could also be a good day for Dallas Goedert.
I don’t fully trust the Eagles offense, but they won’t be facing Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and the other Niner defensive stars. Eric Kendricks and Bryce Huff will be in their place today. If you can’t beat those guys, you don’t deserve to win in January. This is a game the Eagles should win. Nothing is guaranteed of course. You never know when an unknown guy or over-the-hill vet will have a great game. That’s the beauty of football. Reality doesn’t always reflect what you see on paper. It is up to the Eagles to go win the game.
We got a pair of great games yesterday. Hopefully Nick Sirianni paid attention to what happened.
Saturday was a reminder that football games are 60 minutes. You can be up or down. Do not celebrate if up. Do not panic if down. Just keep playing for the full 60 minutes.
Go Eagles!
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Posted January 10th, 2026 | 5 Comments »It has been a while so I thought this would be a good time to update everyone on my situation. Thankfully I have good news. I’ll be having surgery this week to remove the tumor in my colon. This is a major step in me getting back to normal.
I hit rock bottom back in May. My weight had dropped down to 169 pounds. To put that in perspective, I was 254 when I got diagnosed with cancer on Jan 2. The cancer diet works, but I don’t recommend it. I was in bad shape in May. I would go a couple of days without eating and then have a cup of pudding for a meal. My body got super weak and I had to go back to the hospital for several days. They gave me IVs, potassium, magnesium, zinc and a blood transfusion. That boosted my strength and stabilized me.
I had quit chemo at that point (after 7 treatments). My cold sensitivity went away and I began eating ice cream. That was protein, calories and fat. I needed all 3. As I ate that, it boosted my system and allowed me to start eating real food. The further I got from chemo, the more my taste buds got closer to normal. I weighed myself today and I was at 196 pounds.
My surgeon told me when I was 169 that he wouldn’t operate unless I got bigger and stronger. He told me my job was to eat and to walk every day. So I did just that. I ate meals and snacks. I stopped at a drive-thru on the way home from eating lunch to get a snack. It was weird to be forcing food on myself since my entire adult life was me being fat and trying to shed pounds. Life is crazy.
My surgeon met with me last Monday and was thrilled with my weight gain and overall appearance. Eating food not only put on pounds, but also made me stronger. That let me be more active. I used to be physically exhausted after walking up the stairs in my home. Now I go up and feel fine. My legs are worlds different. I still have to be even more active to get closer to normal, but I’ve made great progress over the past 6 weeks.
I probably won’t be posting for a few days this week since I’ll be having surgery and spending a day or two in the hospital. I need to concentrate on my recovery. The surgeon described the procedure as “minimally invasive”. I was pleasantly surprised by that. He said there are a couple of potential concerns, but that they only happen in a small percentage of cases. Hopefully things will go smoothly.
I will post another update after the surgery to let everyone know how I’m doing. I appreciate all of the support everyone has shown me. I’ve been very lucky to through this ordeal with support from family, friends, medical staff, my employer, the insurance company and Eagles fans. Everyone has been terrific. A lot of people have gone above and beyond to help me. I’m thankful for that. Dealing with cancer gets a lot less difficult with so many people in your corner. Thank you for everything.
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Time for another update. I completed my third round of chemo last Tuesday. My body is responding well to the treatments so far. I get chemo every other Tuesday (next one will be St Patty;s Day). After my sixth session they will do a CT scan to check on things. The hope is that the tumor will have shrunk and there won’t be any spread of the cancer from where it was.
Chemotherapy has come a long way over the years. We love to rip on pharmaceutical companies, but they also do some amazing things. My mom got chemo a decade ago and it overwhelmed her. She had no energy. She had little appetite. Hair loss was an issue, which is obviously something a woman in her 70’s didn’t want to have to go through. Compared to that, I’m pretty lucky.
Chemo has one major side effect on me. I have extreme cold sensitivity in my fingers, toes and throat. If I open the refrigerator to pull out a dish or condiment, I have to wear a glove or use something like that. If not I get a tingling sensation. It isn’t dangerous medically, but you it isn’t a good feeling. The bigger issue is that I can’t drink anything colder than room temp. And even that can be tricky. I’m told drinking something cold would feel like broken glass going down my throat. I only drink things I’m complete sure of. I do not want to go through that feeling.
My energy level is pretty good. I’m functional. I can go to the grocery store or take out the trash. I do wear down easily. My sleeping has improved. The other night I slept from 11pm to 5am straight and felt like I won the lottery.
I can’t wait to get healthy. I’m dying for a cherry Icee, but it will be several more months before that happens. I’m currently sipping on lukewarm water. Not fun, but it gets the job done. I have lost a bunch of weight. I was at 264 pounds back in mid-October (when I thought the Eagles offense was my biggest problem). I am now down to 230. That’s the lowest I’ve been in more than 30 years. Don’t expect Jennifer Garner to drop her Capital One card and start chasing after me, but it is good to be in better shape. The cancer diet does work. I just don’t recommend it.
While having cancer is obviously is a major ordeal, I consider myself pretty lucky. The nurses and doctors treating me have been great. We hear a lot of negativity about the healthcare system, but it has worked well for me so far. The insurance company has been good to deal with. My company has been good to me and that obviously is a big help in a situation such as this. My friends and family have been incredibly supportive. Eagles fans and IB readers have been awesome with your support. That really means a lot to me. Thank you all very much.
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I figured I would update everyone on how things are going. I met with my surgeon and oncologist last week to finalize a treatment plan.
The oncologist told me I will need 6 months of chemotherapy and then will have surgery after that. This caught me by surprise. It was unlike any of the plans we had discussed up to that point. He explained that they see this as cureable. The goal is to wipe out the cancer and to make sure that it doesn’t come back. That was exactly what I wanted to hear.
The fear with cancer is that it will be “cured” but then come back in a year or two. I’ve seen this first hand with friends and family. If the doctor thinks 6 months of chemo and then surgery is the best way to kill it and keep it gone, sign me up. I know chemo won’t be easy. Watching the Eagles offense this year might have been good preparation.
We discussed the side effects. They aren’t as bad as things were a decade ago, but this will be a challenging time. There will be peaks and valleys. Everyone’s body responds differently. So far my body has responded well to all the procedures so I’m choosing to be optimistic.
I got a port put in a few days ago. I’m scheduled to start chemo on Tuesday. The sooner we get started, the sooner we finish.
Thank you for all the kind words and support over the past couple of weeks. That really means a lot. One of the keys in a situation like this is to have a good mindset and to be as positive as possible. You all are a big help with that. A shiny new offensive coordinator and good offseason from the Eagles would also help.
I will be writing on a regular basis, as chemo permits. There are a total of 12 treatments, one every other week. The doctor said I should have enough energy to be pretty functional. That’s certainly my goal.
As for now, I’m doing well. I’m not in any pain. My biggest issue is sleep. I’d trade a first round pick for 8 hours of straight sleep. I’m getting 5 to 6 hours per night, but it isn’t great sleep. I’m trying to get into a good routine. Things have been better the past few days so hopefully that will continue.
My friends and family have done a great job of taking care of me. As crazy as it may sound for someone with cancer to say, I’m a lucky man.
I’d love to say more, but it is Saturday night and I’ve got big plans. I’m going to take a stool softener and sip on some ice water.
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ORIGINAL UPDATE
It is January and the Eagles are in the playoffs, with a legitimate shot to challenge for back-to-back Super Bowls. So why the heck is IgglesBlitz not getting updated with stories?
I was diagnosed with colon cancer last Saturday.
Yeah, that sentence was as tough to type as it was for you to read. The good news is that the doctors (and there are so, so many doctors) think we have a good plan for how to handle this. We’re not all gloom and doom. This isn’t a 3rd & 26 draw play to Will Shipley.
I’ll backtrack to get you caught up on things. I started having stomach issues the weekend before Christmas. Severe constipation is not what I had in mind for a Christmas gift. A simple lump of coal would have sufficed. The issues continued the next week and I finally went to the ER to get it checked out. They did an X-ray and then told me they thought a CT scan was needed. Then the head ER doc spoke to me and dropped the bomb. “Mr. Lawlor, we think you have cancer.”
I’ve never had a serious medical issue in my life. I’ve been blessed with remarkably good health. That changed a week ago with the diagnosis. I went from a guy with no medical history to having just about every procedure you can imagine in 48 hours. It was like they crammed an entire season of House into two days of my life.
I was able to watch part of the Eagles game last Sunday. I was about to get a colonoscopy and the last thing I saw before going under was Jalyx Hunt picking off Josh Johnson. I assumed the Eagles then went on to win 42-7. The first thing I wanted to know when I came out of the procedure was the Eagles score. Didn’t quite go as I’d hoped. The Eagles game, that is. My procedure was great.
I’m now home. I’m not in any pain. I can eat and, thanks to the stint they put in my colon, I can now poop once again. The medical staff has been excellent. I’m in good hands. My friends and family are taking good care of me. I’ll be having surgery at the end of the month to remove the mass from my colon. I’ve got some tests to do before they will know the full extent of things. Once they have all the facts they are going to personalize the treatment as much as possible.
It was funny talking to the doctors and trying to get them to give us a firm answer. It felt like when reporters ask Nick Sirianni what went wrong and he says he needs to study the tape. The docs don’t want to firmly commit to anything until they get every answer from every test. I understand where they are coming from. Just made for some odd discussions.
I’m handling the whole thing pretty well, believe it or not. Worrying isn’t going to help me get better. Nor feeling sorry for myself. I’m doing whatever the doctors tell me and putting myself in the hands of the experts. My sister asked one of them if there was anything I needed to really avoid eating. He said “Raw vegetables.” I almost fell out of my hospital bed when he said that. You mean I can eat spaghetti but not raw carrots? Okay. Done and done. My stomach needs soft foods that are easy to digest. Raw vegetables are off the table for a couple of months.
Now that I am home and trying to get back to some kind of normalcy, I will start writing again. It has helped just to type this up.
Someone let Jalen Hurts and the gang know that an extended playoff run would be greatly appreciated. I’ll be spending a lot of time in and out of the hospital for the next several weeks. It sure would be nice to be able to think about the Eagles as I’m getting poked and prodded from top to bottom.
I will try to post as much as possible, especially if we have winning football to talk about. My apologies for disappearing on you the last couple of weeks. Hopefully that is all in the past and you’ll be stuck with me for a long time to come.
Go Eagles!
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