Tommy Update

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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The Argument for Rest

The Eagles are still alive for the number two seed in the NFC. They need to win on Sunday and have the Bears lose their finale to the Lions. Getting the two seed would be great. It is easy to forget the Birds were the two seed last year. As hot as they were, the Lions were the top dogs heading into the playoffs. The ability to get to the second seed means Nick Sirianni should play his starters, right?

Maybe.

There is a real argument for resting key guys. Part of the Eagles secret sauce in 2022 and 2024 was getting to January healthy. They were even able to sit some key guys in Week 18 last year. Every bit of rest can help. The NFL season is a physical grind. As players get worn down, it can affect their performance. One week of rest may not seem like a big deal, but it can make a difference.

The OL has been a disappointment this season. A big part of that is how worn down they got from last season. The Eagles played in 21 games and ran the ball more than 700 times. That is a lot of wear and tear on the big guys doing the blocking. It took a physical toll. A week off won’t get Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens back to 2024 level, but it would help them be fresh for the playoffs.

Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith have both dealt with injuries this year. They are tough, physical players. If the Eagles have any hope at a Super Bowl run, they need Carter and Smith to play like they did last January. A week off wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to help them.

Resting key guys takes away the chance of injury. Older fans may remember the 2003 team. They got off to a slow start, but then were playing their best football down the stretch. We thought that might be Andy Reid’s Super Bowl team. And then Brian Westbrook got hurt in the season finale and missed the playoffs. The Eagles lost the NFC title game 14-3 to the Panthers in a miserable showing.

There is risk in this. You really do want the two seed if possible. Tanner McKee and the role players could beat the Commanders on Sunday and stay in the running for the number two spot. It sounds like Washington will have Josh Johnson at QB. That team has been a mess this year.

If the Eagles controlled the path to the two seed I think this would be more of a no-brainer to play everyone. But you need the Bears to lose. They will be hosting the Lions. How do you predict that game? The Lions have been wildly erratic this year. DVOA rankings have them #3 in the league, but they have an 8-8 record and are out of the playoffs. Dan Campbell might have his guys sky high on Sunday. They can easily beat the Bears. I just wouldn’t count on it.

Nick Sirianni has to make decisions based on what his best for the Eagles in the postseason. If he thinks a week of rest is a legitimate factor in another Super Bowl run, rest your guys. You want to win and want the chance at the two seed, but this is a topsy turvy season. We saw the juggernaut Rams lose to the Falcons on Monday night. LA has lost two games in a row. SF doesn’t have a pass rush. Seatte has Sam Darnold. The NFC South is a mess. The Packers are not peaking as we head to the playoffs.

The NFC is wide open. Heck, the whole NFL feels wide open right now. There is no juggernaut. If there is a year when going on the road in the NFC title game shouldn’t be as much of a factor, this is it. The more I think about it, resting guys seems like the way to go.

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