Flipping the Bird: An End to the Surprising Season of the Philadelphia Eagles

 

Well folks, the end has happened. The season that we all thought was about rebuilding, took an amazing turn and suddenly everybody changed their expectations. I know mine did. I tried to determine if I expected more or hoped for more. Either way, when I predicted them to go 6-10 this year, I hoped it would be close and I expected them to lose. It certainly looked that way. But then the defense shored themselves up. You started to hear the names of Cedric Thorton. Fletcher Cox. Benny Logan. They are the young defense's nucleus. Then, as Sports Illustrated put it, "Nick Foles Happened." Nick Foles and Peyton Manning are in the same display case at the Football Hall of Fame. The team rallied around each other while Michael Vick, despite being quiet and a backup, did his best to be a leader of a team that was clearly moving on beyond him. The team played like a team, and they won the division.

That was the season in a nutshell. There are many more things that developed. Lesean McCoy won the rushing title. Nick Foles tied the NFL record for touchdowns in a game. I think he had the best Quarterback rating or something like that, too. The defense went from allowing 50+ points to the Broncos to averaging less than 20 a game. Some big steps. There were some let downs, like the midseason loses to the Giants and Cowboys. The Chargers game was disappointing, as I was there and you knew if San Diego got back the ball with anything but 0:00 on the clock, it was over. Also, the Eagles could have put the Andy Reid train to rest had they not relied on Michael Vick too much to beat them.

 

An up and down year, or should I say more like a down and up year. Going 7-2 in the last nine total games of the year is impressive. Unfortunately, that last loss ended the season. So, since my Flipping the Bird articles have been sparse this season, I think this best fits a Top 10 Memories from the Past Eagles' Season...

 

10. Nick Foles throws 7 touchdowns. I remember we were cleaning the house during this game. Every time the Eagles had the ball, it seemed like they scored. By the 5th touchdown, I told Kim my cleaning duties will be shirked every time they had the ball. Ruthless aggression came to the forefront after the 7th Touchdown. They tried for 8. They could have had 8. But perhaps Chip thought it wise not to allow too much performance pressure on Foles by being the record holder after he stunk up the previous week in Dallas.

 

9. Eagles beat Tampa Bay. Foles' first game this year as a starter, and he owns the Buccaneers. He looked like the quarterback that those who loved him could be. It started the reversal of the season this year and showed that they could potentially kill teams.

 

8. First Monday Night Football Game of the year. That's when the hype train was unloaded. It was at that point (until at least the last game of the year) that I felt the Eagles would not lose if they held a lead. They started out like a wrecking ball, then finished like a deflated ball, but watching bewilderment on the faces of all the Redskins was awesome. Watching Washington's defense gasp for air, followed by the next day buzz was remarkable.

 

7. Riley Cooper. The buzz was generated when Maclin went down with an ACL. Everybody pinpointed Cooper to be the next man up. Thank God it wasn't Demarus Johnson. He really is terrible. BUT then the video came out where he threatened to fight every N-word out there. The other guy who was shown wasn't ever called upon, and he appeared inebriated. They say most truths come out when you are drunk. I pointed out last year how the majority of the NFL is black, so I can imagine even where he grew up with a root to use that word, he has been around and playing with or for black people his whole life. Yes, he is just a jock who is paid to catch a football and I don't expect Nobel Peace Prizes from him, but it was wrong what he did. Chip Kelly diffused the situation, and then Cooper had an uphill battle the whole year. He took every hit he had coming, and was a frequent target regardless. It was almost like he knew the outcome of every play, often having 2 or three guys wanting to get in there to deliver the hit. He fought with his own teammates. I liked that. I also liked how Vick and Avant did what they could to ingratiate him back into the team. Yeah, I just said ingratiate.

 

6. Carry Williams. I don't know if that's how he spells his name, but whatever. He started on so many wrong feet in this city. He probably should've said the C-word in response to Cooper using the N-word. He came over from Baltimore, and chose to build his house in this area rather than join voluntary workouts. I would've rather he been with the team, as perhaps his leadership and playing by example could've been more conducive to winning more games in the long run, but I saw that as him wanting to build his home and life here. He had a Super Bowl ring, and he could've just rode that laurel all day. His play helped the Eagles stay in both the Dallas and playoff game. He was prominent all year as well.

 

5. The young defense. Every time I heard the name Cedric Thorton on the broadcasts, it was almost always a negative yardage play. I don't know where he came from or what he looks like not on top of the ball carrier. I never really heard Isaac Sopuaga's name. Except when he was traded away. Benny Logan needs more experience, and Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry, and perhaps even Brandon Graham have a lot of responsibility to shoulder that they seemed to be 75% successful with. Keep the core.

 

4. Jason Avant. I love Avant. That dude was the first one by Riley Cooper's side. He is maybe the best at maintaining possession as a receiver I have seen. He has the two or hand "big up to God" hand shake he does after every catch. He makes some catches that either have no business being thrown or no business catching. He doesn't go on for long yards, but he is there when needed.

 

3. Nick Foles. I noticed a major difference between him and Vick. Vick almost always waited for the guy to get open, and threw it as hard as he could. Foles knows when the guy is supposed to be where he should and lets it go, allowing his receiver to make the play. Foles would throw away from the coverage, rather than Vick throwing threw an opponent's arms, often at a speed the receiver isn't ready for. When he got off the rails earlier this year, Foles provided no help in the first Cowboy's game. And he got rattled again a couple times toward the end of the year, but he recovered then. He even isn't afraid to run, and he will throw despite being about to be creamed. Merril Reece once called him "Nick, The Antelope, Foles."

 

2. Chris Polk. What? A third string back as my number two favorite thing? Often times, last year's boy wonder Bryce Brown had trouble getting it going. Polk was devastating as the type of back that Lesean McCoy is not. That dude just doesn't go down, and when he got the ball I think it was almost always for positive yards. I truly think a little more of him in the Saints game could've helped the Eagles be playing in Seattle this coming weekend. The kid has a much better future than Bryce Brown, I believe.

 

1. The snow game. Yeah, I watched that from start to finish. The TV broadcast did an excellent job by displaying the yard lines digitally and keeping with the action. The fact that McCoy beat the Eagles' single game rushing record, Foles was accurate, and the defense held up was one of the first times I realized that we had a chance at the playoffs. I think that was the week that Dallas lost, and put the Eagles in first place in the division. I can get over the shot of Calvin Johnson with three inches of snow in his helmet. Just watching that game was a visual orgasm, and the win was the money shot.

 

So, this season was a success. I wanted more when they got us up there, but all in all an inverse of what I predicted their record to be was pretty nice. A division title was nice. The rest of the division is in flux. Jay Gruden is the Redskins coach, and I don't worry about them. Tom Coughlin has the sad sack Giants and Jason Garrett still looks like the little brother trying to play with his big brother and friends. Next year brings much tougher opponents. Aside from the NFC East (6 games), they host the Seahawks, Rams, Panthers, Titans, and Jaguars. Those four teams, especially towards the last half of the year, played all their opponents kind of tough. Going on the road to the NFC East plus the Cardinals, 49ers, Colts, and Packers could be tough. The Texans are on the road trip, but I think they aren't a problem yet this year, especially if the Eagles get them early in the year. The other teams are becoming indestructible at home, so that worries me. Bold prediction? Next year, the Eagles finish 10-6, and make the Super Bowl. That's what I'm sticking with.

This may be the GREATEST gif I have ever seen. Kudos to Thea. 

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful for...

I may label myself "The Great...", but that doesn't mean I'm not thankful for the things that make me that way or shaped my mind body and soul to get to this point. Some of these are fun, some are serious. Those of you hoping for it to be one of my ultra insulting Top 10's from high school, I don't think I can really create that anymore. 

10. This blog. Silly to mention my blog in my blog, but it has been good for me. I may not have as much time on it recently, but that is because I've chosen to focus on just my job during the day as opposed to times past when I would sacrifice work time. I have vented, I have found ways to creatively express my opinions, I have opened myself up a little bit to reveal what I have been what I have been through where I am and where I am going. My life hasn't always been a bed of roses, but luckily I still get to live in a beautiful garden.

9. Football. I love football. It was there for me during my darkest years to be my escape. In a sport where you have only one day to look forward to, it gave me a joy I never could have imagined building up the anticipation every day. It meant spending time with friends (still does, but not as frequently). It meant watching some great moments (watching the Eagles come back on the Giants in 2010 with Landis and a very confused Chris Anderson). I have been to games, and enjoyed most of them. Who am I kidding, I enjoyed them all. I learned to coach football, and hope to do so as my son gets older. It is the only sport I care about, and I can root for any team versus any team. Just the pro level though. I don't care about college. Maybe that's just the way it's presented. Every game is presented in the NFL like it is an epic.

8. Good Heavy Metal Bands. Not everybody who likes heavy metal likes the bands like Slayer or Metallica. I'm really indifferent and not really caring about them. Some stuff is good, but I can't really sit and listen to them all day like I can with bands like Static-X, DevilDriver, Lamb of God, Mushroomhead, Graveyard, Barroness, Black Label Society, Avatar. These bands have some easy to move along with grooves in their music that I find myself listening to all day at work. They help the time pass while keeping me moving at a particularly great and efficient pace. DevilDriver is the lead band in getting me to work out at the gym, as it's almost like part of my body to hear the same songs for the past 2 years.

7. Gravity. Say wha??? Yes. I like to watch people fall, or things fall on people (without killing, maiming, or debilitating injuries). Seriously, America's Funniest Videos has a 50-50 shot of either a person falling or getting hit in the nuts. Failblog has a great video feed on Youtube illustrating people falling. Wrap this up into the same category with exercise ball bloopers. If you are lucky enough to see the look on someone's face as they fall, that's usually where most of the humor lies.

6. My Job. I think I am well over the days of complaining about my daily job tasks. I've earned (not been given or designated or mentored to) more responsibilities. I've put myself into a position to succeed. I have started at a new place earlier this year where I get to start over, with all my knowledge. People I used to work with may always have had an image in their head of me being a clown. I still like to joke when appropriate, but that doesn't mean it has to be all the time. The money is good, and the path they have me on or the path I have chosen with their blessing is only headed one way - up.

5. My Health. I had too many years of surgeries where the sun don't shine, mental and physical pain beyond control, and a series of seemingly unfortunate events. Sure, as I get older I can still hurt myself showing a 6 year old how to swing a baseball bat, or hurt myself getting off a piece of exercise equipment or participating in a football drill. That will happen as there is no cure for father time. At least I have learned enough about my body or how certain muscles work to know ways to aid in recovery while still being physically active.

4. Twitter. Lame, right? But I will tweet this out, and some people who I don't know will read it, and share with their followers. Aside from that, the information that is on Twitter to view for any subject you enjoy is abundant. There is a lot of repetition at times, but to be able to reach out to anyone with an @ at the beginning of the name is pretty cool. I like talking to pseudo celebrities as well as asking fantasy football questions and getting instant answers.

3. My sense of humor. Sure, I may act a little immature at times, but I can make anyone of any age giggle uncontrollably.  I like to cross a line. No, I like to jump across the line. I have an array of knock knock jokes and rape jokes.  There is a time and place for everything, though. I think I've got the places down, but not the time, though.

2. My friends.  I grew up with many friends. They are my family. I lost one of them earlier this year. It meant so much to me and still does that he no longer shares this earth with me. But it was that tragic loss that brought so many of the older friends back into my life. I always though this, but after the events of earlier this year, they are all my brothers and sisters.

1. My Family. I met the beautiful Kim 4 years, 4 months, and 22 days ago. She had a son that was three years old. I eventually met him, one day at the local pool she belonged to. He sat on the pool stairs staring me down.  Like how the hero in a movie stares at the villain who kills his family and is seeking revenge.  That much time later, and he talks of me as his dad, and clarifies it as step dad to his closest friends. Kim has been an incredible, loving partner in this business of life. For a lack of better words, she has made my life better. Earlier tonight, we went around the dinner table and shared what we were thankful for. I told them I was thankful to be able to call Rocco and Mommy my family. Rocco, who actually started us off, said he was thankful for me, Mommy, food on the table....and Christmas.  Kim said she was thankful for all those things, and our plus one.

Flipping The Bird: A Look at the Resting Up Philadelphia Eagles

Well folks, the Eagles have already achieved their 6th win, which is what I predicted they would finish with for the season. The fact that they achieved the 6th win and are now first place in the division blows my mind. The defense has been bend but don't break. The offense has transitioned smoothly to Nick Foles leading all kinds of weapons in a points assault. The only problem really I see is they are playing beyond their potential and they seem to let the foot off the gas at times.

They could have completely decimated the Redskins, and they missed that shot. Oh well, a win is a win and much like their first game against them, I never felt they were in danger of losing. The only problem now is two games coming up and the fact the Giants are on a 4 game winning streak. Luckily they already played the Giants and split the series. I hear people on the radio debating who you wanted to win this weekend: Dallas or New York? If Dallas wins, this could be a division that transfers leads quite often, and the division could come down to Week 17. Now, that would make sure the Eagles play well and hard the rest of the year. Dallas, under Tony Romo, is prone to the December collapse, even when the whole country picks them to win. Also, the Cowboys already beat the Eagles once, and another loss to them would put them behind in the tiebreaker. Of course, this year the Eagles are 5-1 on the road with one more road game (at Minnesota) before then. If the Giants win, they may feel like it is 2007/2011 all over again and the sky is the limit. Last year the Redskins were 3-6, and went on a run to win the divisions and squander their opportunity. A loss for the Giants, and they will start finger pointing and presumably fall apart. A win and they may feel invincible. Luckily they split with the Eagles, and if Philadelphia handles their end they should be fine. *Duba Note - I started this before Week 12 commenced, and hence finished. Dallas won, and unlike other fans, I don't fear this division is up for grabs. I didn't predict the Eagles to do better than they have already, so anything here on out is house money. I hope they do great things, but we must always remember they were 4-12 last year. Team, already improved.*

So, what's next? Aside from Vick maybe being fully healthy, the question is if the Eagles can keep up their winning ways. I personally would rather Vick sit for now. Foles may not be the franchise quarterback yet in everybody's eyes, but he has had several good weeks leading the team on quite a charge. It isn't even a "hot hand" approach. Foles has proved his worth in this supposed system he did not fit in. Foles is fine, and he has developed a new receiving threat in the racist Riley Cooper. I am glad Cooper and the media have moved past his horrible comments earlier this year. He has stepped up as a bigger receiving threat that perhaps Vick would not throw appropriately to. It seems like Vick is the type of quarterback who appears to wait for his receivers to be open. Foles seems to know where the receiver is supposed to be and puts the ball there. Sometimes he struggled getting the ball to that point. But that is what he does. As a fan of exciting football, I like watching that type of play more. Foles has been ridiculously efficient and may have the best QB rating in NFL history if he keeps up his play. That may be an arbitrary number, but I am certainly liking the cut of his jib. The job should be his and Vick should prepare to play should Foles get hurt or pulled.

The following is a look at the remaining Eagles games this year:

Home Vs. Arizona-Traditionally, no matter who is th quarterback du jour, the Eagles have struggled with the Cardinals the past two years. Larry Fitzgerald has a field day the past two years with the Eagles' putrid defense. Carson Palmer is certainly the best Cardinals quarterback they will have faced since Kurt Warner, and last time he played the Eagles it was a 13-13 tie in 2008. They will certainly be the best defense this team has played since the Chiefs in Week 3. The radio hosts have discussed Chip Kelly vs. Cardinals Defensive Coordinator Todd Boles, and that the Arizona defense is susceptible to the big play and may open up for the Eagles to dominate. I think they can at least force Palmer into some bad decisions, and hopefully the offense pulls this one out closely, but not too soon.

Home vs. Detroit-Yikes. This may be the most potent office the Eagles will have faced since Week 4 when they played the Broncos. This game has shoot out potential, and may come down to last team with the ball wins, much like week 2 against San Diego. If Detroit has any heart, their offense may be more potent.

Away vs. Vikings-This is the type of game that, as an Eagles fan you expect them to get dominated seemingly out of nowhere. Yes Adrian Peterson is awesome, but if the Eagles can stop him like they have most other backs, I can see some unknown receiver going off against them. It will also be the first time the Eagles will have used the Chip Kelly offense in a dome. I don't know how he will prepare the team for that, but he better had start making those considerations soon.

Home vs. Bears - This would be Week 16, and Jay Cutler may be back already from his injury(ies) with one game under his belt already. The Bears offense has been very effective no matter the quarterback, and Jay Cutler was playing a great level. The Eagles have not faced a "great" quarterback other than Peyton Manning (52 points) and Tony Romo (17 points). That was quite a difference in production as Romo has been a potent offensive figure this year (despite his perceptions of being a turnover machine). If the Eagles could have found a way to bottle up Mathew Stafford, they should be able to do the same to the Bears. The Chicago defense is not what even its shadow used to be, so they are ripe for the picking by the Chip Kelly offense. I think they can pull this one out, by the skin of their teeth or not.

Away vs. Dallas - By this point, I think the Eagles are at least 8-7. They could run the gauntlet and be 10-5. That....would be incredible. No way that this game would mean anything then against the Cowboys, in my opinion. However, at 8-7, there is a strong possibility this is a win and in game for the Eagles. The last time they met, so many excuses were given to Foles, whether it was his injury or nervousness about winning the starting job, but regardless he has turned things around, playing cleaner and smarter football. After running through the NFC North, he hopefully can have one last regular season meaningful game. We gotta hope.

All in all, I am already satisfied this season. The games they won, it was never a nervous moment. The games they lost, it was maddening to watch. I know only predicted them to be 6-10, so I probably shouldn't get mad if they screw this up. I can see them not winning the division. A loss to Arizona could put them out of a wild card spot. Hopefully the past two weeks of preparation has helped focus the team for the stretch run.

I don't need to see any more records broken (or tied), nor do I need to see the Eagles' power rankings changes. All I want to see is good football, and it starts this Sunday. Go Eagles.

Fishing Follies

So, Rocco has become completely obsessed with fishing over the past year. His grandfather took him out a couple times and he enjoyed the outdoors, scaring away all the fish and pooping next to Joe in the middle of a stream. I took him out last October I believe when we were done our first camping trip with the cub scouts. We caught nothing, and again he had to poop in the water. This year, we have gone out a couple times, just the two of us, and had no luck.

A couple weeks back, we went with his grandfather to the shore to cast out of the rocks and jetties. We started with a casting net to secure some bait fish. Rocco had his own, which eventually ended up sinking to the bottom of the ocean. But Joe had a nice haul with a couple spot and even a small flounder. Rocco loves fish, especially flounders. We had to throw it back, but only after Rocco took enough time to observe it before it took its last breath of air. Or its last gasp of air. Or its last attempt to diffuse oxygen from the medium around his gills. Whatever fish do to breath. Unfortunately, tropical storm Karen had passed through the area the week before, and we found ourselves stuck on a sand bar that was going to disappear soon. We had no choice but to go through waste high water to get back to the car and dry land. We moved to the jetty and taught Rocco how to cast the spinning reel, and how to be patient. It was aggravating at first, watching a 7 year old potentially destroy up to a thousand bucks in fishing equipment, but we eventually just let him have at it, doing his best. The catch of the day? Eel. I caught a huge one pictured below plus a slightly smaller one, and I think Joe caught the baby these two eel had after doing eel things together. It was a slow day for a fishing lover like Joe, but Rocco was all about yelling, "FISH ON!!

For the past couple months, when he's with us, I have taken him out in the dark early Sunday morning to fish our local creeks. We had Jo luck, but he is also anti-everything required to have the best environment for catching fish. I don't fault him, he is only seven. That's gotta be tough. He had saved up his money to buy his own spinning reel, but after three and a half hours, his rod was tangled beyond repair. I had enough. Cut him some line with a hook and weight on it and told him to make his own rod. He did, and I was getting close to catching something. By this point, I was out on a rock, and not to be outdone, Rocco starts crawling out on a rock of his own. He gets himself out there, and slowly stands up. It looked like a first timer on the high wire performing in front of a crowd. Once he stood up, he began to lower his arm that he had previously kept out to amazingly keep him balanced. I could see it in his eyes. Once he decided it was time to lower the arms, he just kind of let them go limp. The momentum of his arms dropping suddenly pulled his body forward, and Rocco began his slow motion toppling into the water. The rock was angled down, so his fall took even longer. It wasn't a typical fall on the ground quick fall. Hearing him go "no nononononono" like Cleveland Brown sitting in his bathtub as it falls out of the top of his house on Family Guy was hilarious. He panicked once he hit the water. His faux fishing road was nowhere to be found, which he was scared that I would be upset about. I got over to the rocks in about 0.9 seconds and had him out of the water. It was only 40 degrees out. So was the water. He was crying, obviously upset over what had just happened to him. I got him changed into one of my oversized fat guy sweatshirts and kept him in the passenger seat as I gathered our stuff. He was pretty calm by then, and I turned to him and asked, "You ok?" He nodded, slight smile. "Good thing. That was SOOOOOOO funny to watch happen." We both laughed.

That reminded me of when I was maybe 5 or 6 years old. We used to go to this camp ground every year in our big RV. It was also referred to as our camper. I was a lucky kid to get to travel so frequently and when you are just a little boy, every trip feels like a lifetime. Any who, one year we were down there and I was all set in the dock to fish like we always did. I can't remember what was or wasn't caught, bit I do remember one thing. I needed a large cast to feel better about my day. I put ALL my might into it. My hook and worm flew through the air. Unfortunately, so did I. I soon had that one second realization that I was flying. Before I could flap my arms to fly, I was in the water. Luckily I had my rod still in my hand. Even luckier, I had that Hawaiian GI Joe character in my back pocket. He was my favorite. That's what i panicked most about. My family was laughing. Our fellow campers were laughing. All I could muster was a "Shit up Phil!" aimed at my brother, who was the only one NOT laughing. I can't yell at my parents when my life is on the line! The important thing here is that when I got out of the water, my character was still in my pocket. I got down to some dry clothes and warmed with a fire. Certainly a memory I will never forget because I can never live it down. Rocco's flop will be the same.