BY PAUL MANCANO—The sky is falling in Philadelphia.
Well, at least over the NovaCare Complex.
This is what many in the media would have you believe. The odd firing of Eagles vice president of player personnel Tom Gamble, in conjunction with reports of dissention in the front office, has sent Eagles fans into a frenzy. Jim Harbough’s name has only been mentioned about 3417 times, and there’s some wild speculation that Chip Kelly could show himself the door in a year. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—Things are a mess down in the nation’s capital. The Redskins are 3-8, DeSean Jackson is using social media to blame his teammates like the mature 27 year old man he is, and Jay Gruden is on shaky ground—not because he’s a bad coach (which he is) but because the team is still owned by Daniel Snyder. Oh, and the legislative body of the most powerful country in the world still hates them. So yeah, in the words of Larry David, things are pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—It’s hard to find much fault with a team that’s 7-2, sitting squarely at the top of its division with just seven games to play. True, the offense has struggled at times and the defense has had its fair share of miscues, but overall, the Eagles are playing great team football—each unit is usually doing just enough to best the opponent on a weekly basis. So it’s not hard to be content with the product on the field. Right now, we’re winning, and that’s all that matters. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—Every year, Eagles junkies and schematic geeks anticipate the release of the Birds’ Sound FX video, which gives them just a five-minute glimpse into the inner-workings of the team during a game. And with an enigmatic head coach and a bashful quarterback, there’s no better opportunity to gleam character from this tight-lipped squad. This year’s video, which was released yesterday, includes a mic’d up Chip Kelly and Nick Foles during last Sunday’s blackout shutout against the Giants. Though the editors skimp on first-half highpoints, they do a good job to piece together some very telling and dramatic moments of the second half. Here are some of the highlights. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—It’s been a week of doubt, hurt, and distrust for Eagles fans. Following a frustrating loss to 49ers on Sunday, in which the already legendary Chip Kelly offense seemed to have missed the flight from Philly, Birds fans just want someone to blame. The problem is the fault lies with all too many; Kelly, the offensive line, LeSean McCoy, Riley Cooper, Nick Foles, to name a few. After a loss like that, it’s hard to find any silver linings in Chip’s playbook. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—Next to the NFL draft and Johnny Manziel’s sock color, quarterback controversy is perhaps the consistently hot item in football. It’s enticing, it’s polarizing, and it’s unhealthy. And for the first time since Donovan McNabb left office, Eagles fans thought they’d avoided it. Apparently not. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—Missed opportunities. That’s what I thought I was going to write about in this review. All the would-be picks bouncing off fingertips and gaps in the offensive line missed and downfield heaves over-heaved. Missed tackles and passes dropped and bad playcalling. That’s what I thought would be the focus of this article.
Instead, I’m stuck singing the Eagles’ praises once again, because, huzzah, we won. Yay. Because all the missed opportunities disappear in the haze of victory. Everything is forgiven so long as the team pulls out a W. Oh Eagles, you never cease to frustrate. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—Well, that was…interesting.
The first game of the Eagles’ 2014 season is (mercifully) in the books, and it did not go the way we expected. During the first half, as Mooser Justin Russell put it, the team looked like “they were being coached by Andy Reid’s brain dead cousin.” (For clarification, Andy Reid does not have a brain dead cousin, at least none that we know of. In any event, he’s not coaching an NFL team, if he exists) For about 12 minutes, I had a moment of weakness. I legitimately considered the possibility that Chip Kelly fooled us all for a year, and that he was actually a terrible coach hiding behind gimmicks and protein smoothies. I looked at Gus Bradley on the sideline and, for a brief moment, thought What if we actually got the dud instead of the genius? Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—Ah, yes, it’s that time again. Preseason is winding down and roster cuts are approaching. The perfect time for some bold regular season predictions. And if there’s one thing the Moose loves, besides taking a long drink from the Schuylkill River to clear his head, it’s bold regular season predictions. Continue reading
BY PAUL MANCANO—It’s Friday night and football has just walked back into our lives. At the start of the 2nd quarter in Chicago, the Jordan Palmer-led Bears face a 3rd and eight on their own 24. Palmer takes the snap and surveys the field. Then, he surveys 280-pound defensive end charging up the middle, and can only duck as he’s flattened. Curry took out his sack lunch and devoured in right in front of Palmer. Passer = rushed. Continue reading
