Shanahan, You The Man: Redskins Get a New Chief.

This much is for sure, Redskins owner Dan Snyder doesn’t waste time. As swiftly as he said good-bye to former head coach Jim Zorn, he gets Mike Shanahan to agree to a five year contract to take over the head coaching reigns and the added duties of Vice president of football operations for the Washington Redskins .

Shanahan will work closely with the Skins newly crowned executive vice president and general manager Bruce Allen, but will have the ultimate authority on football decisions. Shanahan will be introduced as the Redskins head coach tomorrow afternoon.

The Denver Post is reporting that Shanny’s contract will be somewhere in the Neighborhood of $7 million a year.

 

This deal of course, is of great interest to the Denver Broncos , who fired Shanahan a year ago. His deal with Washington now means the Broncos will recoup $7 million in offset money over the next two seasons, under the terms of the agreement they had with the Shanahan.

 

From a coaching standpoint, the NFC East just got a bit more competitive.

 

 

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Nipplegate: Seven Years Later, Who Knew?

It’s been seven years now since Justin Timberlake unknowingly (wink, wink) exposed Janet Jackson’s left breast during the half time performance of Super Bowl 38. Who knew that one wardrobe malfunction and an exposed mammary gland, would have such an everlasting effect.

The actual halftime show that year was produced by MTV and intended to help promote MTV’s Rock the Vote campaign to encourage younger people to get out and vote. Unfortunately that message was lost in the ensuing controversy, the loose connection between all the acts of the halftime show and the actions that ensued throughout the show.

Besides Jackson’s “exposure,” the show’s other performances included gestures by the rapper Nelly toward his crotch and musician Kid Rock appearing in a poncho made from a slitted American flag, which he later tossed into the crowd.  Following the incident, the NFL announced that MTV would never be involved in another halftime show.

Which brings me to the situation at hand. Since Nipplegate, we have been subject to such halftime acts as 67-year-old former Beatle Paul McCartney and 66-year-old Mick Jagger and his aging Rolling Stones band mates.

Super Bowl 42 offered us 59-year-old Tom Petty. Bruce Springsteen (60 years old) and his E Street Band rocked us in Super Bowl 43, and now comes news that 65-year-old Roger

Daltry and the Who will Dazzle us with a little Pin Ball Wizardry this year in Miami.

My calculator indicates those five acts are a combined 317 years old—yikes! Don’t get me wrong, I dig a little Dancing in the Dark every now and then and think I’ve even had a 19th Nervous Breakdown once or twice, But come on, can’t we get more current with our choices for halftime entertainment?  

Yes, you are right, I did fail to mention that musician Prince shared the halftime time show with the Florida A&M Marching 100 for the Super Bowl 41 half time, but his royal purpleness was on his best behavior that day.

Mr. Daltry, if you are reading this please take no offense, your music has stood the test of time much like the music of most of your British invasion counterparts, but when I told my teenage son that you and your group were performing at this years Super Bowl halftime, his reply was, WHO?

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Pro-Bowl: Six Eagles Take Flight, but where’s Sheldon?

First of all, congratulations to the six Eagles players selected to play in this years Pro Bowl: kicker David Akers, defensive end Trent Cole, fullback Leonard Weaver,
wide receiver/kick returner Desean Jackson, cornerback Asante Samuel, and offensive tackle Jason Peters.

The six-man contingent represents the most the team has sent to a Pro Bowl since 2004, when 10 Eagles earned trips.

Based on their respective performances this season, each of the aforementioned players is deserving of their selection and we’ll break down their efforts in just a moment, but first, I would like to talk about who didn’t get the nod. Cornerback Sheldon Brown was given the cold shoulder once again, which is a shame because he certainly would have received my vote this year.

With 22 pass deflections, five interceptions with one returned for a touchdown, and a fumble return for score, Sheldon Brown is a player with Pro Bowl credentials but zero Pro Bowl selections.

For those of you wondering about Donovan McNabb, the three NFC quarterbacks selected this year were Drew Brees, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile tight end Brett Celek took a backseat to San Francisco’s Vernon Davis and Dallas’ Jason Witten.

Heck, even perennial Pro-Bowler Tony Gonzalez got the snuff.

As for the six Eagles who did get selected…

David Akers leads the NFL with 139 points and 32 field goals this season, while connecting on a career-high 88.9 percent of his attempts. He tied his own team record by nailing 17 field goals in a row, en route to earning NFC special team’s player of the month honors in November.

He has also made two game-winning kicks in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter this season (Nov. 29 vs. Washington and Dec. 27 vs. Denver). With four career Pro Bowl selections, Akers is now tied for the third in NFL history for Pro Bowl berths among kickers. Only Morten Andersen (seven) and Jan Stenerud (six) have registered more.

Trent Cole earned his second Pro Bowl nomination. He is the first Eagles defensive end drafted in the fifth round or later to garner multiple Pro Bowl honors since Clyde Simmons (ninth round selection in 1986), who earned two Pro Bowl berths in Philadelphia.

Cole has registered a career-high 12.5 sacks this season, which ranks fifth in the NFL and third in the NFC. He leads the Eagles in sacks and hurries (26), and ranks second in total tackles (90). With 47 career sacks, Cole ranks fifth in franchise history and has registered the highest sack total ever for an Eagles draft pick in his first five seasons.

DeSean Jackson, one of the league’s most dynamic players, sparkled as both a wide receiver and punt returner in just his second NFL season. The 23-year old Jackson leads the NFL in yards per catch (18.7), punt return average (16.0), and tied an NFL record by chalking up eight touchdowns of 50+ yards in a season, tying Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch (1951) and Devin Hester (2007).

In fact, Jackson’s average touchdown has covered 52.8 yards, the highest ever in league annals among players with 10-or-more scores. A second round draft pick of the Eagles in 2008, Jackson became the second Eagles wide receiver to earn a Pro Bowl berth in the Andy Reid era, joining Terrell Owens in 2005*. The last Eagle draft pick to make the Pro Bowl as a wide receiver was Fred Barnett in 1993*.

Jackson is also the first player in team history to be voted in as a return specialist. As a matter of fact, according to the NFL, Jackson is believed to be the first player in league history to be selected at both wide receiver and kick returner in the same season.

Jason Peters, regarded as one of the league’s finest offensive tackles earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl berth and his first as an Eagle. He was acquired in a blockbuster trade by the Eagles from the Buffalo Bills this past offseason. Peters has helped pave the way for the league’s third highest scoring offense (28.6 points per game), and 10^th ranked offense in terms of total yards (366.5 yards per game).

Asante Samuel earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection, the longest current streak among NFL cornerbacks. He became the first Eagles cornerback to post consecutive Pro Bowl berths since Troy Vincent earned five straight from 2000-04. Samuel leads the NFL with nine interceptions (tied with safeties Darren Sharper and Jairus Byrd) in 2009 to go along with 42 tackles, nine passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

He has a pair of two-interception performances this year (vs. Washington on Nov. 29 and vs. Tampa Bay on Oct. 11) and six during his career. No player in the NFL has more interceptions than Samuel’s 29 since the start of the 2006 season.

Samuel was signed by the Eagles on the first day of the free agent signing period in 2008 after spending his first five NFL seasons with the New England Patriots.

Leonard Weaver became the first Eagles fullback to garner Pro Bowl honors since Bill Barnes did so three times from 1958-60. He joined the Eagles as a free agent signing this past offseason and has gone on to register career highs and lead all NFL fullbacks in rushing attempts (69) and rushing yards (321).

He also has a career high in rushing touchdowns (two) while adding 15 receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns. Originally signed as a rookie free agent by Seattle in 2005, Weaver is the only Carson-Newman College product ever to earn Pro Bowl honors.

The AFC-NFC Pro Bowl game will be played on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010, at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida, one week prior to the Super Bowl.

Needless to say, these six players are hoping their trip to Miami will be for one game and one game only, and it’s not the Pro Bowl.

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Eagles Fans Flying High, at Least This Week

If you’ve ever ridden a roller coaster, then you can somewhat understand what it feels like to be an Eagles fan and trust me, this year’s team has taken its’ fans on yet another ride.   

It all started in the offseason, when the front office decided to not overpay for 13-year veteran safety Brian Dawkins—not only the heart and soul of the team’s defense, but also a huge fan favorite. Needless to say, this move did not sit well with the fanbase, many of whom pledged to not renew their season tickets. More on that in just a moment.

Now imagine someone cutting the electricity on your roller coaster ride, leaving you stuck upside down in the middle of the loop. It’s kind of how many Eagles fan felt the night of the Aug. 13, when the announcement was made in the middle of the preseason opener against New England, that the team had just signed former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick to a two-year contract.

Gee, I’m going to guess there are at least one or two Eagle fans who are dog lovers. As it turned out, team owner Jeff Lurie had put his two dogs to sleep over the past two years and was extremely sickened by the brutal acts of abuse Vick and his partners performed on Vick’s stable of fighting pit bulls. 

So why sign the former felon? Again, the team lets all-around good guy Brian Dawkins walk but in turn signs a player, who at the height of his federal trial, was public enemy No 1. Talk about a publicity nightmare.

Then came more pledges of fans not only willing to forgo next year’s season tickets but also wanting to boycott the team this season.  Again, more on that in just a moment.

Then there was the 1-and-3 preseason record, which quickly prompted regular season predictions of the team finishing 6-10, 7-9, or 8-8.

The fact the Eagles gave up 120 points in those four exhibition games,only added to the rage of those fans already upset over the loss of Dawkins.

Hold on to the bar and please keep your arms inside the confines of the coaster car, because we are about to hit an incline.

The Birds win their season opener by crushing Carolina in Charlotte 38-10, as the defense converted seven Panther turnovers into 24 points. Unfortunately, in the win, Donovan McNabb suffered a pair of broken ribs.  So, here we go again, another injury for No. 5 and another season of uncertainty.

During Donovan’s two-game absence, third-year quarterback Kevin Kolb stepped in and threw for over 700 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions. Unfortunately, some of those numbers came in the 48-22 loss to the previously unbeaten New Orleans Saints.

The season appeared headed for certain derailment on Oct. 18, when the 2-2 Birds jetted west for a showdown with the 1-3 Oakland Raiders, a game that should have produced Philadelphia’s third win of the season.

Instead a 13-9 loss to the Silver and Black had Eagle fans screaming for Donovan McNabb’s benching and the ouster of Andy Reid as head coach. Oh yeah, and more fans wanting to opt out of their season tickets, more on that in just a, well you know.

Now, when it comes to fall in Philadelphia there are two things most Eagles fans can count on: plenty of leaves to rake and a late-season run by their beloved Birds.

As a matter of fact, during Andy Reid’s 11-year tenure as head coach, his teams are 73-39-1 in games played from November on, including an impressive 31-11 mark in the month of December.  

This season the Eagles went 7-2 through November and December, 8-2 if you count the Redskins win on the last weekend in October.

Bottom line, the Birds are now in sole possession of first place atop the NFC East with a record of 11-4. A win this Sunday in Dallas would give them the outright division title, the second seed overall in the conference playoffs, a first-round playoff bye and a chance to advance to the team’s sixth conference title game in eight years. 

Yep, it’s been another typical football season in Philadelphia.

By the way, for all those Eagles fans who still want to vacate their season tickets, listen up. According to team president Joe Banner, the waiting list for season tickets is currently 60,000 names long.

Recently, 15 of those fans were given the chance to purchase tickets. At that rate, it would take 4,000 years for all 60,000 of those fans to get tickets.

 

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Eagles Survive Shootout: Take Over Sole Possession of NFC East Lead

Eagles fans certainly know what it’s like to have the last ever game in their stadium end in defeat.

 

Reference 2002 NFC Championship game.

 

Tampa Bay closing down the Vet with a shocking 27-10 victory, while on their way to winning Super Bowl XXXVIII. 

 

Sunday night in the swamps of North Jersey, the Eagles served up their own brand of bon voyage, outlasting the Gee Men in the Giants stadium finale.

 

Next year the Giants will move across the parking lot and into a new building.         

 

Philadelphia’s 45-38 win not only completed a two game season sweep of New York but also helped thrust the birds into sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

 

At 9-4, Andy Reid and company control their own playoff destiny with three regular season games remaining: 49ers, Broncos, and Cowboys.  

 

Before we look ahead to Sunday’s show down with San Francisco, how about a look back at some interesting nuggets of information from Philadelphia’s latest win, courtesy of Eagles’ Director of Media Services Derek Boyko and his staff.

 

 

Closing Out Giants Stadium

 

• The Eagles won their last four games at Giants Stadium (three against the Giants and one vs. the Jets). They finished with a 24-16 record in the Meadowlands (20-16 against the Giants and 4-0 against the Jets).
• The Eagles scored a single-season high 85 points against the Giants this season, their highest ever vs. the Giants since they scored 80 in 1948.
• The Eagles 45 points last night was their  second-highest total ever against the Giants (49 on Oct. 4, 1959).

 

Offensive Quick Hits

• The Eagles scored 30 first-half points in both games against the Giants this season. Since 2000, they are 44-2 when scoring 30-plus points (6-0 in 2009).
• QB Michael Vick scored on a his third touchdown of the season on a one-yard run (two rushing, one passing).
• FB Leonard Weaver picked up his career-high second rushing touchdown of the season.
• Holding a 37-31 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles embarked on a 12-play, 91-yard TD scoring drive that ate up 7:24 of clock time. It was their longest touchdown drive of the season in terms of yards and time, and tied for the longest in terms of plays.

 

Brown Delivers Another Six

 

• With a 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown, CB Sheldon Brown tied a team record with his fifth defensive touchdown of his career. Eric Allen and Seth Joyner also scored five defensive touchdowns during their Eagles’ careers. Brown, who recorded an 83-yard INT return for a score last week at Atlanta, was also the last Eagle to score a defensive touchdown in back-to-back games (Oct. 2, 2005, at KC, Oct. 9, 2005 at Dallas).

 

Big Play DJ

 

• WR DeSean Jackson had a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown, his second of the season and the third of his career to set a new team record. He surpassed Brian Westbrook , Brian Mitchell and Steve Van Buren (two each). He tied Brian Westbrook (2003) for the single-season team record.
• Jackson also had a 60-yard touchdown reception, en route to a career-high 178 receiving yards—his sixth career 100-yard receiving game and his fourth in 2009. His yardage was the most by an Eagle since Kevin Curtis posted 221 on Sept. 23, 2007 vs. Detroit. For the season, Jackson has a career-high 947 receiving yards.

 

McNabb Wins Fourth Straight

 

• QB Donovan McNabb completed 17-of-26 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns (110.3 passer rating).
• The Eagles own a 45-1 record when McNabb’s rating exceeds 100 (5-0 in 2009).
• McNabb has won his last four starts and is 12-4 in his last 16 regular-season starts.
• He played in his 145th game, passing Jon Runyan for the 11th-highest total in team history.

 

Defensive Nuggets

 

• The Eagles have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 20 regular-season games.
• DE Juqua Parker picked up a half sack and now has a career-high 6.5 this season.
• DE Darren Howard had two sacks and a forced fumble, marking his 18th career multi-sack game (12-5-1 record).

 

Magnum TE

• TE Brent Celek picked up his seventh touchdown of the season, which is the fourth-highest total ever for an Eagles tight end. Pete Retzlaff owns the top three (10 in 1964, eight in 1961 and 1964)
• Celek has five touchdowns in his last seven games and he has a touchdown in each of his last three games against the Giants (including playoffs).

 

 

 

 

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