Yeah there is no column for moral victories in the NFL standings. And yes, the Eagles are now globbed together with the 4skins, Vikings, Bears, Cardinals and Saints at 5-6, staring up at Detroit and NY for the two NFC wild-card spots.
Yet, I cannot help but get the feeling that the Eagles can use this game as a springboard. The Cards lost a brutal OT game...the Lions are practically in a free-fall; the Saints inconsistent.....the Vikings romped over the Giants today and the Bears got a huge lift with an unreal OT-win at Soldier Field against the Broncos...Washington? they dominated the second-half statistically against the Buccaneers, but 6 turnovers??? hoo-boy....I don't fear the 'Skins...and the Giants? how do lay a stinker like they just laid at home against the Viking in late November? Could another late-season collapse be looming? One can only hope.
As for the Eagles....if they continue to play like they did against the Patriots....they will win out, just like last year, and finish 10-6. The only problem with that is that it won't be enough to win the NFC East, because the 'Boys have the East locked up.
Showing posts with label AJ Feeley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AJ Feeley. Show all posts
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
That Good Ole' Easy Feel(ey)ing
Its official, both McNabb and backup/starting safety Quintin Mikell were downgraded to OUT for the Patriots game Sunday night.
Here's a question, why not play the game Belicheat always plays and just say they're a game-time decision and then decided announce just before kickoff.....
The bad part: it probably is not going to make much difference. The Patriots are playing on a different level from the rest of the NFL right now.
The good part: perhaps the coaching staff won't rely purely on McNabb to carry the team and will come up with an inventive, balanced attack to counter the Patriots.
The ugly: what do we do if Feeley leads us in knocking off the Pats?
Here's a question, why not play the game Belicheat always plays and just say they're a game-time decision and then decided announce just before kickoff.....
The bad part: it probably is not going to make much difference. The Patriots are playing on a different level from the rest of the NFL right now.
The good part: perhaps the coaching staff won't rely purely on McNabb to carry the team and will come up with an inventive, balanced attack to counter the Patriots.
The ugly: what do we do if Feeley leads us in knocking off the Pats?
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Goodbye Garcia
Well, just in case you haven't heard, the Eagles signed #3 back-up QB A.J. Feeley to a 3-year extension today. And if you're like me you realize that it signals the end of #2 QB Jeff Garcia's tenure with the team.
First off - Thank you Jeff. You remain a true professional, and your fire, passion and leadership helped turn a dismal season into one to be remembered. You are a true class act (as evidence by the report in this story by Bob Brookover that he text'd a congratulation to A.J. when he heard the news).
Secondly - I am a bit surprised that the Eagles did not wait until they saw what the market had to offer before making this move. I do believe this, however, by not waiting they maintained leverage over the Feeley "camp". Consider this...the Eagles wait, Garcia sees the market, get a nice offer and walks, the Birds have just A.J. in his last year, and without the potential of Garcia around, his asking price just went up (not way up, but up).
Third - Its NOT a bad move. A.J. is 29, a full 8 years younger than Garcia, and while he does not have the same resume, there is no doubt that A.J. is at home in Philly. There is something about our system that brings out the best in him. Just a Garcia was in the proverbial "right place, right time" last year, I think A.J. is in a similar RPRT situation.
Fourth - concerning the "right place" aspect, A.J. has this to say: "I love Philadelphia. I love the city. I love the organization. It's where I want to be. It was a no-brainer for me in that regard. There's something to be said for being with a team you love everything about it." 'nuff said.
Fifth - I would be shocked if Brad Childress didn't give serious consideration to bringing in Garcia to help bring along Tavaris Jackson. I don't believe the Tampa rumors (why would Garcia want to languish away his last couple of season on a crap-ass team like that?). Denver is a perennial contender it seems...if they're truly interested. I can see Jeff going there.
First off - Thank you Jeff. You remain a true professional, and your fire, passion and leadership helped turn a dismal season into one to be remembered. You are a true class act (as evidence by the report in this story by Bob Brookover that he text'd a congratulation to A.J. when he heard the news).
Secondly - I am a bit surprised that the Eagles did not wait until they saw what the market had to offer before making this move. I do believe this, however, by not waiting they maintained leverage over the Feeley "camp". Consider this...the Eagles wait, Garcia sees the market, get a nice offer and walks, the Birds have just A.J. in his last year, and without the potential of Garcia around, his asking price just went up (not way up, but up).
Third - Its NOT a bad move. A.J. is 29, a full 8 years younger than Garcia, and while he does not have the same resume, there is no doubt that A.J. is at home in Philly. There is something about our system that brings out the best in him. Just a Garcia was in the proverbial "right place, right time" last year, I think A.J. is in a similar RPRT situation.
Fourth - concerning the "right place" aspect, A.J. has this to say: "I love Philadelphia. I love the city. I love the organization. It's where I want to be. It was a no-brainer for me in that regard. There's something to be said for being with a team you love everything about it." 'nuff said.
Fifth - I would be shocked if Brad Childress didn't give serious consideration to bringing in Garcia to help bring along Tavaris Jackson. I don't believe the Tampa rumors (why would Garcia want to languish away his last couple of season on a crap-ass team like that?). Denver is a perennial contender it seems...if they're truly interested. I can see Jeff going there.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
A.J. or Garcia -- Who Will Lead Us?
Well, Donovan is done until next year, and there's no use crying over spilt milk. I wish him a speedy and full recovery, but the critical question facing a team seemingly full of them is who is going to under center taking snaps when the Eagles limp into Indianapolis next Sunday night.
First the objective analysis part of the rant:
- This is the exact sort of nightmare scenario that prompted the Eagles go out and signed Jeff Garcia after last year's Mike McMahon debacle. The man's got a good resume for a back-up and when/if he gets his timing down with the wide receivers, he could prove to be very effective.
- The Eagles also scooped up former rescue-the-season QB A.J. Feeley just before the season started when the Chargers made him available. OK so you already knew that, and I suspect you also know that its that signing that made Andy Reid hesitate during the post-game press conference when asked who his starting QB is going to be.
- The team did not respond all that impressively to Garcia...by my audio count (listening to Merrill Reese) Garcia had no fewer than 6 dropped passes in his first 15 attempts...so instead of starting off hot (he woulda been 12/15 and maybe have had a scoring drive before the 4th qtr) he started off tepid and the team wallowed with him under center. Part of it is execution. We Eagles fans have seen situation before (the team's response to Koy and A.J. in 2002 being the most remarkable) when the Eagles step-it-up in response to their leader going down. Today, no one stepped up to help to Garcia make this a game...not the D, not the O, not the ST. To be totally fair, I thought Westbrook and Stallworth tried to pull their share of the load, but a raft of drops just killed them all.
- At this point, AR and the coaches have a brutal decision. Garcia or Feeley.
The case for Garcia goes something like this: he a former Pro-Bowl QB who made playoff runs before, he's mobile (which the Eagles are used to), and he's got a better pedigree as a starter than Option B: A.J. Feeley. hmmm, that's about it.
Now let me rant a bit about why I would start A.J.:
- note the aforementioned lack of enthusiasm for playing with Garcia...their lack of response/failure to rally after their field general got carted off speaks VOLUMES about whether the team views JG as the answer. IMHO, they don't. Nothing against him, but that's how I read today's situation. In all fairness, I could be wrong.
- as a lifetime fan, its hard to forget what A.J. has already done for the team. His performance a few years ago earned him a lot slack in this town...well maybe not a lot, but it probably earned him plenty of support to get a few starts.
- Perhaps most compelling question regarding who should start for the Eagles is the style of play offered by the two quarterbacks. Garcia is a timing QB, it could take weeks for him to gel with the team. This team in 5-5 and is barely treading water. What we need is a QB who can step in and play MOST like Donovan. A.J. can make the throws that Garcia cannot. Feeley's got a good arm, if he's in there, the offensive playbook will stay intact, for the most part. Garcia showed today that he cannot throw the deep ball effectively...he throws it like Mark Brunell as a matter of fact...occasionally heaving one or two really brisk deep balls that leave you scratching head ((because the throw before he looked like Lamar Latrel the limp-wristed javelin thrower from Revenge of the Nerds)). For the most part, however, Garcia simply does not have the arm strength to make the same throws as Donovan. Having him back there will fundamentally CHANGE the way the Eagles offense has to approach the game. For that reason alone, my personal preference is that Andy Reid dial up A.J.'s number.
CAVEAT: If the Eagles continue to turn the ball over, leave points on the field, squander field position, take stupid penalties, fail to make opponents pay for mistakes, fail to adequately cover ST returner, and fail to find an effective mix of run and pass--in effect continue the idiocies on display yesterday at the LINC--then it WON'T MATTER ONE IOTA who is playing QB for the Birds, because they will lose and embarrass us all.
First the objective analysis part of the rant:
- This is the exact sort of nightmare scenario that prompted the Eagles go out and signed Jeff Garcia after last year's Mike McMahon debacle. The man's got a good resume for a back-up and when/if he gets his timing down with the wide receivers, he could prove to be very effective.
- The Eagles also scooped up former rescue-the-season QB A.J. Feeley just before the season started when the Chargers made him available. OK so you already knew that, and I suspect you also know that its that signing that made Andy Reid hesitate during the post-game press conference when asked who his starting QB is going to be.
- The team did not respond all that impressively to Garcia...by my audio count (listening to Merrill Reese) Garcia had no fewer than 6 dropped passes in his first 15 attempts...so instead of starting off hot (he woulda been 12/15 and maybe have had a scoring drive before the 4th qtr) he started off tepid and the team wallowed with him under center. Part of it is execution. We Eagles fans have seen situation before (the team's response to Koy and A.J. in 2002 being the most remarkable) when the Eagles step-it-up in response to their leader going down. Today, no one stepped up to help to Garcia make this a game...not the D, not the O, not the ST. To be totally fair, I thought Westbrook and Stallworth tried to pull their share of the load, but a raft of drops just killed them all.
- At this point, AR and the coaches have a brutal decision. Garcia or Feeley.
The case for Garcia goes something like this: he a former Pro-Bowl QB who made playoff runs before, he's mobile (which the Eagles are used to), and he's got a better pedigree as a starter than Option B: A.J. Feeley. hmmm, that's about it.
Now let me rant a bit about why I would start A.J.:
- note the aforementioned lack of enthusiasm for playing with Garcia...their lack of response/failure to rally after their field general got carted off speaks VOLUMES about whether the team views JG as the answer. IMHO, they don't. Nothing against him, but that's how I read today's situation. In all fairness, I could be wrong.
- as a lifetime fan, its hard to forget what A.J. has already done for the team. His performance a few years ago earned him a lot slack in this town...well maybe not a lot, but it probably earned him plenty of support to get a few starts.
- Perhaps most compelling question regarding who should start for the Eagles is the style of play offered by the two quarterbacks. Garcia is a timing QB, it could take weeks for him to gel with the team. This team in 5-5 and is barely treading water. What we need is a QB who can step in and play MOST like Donovan. A.J. can make the throws that Garcia cannot. Feeley's got a good arm, if he's in there, the offensive playbook will stay intact, for the most part. Garcia showed today that he cannot throw the deep ball effectively...he throws it like Mark Brunell as a matter of fact...occasionally heaving one or two really brisk deep balls that leave you scratching head ((because the throw before he looked like Lamar Latrel the limp-wristed javelin thrower from Revenge of the Nerds)). For the most part, however, Garcia simply does not have the arm strength to make the same throws as Donovan. Having him back there will fundamentally CHANGE the way the Eagles offense has to approach the game. For that reason alone, my personal preference is that Andy Reid dial up A.J.'s number.
CAVEAT: If the Eagles continue to turn the ball over, leave points on the field, squander field position, take stupid penalties, fail to make opponents pay for mistakes, fail to adequately cover ST returner, and fail to find an effective mix of run and pass--in effect continue the idiocies on display yesterday at the LINC--then it WON'T MATTER ONE IOTA who is playing QB for the Birds, because they will lose and embarrass us all.
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