Real Quick - My Top 6 for Week 6

Had a little trouble coming up with this one, cause much as I'd like to, I cannot include my beloved Birds in my top teams this week...

So without further ado: my top six teams, in no particular order because each team has flaws and the arguments could go on endlessly...regardless: I have 3 NFC and 3 AFC teams at the top of the heap: Carolina, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, San Diego and Seattle....all either won or sat out this past weekend...I thought about putting the Saints and/or the Patriots in this august group, but one team on a bye was enough, and the Charger deserve it...they've rallied for two straight wins after choking out a loss to the Ravens (who, by the way, still cannot seem to find an offense to compliment their defense...so long Jim Fassel, they hardly knew ye...don't ask me if its good or bad that Brian Billick is still the head coach in Baltimore...matter of fact he's throw so many QB coaches, offensive coordinators or other staff members under the bus he ought to get royalties from the MTA)...

NFC Impressions from Week 6

Well another week of football in the books (with the exception of MNF) and here what we learned from week 6:

The following NFC teams are for real: Seattle, which won a tough away game against a team that gives them fits....New Orleans, defended the home turf even after the Eagles snagged the lead and momentum *maybe our D expected the 'aints to fold, but this team has an S...and they didn't back down....Carolina, another team that won a tough away game, this time against the vaunted Ravens defense....The GYNts, much as it pains me to say it the NYG went on the road and handed the Falcons a stinging loss playing a tough, physical game...

The following still have something to prove: The Eagles, yes, my beloved Birds cough up their tail feathers this weekend...No shame is dropping a tough game on the road, BUT, it stings because they had battled back to take the lead only to let down by the defense in a big, big way...The St. Louis Rams, a tough pill to swallow, losing on a 54-yard FG at the end of the game, in your house, has GOT to hurt (no more than coughing up a 17-pt 4th qtr lead mind you). This was a chance for the Rams to take control, instead, they find out they're still looking up at the Seahags...the Dallas Cowboys, all is happy in the land of MEO, for now, but pounding the hell out the NFL version of the JV squad does not mean all is right for the Cowboys, they did what they're supposed to do, hammer an inferior opponent, let's see how they do against a tougher team...Atlanta Falcons, hmm, Vick still can't shake the running quarterback thing, oops, oh wait, that exactly WHAT he is, sucks for Atlanta fans' long-term prospects....

The following teams are pretenders: The Washington Redskins - losing to the Titans, oh my lord...49ers...another blow out loss, and the Niners look ready to get into a two-way race with Oakland for the top draft choice in Apr '07....Detroit Lions and the Tampa Bay Succa-er Buccaneers, finally get off the snyde, but lets face it both teams are terrible....same goes for the Cardinals and Packers....we know they suck...they might chalk up a few wins here and there, but they are not going to challenge...My jury is still out on Minnesota Vikings, they won't challenge the Bears for the division (if things keep going the way they are going), but they might make some wildcard noise....

Birds Blow Gasket in Big Easy

Well folks, there is only 1 star of the game this week.
Reggie Brown definitely showcased his ability today....he was without a doubt our most effective weapon on a day when his battery-mate Hank Baskett had a rookie mind-fart day and couldn't catch the ball with a fishing net...That's it for the kudos...

A lot of us talked about New Orleans being a let down game, or a trap game...and it was and wasn't...First here is why it wasn't a classic trap game...1) it was close! classic Eagles trap games reveal them getting shut down and toasted by double-digits; 2) the Eagles responded in the 2nd half, but couldn't seal the deal.

Now here is why is WAS a trap game: They did not deal well with the emotion in the beginning of the game, allowing the Saints to dictate early and scoot out to 10-0 lead...One could argue that they were lucky it wasn't more, or that falling behind early to an energetic team playing at home is "normal"...well it not exactly normal but it isn't that rare either...The D did a decent job settling in and shutting down the Saints in the 2nd qtr...until special teams decided to chime in with the first of several huge team mistakes...

This brings me to my first goat of the game: scatback Ryan Moats, who seemingly forgot what color uniform he was wearing because he made a nice hit...on hit OWN friggin' man...the resulting muffed punt set up the Saints for a fairly easy score right before the half; the critical thing about this idiot play, he came right after a nice defensive stop and at a time where the Eagles offense was beginning to show a spark...so instead of getting the ball before the half, with 1:54 on the clock and a chance for a drive (keep in mind, the score was 10-3 at the time, and the Eagles were set to get the ball to start the second half) that could have set up a nice double-whammy (get a score before half, get the ball right back in the 3rd)--we get to look at a 14-point hole at half time...remember those points...they'll come back to haunt us...

Second goat the game: Michael Lewis...ok, jackass, how many times are you going to bite on the double-move when you are the last line of defense....a great time to drop your shorts too, coming right on the heels of the Eagles seizing control of the game by converting a turnover for a TD and taking a 24-17 lead. But you know what, I don't place all the blame on him...Jim Johnson has to take some the blame for this...how many times are we going to get burned by playing a defense that has the CB release a teams' #1 wide receiver to our absolute WORST coverage guy??? I mean we got burned when Brown released Terry Glenn to #32 at the end of the Dallas game..today is the other side, same result...Play before Lito Sheppard runs with Joe Horn through his double move and pass incomplete, throw doesn't even go that way...next play, Lito releases his deep (the Cover 2 if I am not mistaken) and Lewis flails up the field like Timmy at a Southpark pick-up game....result: Joe Horn takes an easy score to the house and the game is tied 24-24 (remember those easy points, they will come back to haunt us)

Final goat of the game: the Entire frickin' D for allowing an unforgiveable mistake to happen on the last drive... 3rd and 10, Saints driving in Eagles territory with about 3-something on the clock...and we have 12-men on the field??? On a play in which Trent Cole should have collected a drive-killing sack (real fine step-it-up in a high pressure situation type of play)....Nope, instead of watching NO try the pooch punt, we get treated to a 3rd-and-5, little dink pass, first down, and the game is essentially over...

So those three key mistakes are why it WAS a trap game. Pure and simple, some players weren't focused, we made way too many mistakes at crucial times to beat a good team...now if we'd been playing Green Bay or Tennessee that'd be one thing, but New Orleans is 4-1 (now 5-1) for a reason, they play hard, and they showed it today...They made a few mistakes today too, and if we'd been on top of our game, we'd have made them pay for it and snatched a W...

Hats off to 'em...they smelled the opportunity to win at the end and seized it. Hard to argue with that last drive...they wanted it more and they got it.

Keys to the Week 6

Here the good news: looks like AFN is slated to show the Eagles - Saints game tomorrow morning, uh, later on today for the rest of you...Also have the Rams-Seahawks and GYNts-Falcons games slated....so it looks like AFN chooses the "best" match-ups...poor CBS, looks like their premier early game is the Bengals-Bucs...of course that better (marginally) than NBC, which is stuck with the Raiders-Broncos tilt to try and draw viewers for its Football Night in America...good luck NBC...

Match-ups I'm watching in Week 6 (besides the obvious - my attention will be focused on the Eagles of course)....
Rams - Seahawks...St. Louis has a chance to prove its "for real" with a home game against Seattle...and there is no better time to face the Seahawks than with Alexander in street clothes on the sidelines...Hasselbeck has to step-up, or else the 'hawks face an early hole in their quest to repeat as NFC champs
Are we (the Eagles) going to get any help this weekend....to be honest, the prospects are grim...our best shot appears to be the Falcons, who host the GYNts...Our other two NFC East rivals, Cowgurls and Foreskins, face the vaunted duo of the Texans and Titans respectively...jeez...so there is definitely pressure on the Birds to keep winning...

Other burning questions: Can the Lions or the Succaneers get off the snyde this weekend...Here is hoping the Yucs can somehow do the improbable and deal the Bengals a defeat...why? because I don't like the idea of the Eagles playing a team with a big, fat goose-egg in the win column by Week 7...it gets to become a matter of odds by that point...somehow someway, the Yucs are going to win...I'd rather not face a team playing for professional pride at that point of the season.

Bills - Lions...yawn...look for Buffalo to get is run game going and for Losman to find the endzone once or twice...
Panthers - Ravens...whats the over-under on this game, twelve? Going to be another Monday Night defense-fest like the Broncos-Ravens game...here's hoping Baltimore can defend the home turf so I can stop hearing about how great the Panthers are now that Steve Smith has returned...at least for a week.
Miami - Jets...should be interesting to see the Jets supplant the Dolphins as the only up-n-comer that has a prayer of challenging the Patriots in the AFC East...Joey Harrington...somewhere even Detroit fans are feeling sorry for the folks dwelling on South Beach. weren't the dol-phans supposed to be good this year???

More later, I need to get some sleep before the game...