NFL Playoff Predictions

There is really only one way to make predictions on the outcome of some game or tournament and have yourself taken seriously, and that is to make them before even a single moment has been played. So here we are, just moments away from the kickoff of the first game of the NFL playoffs, and that makes it time for my personal predictions on how this month-long tournament will play out.

Let's start at home with our Philadelphia Eagles. What a tremendous, in some ways over-achieving season it has been for the Birds. When the team left training camp in early September, most fans were planning on a rebuilding year as Kevin Kolb took over at quarterback after a decade behind Donovan McNabb. An 8-8 finish that showed positive signs for 2011 would probably have been considered a success at that point.

But in the opening game against Green Bay, Kolb was injured. In stepped Michael Vick. The rest, as they say, is history. Vick emerged as an uncommon weapon, and an NFL MVP candidate. The team took off behind his acrobatics, bolted to the front of the NFC East, and then capped it all with a rally for the ages in a late December game against the rival New York Giants to take the division crown.

That the team faltered in it's final two regular season games should not be as much cause for concern as it seems to have become for some fans and members of the media. The team was obviously thrown off by the sudden switch of the Vikings game from Sunday night to Tuesday night due to snow a couple of weeks ago. That surprising defeat led to the full-scale benching of regulars for the finale against Dallas, as Andy Reid basically gave them a bye week. The result was a close, last-minute loss by the Eagles subs to the Cowboys regulars.

The more important factors for the Eagles entering the opening week matchup are their opponents, and the condition of their own players. The Eagles have lost key contributors in the past couple of weeks, while the Packers have played extremely well since the return to health of their outstanding quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

I want the Eagles to win. I will be rooting hard for it to happen.
I want to be wrong. Because putting a gun to my head, which is what you basically do when you come out in public with predictions, and I will pick the Packers to advance. Most of Eagles Nation cannot be upset with me, because they feel the same way. In a poll taken at Philly.com, a full 50% of fans believe "The Pack will prevail", while 38% said the Eagles will "win - barely" and another 12% said "The Birds will win big."

Let's call the final score something along the lines of 27-20, Green Bay. The Eagles best chance will be for a beat-up offensive line to find a way to give Vick enough time to make a handful of big plays and have the Eagles win a high-scoring affair. I see the banged-up offensive line and a defense that still needs 1-2 more playmakers falling just a bit short. I hope I am wrong.

So with the Eagles fate out of the way with, time to turn attention to the rest of the tournament. In the rest of the opening weekend, I am looking for wins from Baltimore over Kansas City, New Orleans over Seattle, and Indianapolis over the New York Jets. I think the Raves are just physical enough to edge out KC on the road. The defending Super Bowl champion Saints are back, are hot, and are much better than the host Seahawks. And I am going to always find it hard to bet against Peyton Manning at home.

This means that my 2nd round matchups will have New England beating Baltimore, Pittsburgh beating Indianapolis, Atlanta beating Green Bay, and New Orleans beating Chicago. The Pats are just too good right now for anyone. The Steelers get Manning in wintry western Pennsylvania. The Falcons have too much offense, especially inside their dome. And the defending champs are just better than Da Bears, even outside on the road in winter.

In the respective conference title tilts, I will go with the Pats over the Steelers and the Saints over the Falcons. Again, until someone shows me that I am wrong, New England looks like the best team in football right now. And heading back indoors for the NFC Championship, I will pick Drew Brees over Matt Ryan in what should be an epic title game.

That brings us to the Big Game, the NFL Championship at Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas. With the Cowboys thankfully not in attendance, I am looking for Tom Brady to lead the Patriots to the title for the 4th time in 10 years. This will put the New England Patriots franchise behind only the Steelers (6), Cowboys (5) and 49ers (5) for all-time Super Bowl victories. Brady should be the MVP.

There ya have it. Let the games begin. Again, I would absolutely love for Michael Vick to become a true miracle worker and lead the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl title. The team certainly has some of the top offensive weapons, has the 2nd best head coach, and has a rabid fan base. But it will again be the Patriots year come February 6th, 2011 in 'Big D'.

Goodbye, Donovan McNabb

There has been a battle brewing in my pro football-crazed town of Philadelphia over the past couple of football seasons. That battle has been over the fate and future of it's quarterback, Donovan McNabb. Is McNabb good enough to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl? Should McNabb be traded away? The answer apparently came on Easter Sunday night when the Eagles traded McNabb to the division rival Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks.

Some have been waiting for more than a decade for McNabb to stumble and fall. These were the Eagles fans infamously known as the 'Boo Birds', the fans who showed up for the NFL Draft in 1999 hoping and praying that their beloved Eagles would select running back Ricky Williams to lead them out of the wilderness of losing seasons that had befallen the team. With the 2nd overall pick, Williams was there waiting for the Birds. But much to the chagrin of the rabid fan base, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue stepped to the podium and made this announcement:

"With the 2nd pick the Philadelphia Eagles select Donovan McNabb, quarterback, Syracuse University."

Never before has such a torrent of boisterous "boo" calls rained down upon an NFL Commissioner as the Eagles fans delivered on that infamous day. And that is saying a lot, considering the Draft is held in New York, rabid Jets fans show up regularly in numbers, and their team has made some awful picks over the years.

However, thankfully for the majority of Philadelphia Eagles fans, and also for those 'Boo Birds' even if they weren't yet ready or willing to admit it at the time (some never were) the Eagles made the correct selection that Draft day. The fans wanted someone to lead them out of the losing wilderness, and they got it in the outgoing, personable, talented, confident young man who coach Andy Reid had hand-picked to become his quarterback, centerpiece, and leader.

McNabb was coming off a storied collegiate career at Syracuse, where he had started every game and led the team to a 35-14 record between 1995-1998. He set school records for the longest TD pass and the most passing yards in a season. He set or tied numerous other school records, and accounted for 5 touchdowns vs. a vaunted Miami squad. In his senior season, he led the Orangemen to a berth in the Orange Bowl, and was brilliant in the team's narrow 34-33 loss to eventual National Champion Tennessee, a team that has been ranked as the 2nd greatest college football team of all-time.

McNabb was more than just a strong-armed passer, however. He was also a strong and fearless running quarterback. By the time that 1999 NFL Draft came around, McNabb had been recognized as the Big East conference's Player of the Decade for the 1990's, a first team all-conference selection each of his four years, and it's Offensive Player of the Year in each of his final three seasons. That the fans would boo a guy with this resume after years of watching the likes of Jeff Kemp, Brad Goebel, Bubby Brister, Rodney Peete, Bobby Hoying, Doug Pederson, and both Ty & Koy Detmer guiding their team shows just how ridiculous they can be at times.

Donovan McNabb got his very first start in his rookie season against, ironically, the Washington Redskins. He guided the Birds to a 35-28 victory that day and remained the starter from that moment until being traded away this past Sunday. In his first full season the following year, McNabb became a bona fide NFL star when he finished 2nd in the MVP voting and led the Eagles back to the playoffs for the first time in five years, including a playoff win over the favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2001, McNabb took the Eagles to another level, leading them to an NFC East title and taking them all the way to the NFC Championship game where they lost a heart-breaking tight contest to a heavily favored St. Louis Rams team led by the NFL MVP, running back Marshall Faulk. The 2002 season began brightly for the Birds, but became questionable when McNabb suffered a broken ankle in the 11th week. He worked and fought hard to return, getting back in time to lead the club to a playoff win over Atlanta. However, the team lost, this time as home favorites, in the NFC Championship to Tampa Bay in the final game ever at Veteran's Stadium. Despite McNabb's heroism and sportsmanship in getting back that year at all, some of the fan base began to turn on him that very day.

The 2003 season would just add more fuel to the fire, and more fans to the bandwagon, for getting rid of McNabb. He once again led the team to the NFC Championship game at home, once again as the favorites, and for the 3rd consecutive season to a loss in that NFC finale, this time to a devastating Carolina Panthers defense that beat the Eagles on the scoreboard and that physically beat up McNabb, knocking him out of the first title game at the new Lincoln Financial Field. It was after this loss that McNabb and the word "choke" officially began to become synonymous to a growing number of fans and media personalities.

The Eagles realized as an organization that something drastic needed to be done to get them over the hump of NFC title game losses, and drastic is just what they did, signing outspoken and controversial but mega-talented wide receiver Terrell Owens to serve as a key weapon for McNabb. For that one season, it was a match made in football heaven. McNabb had the best season of his outstanding career, and with Owens helping to lead the way the Birds again advanced into the playoffs. It seemed like a story-book ending waiting to happen until Owens suffered a broken ankle and looked likely to miss the playoffs. With Owens out, McNabb led the Eagles to a playoff win over the Vikings and then, finally, to an NFC Championship win over the Atlanta Falcons and young hotshot quarterback Michael Vick.

The Eagles were finally over that hump. They had actually won the NFC Championship, and had done it on their home turf at the Lince in front of their joyous fans. It was now on to the Super Bowl at last. Facing them would be the tough defending NFL Champion New England Patriots, and Owens was working furiously in an attempt to return from the injury that many believed had ended his season. Owens did indeed make it back, and the Eagles gave the Patriots fits in the NFL's big game before falling just short in a 24-21 defeat.

To say that McNabb was at fault for that loss is ridiculous, but many Eagles fans did say just that and still believe that to this very day. He completed 30-51 passes for 357 yards and 3 touchdowns, had his team tied with the NFL Champs after 3 quarters, and nearly engineered a great final-minutes rally in the 4th quarter. But he also threw 3 interceptions, and was sacked 3 times by a tremendous Pats' defense that kept him under fierce pressure the entire game. And then there was the 'puke' incident.

In post-game interviews, one Eagle said that McNabb was so hyper at one point in the huddle that he nearly puked. Despite the fact that it was disputed by McNabb and his teammates, and that there was no video evidence in the most camera-covered event of the year, some fans and media ran with it and said that McNabb had thrown up during the most important game of his life because he was too nervous, a sign that he couldn't take the pressure in a big game.

That loss in the Super Bowl was devastating to many fans. They had finally reached the NFL version of the promised land after so many recent attempts had fallen just short. Now to have had the game been so frustratingly close and have had the Eagles walk away with still no Lombardi Trophy was too much for some. McNabb threw three interceptions and threw up from bad nerves on the field. He simply couldn't win the big games. He was a choke artist. McNabb needed to go. This became the aura that surrounded the team, fed in particular by local talk sports radio station 610 WIP AM and their cast of buffoon announcers and borderline 'expert' sports analysts.

For most of the next few years, McNabb suffered a series of legitimate injuries that began to add concerns that he was also 'brittle' as well as being a choker. With each passing year, the voice of the fans and the radio media seemed to cry out louder and louder for McNabb's ouster, and when it didn't come, that anger and frustration began to turn also on head coach Andy Reid. Those fans who hated McNabb and wanted him out of town began to criticize Reid for being too loyal and stubborn to his longtime centerpiece player.

The calls for changes at both quarterback and head coach were temporarily eased when the Eagles once again, and somewhat unexpectedly, reached yet another NFC Championship game following the 2008 season. McNabb set a career high with more than 3,900 passing yards and guided the club to a romp over the hated rival Dallas Cowboys in the season finale to gain the final NFL playoff berth. He then led the team to playoff wins over Minnesota and the Giants before losing another heart-breaking close game in the NFC title tilt in Arizona.

It was during that up and down 2008 season that McNabb was first benched by Reid. During a difficult loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a healthy McNabb was sent to the bench and 2007 draft choice Kevin Kolb was given an opportunity to enter his first NFL game. When McNabb began the 2009 season following that Arizona title game loss with yet another injury, Kolb got a chance to start with more experience under his belt. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 300 yards in his first two starts, getting the Eagles off to a 1-1 start before McNabb returned.

That was the final straw for many. Not only was McNabb an injury-prone, aging, choking puker and loser when it counted most, but his understudy now appeared to be absolutely ready to take over the lead role. In what would prove to be his swan song, McNabb led the Eagles to an 11-4 record and a season finale showdown with Dallas once again. If the Birds won, they would get the NFC East division title, a #2 playoff seeding and a first-round playoff bye, and an easier path to the Super Bowl. Not only did Dallas blowout the Eagles that day, but then again a week later in the playoffs. The twin losses to their most hated rival by a combined score of 58-14 were the final nails in the coffin for the quarterback.

The story of Donovan McNabb's career as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback stretches back now for a full decade. For the entire first decade of this new millenium, McNabb led the Birds to the playoffs 8 times in 10 seasons, a record not only unmatched but unapproached in franchise history. He set Eagles career records for pass completions, attempts, yardage, and touchdowns. He set franchise single-season records for both completions and yards. He led the team to 5 NFC Championship games and only the 2nd Super Bowl appearance in it's history.

For those who questioned the strong-armed McNabb's accuracy over the years, the facts speak otherwise. He holds the NFL record for consecutive pass completions, and is the NFL's least-intercepted quarterback per pass attempt of all-time. In that 2004 storybook season he became the first NFL quarterback in history to throw for more than 30 touchdowns with fewer than 10 interceptions. And to highlight his excitement and versatility, he is one of only six NFL quarterbacks of all-time to register over 25,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards.

The fact is that Donovan McNabb is simply the greatest quarterback in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise. The era for which he will always be remembered should, in fact, be remembered as the greatest sustained era of winning excellence in the team's long history that is pock-marked by numerous losing years and eras. I have personally always been a fan and supporter of the man. He was never anything less than a positive role model in the community and a smiling, positive leader on the field. He was also, despite what the WIP nut jobs and those 'Boo Birds' will still likely never admit, a winner.

Goodbye and good luck in your future, Donovan McNabb. Thanks for the numerous great memories and big wins. I will personally be hoping that in those two games per year that the Redskins will play against the Eagles, that Donovan enjoys a fine afternoon but comes up short on the scoreboard. Of course, that is just what he was criticized for here over the years. It's ironic that this time the 'Boo Birds' would be cheering that type of result from him and his team.

The Top Twenty QB's in Pro Football History

Every fan has their opinions and everyone has their favorites. The following list represents the opinion of this sports fan who has followed pro football for 30 years as to the greatest quarterbacks to ever have played the game of football at the highest level.

The only restrictive criteria for me was that he had to play in what I consider the 'modern era' of pro football, though that era stretches back further than it would for baseball and other sports. For me that era begins post-World War II, when the NFL truly began to racially integrate.

The quarterbacks on this list would probably make most lists of this type, but I know for a fact that there are a couple guys who would not make many lists, and others who would be listed in different orders. At the bottom of this post is a 'label' for comments. Feel free to leave your own commentary and your own ranking.

Some have said that a quarterback should be judged by the number of championships that he has won. I firmly disagree with that statement. There have been any number of marginally talented QB's who have won the Super Bowl, and there have been tremendous talents who never got it done. That said, most of these men have won championships, some of them multiple times.

My list reflects what I have witnessed personally and what I have learned about the history of the game over these three decades as a fan. I have judged the players on my own list according to their overall accomplishments and talents, as well as factoring in that championship factor when I feel it was the QB who particularly made the difference.

So in honor of tomorrow's Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, two teams with great quarterbacks of their own in Peyton Manning (pictured here helmeted with fellow listee Tom Brady) and Drew Brees, and with particular apologies to Drew Bledsoe, Donovan McNabb and Boomer Esiason, here goes my listing of the 'Top Twenty Quarterbacks in Pro Football History':

#20> DAN FOUTS - the 9th-highest of all-time with 43,040 passing yards and 12th with 254 passing TD's who was selected for the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team. As leader of the storied San Diego Chargers 'Air Coryell' he was the first QB to ever throw for 4,000 in consecutive seasons, and is one of only 7 NFL QB's to throw 30 or more TD passes in consecutive seasons. He was a 2-time AP NFL and UPI AFC MVP including in 1982 when he was also selected as the NEA NFL MVP and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. In last year's celebration of the franchise' 50th anniversary, Charger fans voted him the 'Greatest Charger of All-Time'.

#19> WARREN MOON - the 5th ranked yardage passer in NFL history with 49,325 yards and 6th with 291 touchdown passes, Moon was black-balled out of the NFL in the late 70's because he was a black QB who refused to change positions, and thus played his first six seasons in the Canadian Football League. There he helped Edmonton win 5 straight Grey Cups while throwing for over 21,000 more yards and 144 more TD's. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the CFL Hall of Fame.

#18> JOE NAMATH - he would make this list if for no other reason than his incredible 'guaranteed victory' MVP performance in Super Bowl III which truly put the AFL on the map. A first round draft pick in 1965 of both the NFL and AFL, he was alternately known as 'Broadway Joe' or 'Joe Willie' and threw for over 27,000 yards and 173 TD's in an injury-plagued and shorterned career. In 1974 he was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. Namath was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the AFL's All-Time Team.

#17> JIM KELLY - the 15th-highest yardage passer in NFL history with 35,467 and 18th with 237 TD passes, Kelly began his career with two seasons in the USFL. There he led was the league MVP in 1984 and threw for 9,842 more yards and 83 more touchdowns. When the USFL collapsed, Kelly moved to the NFL's Buffalo Bills where he led the team to the playoffs in 8 of his 11 seasons, including to the Super Bowl four straight years (losing each.) He was elected in 2002 to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#16> PHIL SIMMS - the MVP of Super Bowl XXI in 1987 and a career member of the New York Giants who ranks 20th in all-time NFL passing yards with 33,462 and threw for 199 career touchdowns. A two-time Super Bowl champ with the Giants, he was the winner of the NEA player's poll for 1986 NFL MVP, and was the MVP of the 1985 Pro Bowl. Coming out of college in 1979, Bill Walsh actually wanted to draft Simms rather than Joe Montana, but the Giants surprised many by taking Simms with their 1st round selection.

#15> TROY AIKMAN - the MVP of Super Bowl XXVII in 1993 who threw for 32,942 yards and tossed 165 TD's as a 3-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys. He was the #1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft and led the Cowboys franchise, which had fallen on hard times, back to prominence. He was the winner of the Walter Peyton Award as the NFL Man of the Year in 1997, and in 2006 was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#14> KURT WARNER - the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 when he threw for a record 414 yards who led two teams to the NFL's ultimate game. Warner threw for 32,344 yards and tossed 208 touchdowns and is widely recognized as one of the most accurate passers in NFL history. He holds the NFL record for highest completion percentage in a single game, is one of only 2 NFL QB's with a passer rating over 120 in 4 consecutive games, and is one of only 3 QB's to record 3 games with a perfect passer rating in their careers. He was the winner of the Walter Peyton Award as the NFL Man of the Year in 2008, as well as the 2-time AP and 3-time NEA NFL Most Valuable Player.

#13> KEN STABLER - the left-hander nicknamed 'the Snake' who threw for 27,938 yards and 194 TD's mostly with the Oakland Raiders. He led the Raiders to a victory in Super Bowl XI and was selected for the NFL's All-1970's Team. He was the NFL passing champion in 1976, a 2-time AFC Player of the Year, the 1974 NFL MVP, the 1976 Bert Bell Award winner as the top pro football player, and also was the last winner of the Hickock Belt as the top pro athlete of the year in 1976. He has been black-balled by the Pro Football Hall of Fame due to off-field antics including at least 3 DUI arrests while in retirement.

#12> BART STARR - the Most Valuable Player of the first two Super Bowls in history and the iconic leader of the great Vince Lombardi-coached 1960's Green Bay Packers. He threw for 24,718 yards and 152 TD's for a team and in an era when running the ball was the dominant philosophy. Selected to the 1960's NFL All-Decade Team, he remains the only player to ever quarterback his team to 5 NFL Championships. He later went on to become the head coach of the Packers, leading them in 1982 to their only playoff appearance in a 2-decade period. He was the consensus 1966 NFL Most Valuable Player and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977.

#11> FRAN TARKENTON - the 1975 NFL MVP, Bert Bell Award, and Offensive Player of the Year Award winner who led the Minnesota Vikings to three Super Bowls during a four year stretch in the mid-70's only to lose them all. He is 6th all-time with 47,003 passing yards in the NFL and 4th with 342 touchdown passes. Nicknamed 'The Mad Scrambler' early in his career, he is considered perhaps the greatest scrambling QB in NFL history and rushed for 3,674 yards and 32 TD's in his career. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

#10> DAN MARINO - ranked 2nd in NFL history with 61,361 yards and 420 TD passes, it's amazing that he is this low, until you see the nine names ahead of him and factor in that he never won an NFL championship, leading his Miami Dolphins to an appearance in the Super Bowl just one time early in his career. He was the consesus NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1984, and a decade later was still good enough to be named the 1994 UPI AFC Player of the Year and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He was the first QB to pass for over 5,000 yards and the first to pass for over 4,000 six times. He was the 1998 Walter Payton Award winner as the NFL Man of the Year, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

#9> TERRY BRADSHAW - the first player selected in the 1970 NFL Draft when the Pittsburgh Steelers won a coin toss for the chance to get him, he became a 4-time Super Bowl champion and the only back-to-back Super Bowl MVP in XIII and XIV. He threw for 27,989 yards and 212 passes in his career with the legendary 'Steel Curtain'-era Steelers teams before injuries derailed and then ended his career prematurely in the early 1980's. A member of the 1970's NFL All-Decade Team, he was the 1978 NFL MVP and Bert Bell Award winner. He has enjoyed a lengthy and popular post-playing career as a TV analyst. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

#8> JOHNNY UNITAS - the man nicknamed 'Johnny U' was also considered as 'The Man With the Golden Arm', an appendage that threw for 40,239 yards which is 11th all-time and 290 TD passes which is 7th all-time. Between 1956 and 1960 he threw a touchdown pass in 47 straight games, still a record. He led the Baltimore Colts to 3 NFL Championships, including the 1958 title that has been nicknamed 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' as well as a title in Super Bowl V in 1970. He was selected to the NFL 1960's All-Decade Team, is a 3-time winner of both the NFL MVP and Pro Bowl MVP honors, a 3-time winner of the Bert Bell Award, and was the 1970 NFL Man of the Year. In 1994 he was one of four QB's selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

#7> ROGER STAUBACH - 'Roger the Dodger' whose Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry described as "possibly the best combination of a passer, an athlete and a leader to ever play in the NFL." He threw for 22,700 yards and 153 TD passes, and ran for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns despite a career that started late due to a 5-year commitment to the U.S. Navy, which included a stint serving in Vietnam. He was a 2-time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl VI. Upon his retirement, his 83.4 completion percentage was the highest of all-time. Selected to the NFL 1970's All-Decade Team, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

#6> STEVE YOUNG - the great-great-great grandson of Mormom icon Brigham Young and the 2nd lefty on this list, Young is also another who began his career in the USFL. Perhaps the greatest dual-threat QB in history, he threw for 33,124 yards and 232 touchdowns while rushing for another 4,239 yards and 43 TD's in the NFL. In his brief USFL career, Young became the first pro QB to ever pass for more than 300 yards and rush for more than 100 in a single game. He was a 3-time Super Bowl champion including as the MVP of Super Bowl XXIX. He was a 2-time consensus NFL MVP and 2-time Bert Bell Award winner and retired with a 96.8 career quarterback rating.

#5> PEYTON MANNING - the man best-positioned to some day move up on this list, he will try to lead the Indianapolis Colts to a Super Bowl title for the 2nd time in 4 years tomorrow night. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XLI, and is 4th in NFL history in passing yardage with 50,128 and 3rd with 366 touchdown passes. He turns 34 years old next month, is healthy, and appears poised for many more years of prolific passing. He is a 4-time AP NFL Most Valuable Player, and was selected for the NFL's 2000's All-Decade Team. There is no doubt that he will wind up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame upon completion of his playing career.

#4> BRETT FAVRE - the all-time NFL leader in passing yardage with 69,329 and passing touchdowns with 497 says (again) that he will retire, but might a shot at 500 career TD's and 70,000 career passing yards as well as another shot at a Super Bowl cause him to (again) reconsider? He was a Super Bowl champion as the long-time QB of the Green Bay Packers and was selected to the NFL's 1990's All-Decade Team. He was named the AP NFL MVP three straight years from 1995-97, and is a 5-time NFC Player of the Year. He is also the NFL's 'Iron Man' having started a record 285 consecutive games, and as with Manning he will undoubtedly be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after his final legitimate retirement.

#3> JOE MONTANA - the 10th highest yardage passer in NFL history with 40,551 and 9th with 273 TD passes, he is widely considered the best 'big-money' QB the game has ever known. 'Joe Cool' won 4 Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and was named the MVP three times in XVI, XIX and XXIV. He was a 2-time winner of the AP NFL MVP Award including in 1989 when he was the consensus league MVP, the Offensive Player of the Year, and the Bert Bell Award winner. He won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1986, and was named to the NFL's 1980's All-Decade Team. In 1994 he was one of four QB's selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

#2> JOHN ELWAY - perhaps the most naturally gifted quarterback in NFL history and arguably the flat-out strongest arm, he passed for 51,475 yards which is 3rd all-time in the NFL and for 300 touchdowns which is 5th all-time. He led the Denver Broncos to the Super Bowl three times early in his career but lost all three times. After almost a decade passed he finally returned Denver to the NFL's ultimate game and they won Super Bowl XXXI in an upset over Favre's defending champ Packers. The following year he was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXIII as he led the team to it's 2nd straight title, meaning that he led the team to five total Super Bowl appearances. He was named to the NFL's 1990's All-Decade Team, won the 1987 NFL MVP Award, and was a 2-time AFC Offensive Player of the Year. In 2004 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

#1> TOM BRADY - anyone surprised to see him at the top of the list should consider the offensive weapons that he has had to work with compared with those behind him. He has passed for 30,844 yards and 225 TD's in his career, and at age 32 is poised to make a big move on the all-time NFL leader boards in both categories over the next several years. He is the undisputed leader of what is already a 3-time Super Bowl championship dynasty with the New England Patriots, including as the MVP of both Super Bowl XXVI and XXXVIII. He was the SI Sportsman of the Year in 2005, and in 2007 was the AP Male Athlete of the Year, and both the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. This past year of 2009 he was selected as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year after missing all of '08 with a severe knee injury. He has a career 93.3 quarterback rating, and will undoubtedly be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day after retiring, which may not happen until the 2nd half of this decade. To top things off, Brady is married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, with whom he now has two children.

The Philadelphia Eagles Are Winners

Within this same week we saw perfect examples in the tales of two Philadelphia pro sports organizations, one a winner and one a loser. First, the big 'L' gets hung on the forehead of the Philadelphia 76ers organization for signing one of its all-time loser players in Allen Iverson. I covered that topic already earlier in the week.

It's time now to highlight Philly's winning winter sports organization, the Philadelphia Eagles. This past week the Birds signed head coach Andy Reid, the winningest coach in franchise history, to a contract extension that will keep 'Big Red' as the football boss through 2013. By the conclusion of the contract, Reid will have been the head coach for 15 seasons, nearly unheard of in today's pro sports world.

After a decade in Philadelphia, Andy Reid is now the 2nd longest tenured head coach in the entire NFL, trailing only Tennessee head man Jeff Fisher. He has already passed Greasy Neale (1941-50) as the longest tenured coach in Eagles history. He has led the club to a regular season record of 105-66-1 and another 10 wins in the playoffs, which his teams have participated in 7 times. He has 5 NFC East titles and 1 NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance to his credit.

Andy Reid's teams have fashioned a regular season .614 winning percentage which is the 16th highest in NFL history. The names ahead of him are all legends of the game with names like Lombardi, Madden, Halas, Lambeau, Shula, and Walsh. But the list of the 15 coaches ahead of him also highlights what his detractors see as his one weakness: he has never won a Super Bowl.

On that list of coaches ahead of Reid, 10 of them have won multiple NFL Championships. Only George Allen, the longtime head coach of the Washington Redskins who owns the 3rd-highest winning percentage of all-time, joins Reid in the frustration of never having won a title.

But that inability to win the ultimate prize is not a fatal flaw, it is simply a remaining goal. Only 3 of the men ahead of him on that all-time winning coaches list had fewer games than Reid has coached. He is in the prime of his head coaching career, his team is relatively young and talented, and he should have a number of shots at getting that ring in the coming years.

I grew up in an era of Eagles football during the 1970's in which you expected to lose, one in which the division rival Cowboys and Redskins were always expected to finish ahead of the Birds. That didn't change until a young Dick Vermiel came along and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl appearance in January 1981. Vermiel burned out quickly and the Birds took a decade to recover until the boisterous Buddy Ryan-led teams. But Ryan could never win in the playoffs.

Andy Reid is quite simply the best coach in the history of the Philadelphia Eagles, and it isn't really even close. He has created a sustained winning atmosphere and record for more than a decade that has now led to head coaching jobs for three of his former assistants: Brad Childress (Minnesota), John Harbaugh (Baltimore), and Steve Spagnuolo (Saint Louis) all served under Reid. This has always been considered a hallmark of great head coaches, the ability of their assistants to move on to head jobs.

Owner Jeff Lurie took over the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994, and promised the rabid football fans of the city that the franchise goal was not only to win a title, but to win multiple Super Bowls. While that has not yet materialized, the organization of Lurie, Reid, and team president Joe Banner has kept the team as a legitimate contender throughout their time at the helm.

The Philadelphia Eagles are winners in any way that you want to measure that fact. While they have not yet won the ultimate prize in their profession, they have always contended for that title and remain a strong contender for the crown. With the signing of Reid and the continuity that provides the organization, the Birds should remain a winner well into the future.

Michael Vick Deserves a 2nd Chance

It was one week ago that the Philadelphia sports scene was thrown into a tizzy when the Eagles stole the headlines from the world champion Phillies, not with their efforts on the field in their first exhibition game, but off the field with the signing of quarterback Michael Vick.

For anyone who has been living in a cave during this past week, let's catch you up on the Vick story.

He first burst on to the scene a decade ago when as a freshman quarterback at Virginia Tech he finished 3rd in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Following his sophomore college season he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the first overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. Over the next six seasons, Vick grew into one of the most dangerous rushing quarterbacks in NFL history, and took the Falcons to the playoffs twice.

Vick became a major sports celebrity for his on-field excitement, but it was something that he was involved with off the field that would define the last few years. It came to light that Vick was not only involved directly in, but was also the financial backer for a major dogfighting operation. The losing dogs in the already vicious fights would usually be tortured and/or executed, often by brutal methods. Vick took an active role in this illegal and immoral activity.

In August of 2007, Vick plead guilty to federal charges that had been brought against him for the dogfighting operation. He was suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He was sued by the Falcons, and a court eventually ruled that he had to repay $20 million dollars in bonus money, some of which Vick had used to help finance the dogfighting. He went on to serve a year and a half in prison, then another couple of months under house arrest, and has filed for bankruptcy.

So a week ago when the Eagles announced the signing of Michael Vick, it wasn't only an announcement of the signing of a new player, but it was an announcement of the signing of a man who had become a social pariah in recent years. A man who was considered by many to be an outcast from society. Cruel, sadistic, manipulative, and even downright evil.

This was a surprise on a number of counts. First, the talks between Vick and various members of the Eagles operation had been going on for days, perhaps even weeks, with no one in the media having even a hint that it was happening. And second, the Birds have always been considered one of the NFL's more squeaky clean organizations, with coach Andy Reid in particular as one who did not tolerate bad behavior from players.

Fan and media reaction was immediate and intense. There were cries from fans stating that they would never again support the team. There were charges from radio talking heads that the Eagles had "gone crazy" and that the team was "forcing this on the fans" who now had to choose between loyalty to their longtime beloved team and their own moral convictions.

However, these were just a little more than half of the fan base speaking. About half of the people questioned on the subject believed that Vick deserved, in the spirit that everyone deserves, a second chance. This was my initial reaction, but I wanted to wait a little while until things settled down, and I had an opportunity to listen to others and also assess my own feelings a little more deeply.

For anyone who cares, here is how I see the Michael Vick situation.

I think that every person does indeed deserve that second chance, an opportunity to redeem themselves after a fall. I have personally committed actions during my own lifetime for which I have asked for and received that second chance. In fact, when examining your own lives, every single person reading this has needed or wanted a second chance at some point.

Now, having said that everyone deserves one, does that include Michael Vick? Of course it does. In saying that Vick deserves a second chance, does that mean that what he did wasn't heinous? Of course not, it most certainly was. Does it mean that I think what he did was right? Obviously not. Does it mean that we simply wipe the slate fully clean and forget what happened? Can't be done.

Does it mean that he gets away with it? Of course not, Vick served real prison time, lost a financial fortune, lost his personal and professional reputation. His name is now "Mudd" in as strong a way as anyone who has ever worn that label. Face it, Michael Vick has paid a price for what he did. What some people still need to reconcile with is how much punishment is enough, and are there some things in which he should never again participate?

Don't try to sell me on the worn-out idea that pro athletes are supposed to be 'role models' in any way. A role model is supposed to be someone who you look up to, on whom you may even try to pattern your own life direction, who provides you with inspiration. As responsible parents, we should be directing our children towards appropriate role models, not allowing them to drift towards slackers and criminals.

Now it's possible, likely even, that Michael Vick may indeed have become a role model for some youth of America due to his early career exploits and style. These young people likely would have had no idea of his off-field problematic behaviors, they just loved the player that they saw every Sunday on the field. For these individuals, the ultimate negative situations that Vick found himself in have valuable lessons that can be learned.

I believe that ultimately it is too important an idea to surrender, that idea of recovery, of restitution, of rehabilitation, of revival. I also believe that punishments should fit the crime, and in relation to this incident, I believe that a dog's life is not as important as a human beings life. I own a dog. I really enjoy my dog. He has been a major part of our home life for the past decade. But he is simply not as important as my wife, or my kids, or my grand kids. Period.

To me, that bottom line difference means that a man should not be sent to jail for life, or be executed, for a crime such as that committed by Michael Vick. I think that all of the punishment that he has been through already fits his particular crime.

So now it comes down to a pair of questions: should Vick be allowed to return to pro football, and if so, should the Philadelphia Eagles be the team that signs him? To the first I say that he should be allowed to return. His crime was not against football directly. He did not bet on the game, or throw the outcome of a game. He is not the first NFL player to spend time in jail and then return to the league.

An electrician, or a plumber, or a lawyer, or a politician would expect to return to work following a drunk driving episode. It happens every day. Vick is a pro football player, he should have the opportunity to return to his profession, if he will be allowed to do so by the league, and if a team will have him.

For any number of reasons, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to give him an opportunity with their organization. For my money from his perspective, there probably is not a better team that he could have that opportunity with than the Birds. He can be mentored, on and off the field, by a true leader in Donovan McNabb. He will be held accountable from here on out by an owner in Jeffrey Lurie and a coach in Andy Reid who will accept no slip ups, and who in fact will expect not only his best behavior, but also will watch for his acts of restitution.

I am a Philadelphia Eagles fan, and I will obviously remain one. I don't see me being 'forced' into anything by the team. I can support them or not, on various levels with my time and money. I choose to support them. I don't believe that Michael Vick will get a ton of opportunities as the team's quarterback, so I believe that the chance that I will have to root for him directly is small. If that time should indeed come, I will root for and cheer the result of any play that helps the Eagles win their games.

And as for Michael Vick, I will hope that he turns his life around. I hope that he truly grows to fully understand the depth of how wrong his previous actions were. I hope that he does everything in his power and then some to make amends to the community of his fellow man by donating time, money, and publicity towards the humane treatment of pets with the SPCA, the Humane Society, and other similar groups. And I hope that from this point forward he commits no further crimes or acts of cruelty.

If he should fail in some way, especially publicly, it will be he who is lessened for that failure, not us for giving him a chance. As a human being who has sinned and fallen and paid a large penalty, he deserves that second chance in my opinion, and I for one am glad that it was my Philadelphia Eagles who are giving it to him.

Very Special Father's Day for Falcons' Nicholas

Stephen Nicholas' arms were wrapped around his infant son, somewhat loosely because he didn't want to bump the tubes that had kept the child alive the past four months.

Wife Irene sat nearby and the doctor began talking. The doctor said the tubes were going to come out that afternoon. Stephen and Irene looked at each other and started crying as both minds registered the same two thoughts.

Stephen Nicholas Jr. had been in Children's Hospital Boston since last summer, waiting for a heart suitable to transplant into his little body.

"That was the doctor's way of saying there was a heart coming in,'' Stephen said.

Stephen Jr. was going to get a shot at life with a new heart. Tears of joy for a few seconds. Then, tears of sadness.

"The most bittersweet moment you can imagine,'' Irene said. "Our baby was going to get a new heart. But then you realize the heart had to come from someone his age and his size.''

Somewhere, someone else had lost a baby.

The date was Oct. 17, 2008. The surgery took hours upon hours and finally ended sometime around 4 the next morning. When the father saw the son at around noon, the baby had better color and was looking more alert than ever.

In another few weeks, Stephen Jr. would be given a clean bill of health and sent home to Atlanta. The doctors all have said Stephen Jr. should have a normal and healthy life.

If you looked over at the bleachers where the families sat during the Atlanta Falcons' minicamp practices last month, you never would have guessed life had been far from normal for the Nicholas family. When practice was over, the father went over to where the son sat with his mother. Within a few seconds, the two were running around and rolling in the grass.

Teammates walked by and smiled at the scene. Their wives and girlfriends watched the two Stephens and there might have been a few tears. This was the happiest ending to the best-kept secret of the 2008 season for the Falcons.

While rookie quarterback Matt Ryan was lighting up the NFL and the Falcons were making a run to the playoffs as the NFL's most surprising team, there was a little family secret that wasn't public because it was a very private matter.

Now Stephen, Irene and the Falcons are ready to tell the story that everyone else helped keep quiet last year.

Stephen and Irene were going through hell, but they had 52 other Falcons, a coaching staff, an owner and an entire building of employees quietly helping them along.

After all the craziness (the Michael Vick saga, Jim Mora melting down and Bobby Petrino walking out on his team) that had surrounded the Falcons in recent years, this story -- even more than the playoff run -- demonstrates a franchise with sanity, compassion and priorities that are very much in order.

It all started soon after Jan. 6, 2008, when Stephen Jr. was born. He was the first child for Stephen and Irene, but the new parents quickly could tell something wasn't right.

"He was sleeping all the time and he barely would eat,'' Irene said.

There was a flurry of visits to pediatricians in Jacksonville, Fla., where the Nicholas family makes its offseason home. Nothing was really clear and doctors eventually sent the baby to a hospital in nearby Gainesville for more evaluation. That's when it first became apparent that something was wrong with Stephen Jr.'s heart.

More tests only enhanced that idea and, with help from Stephanie Blank, wife of Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Stephen Jr. was airlifted to Atlanta. Stephanie Blank is a board member at Children's Hospital of Atlanta. There, doctors determined the baby had cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart isn't able to properly pump blood throughout the body.

At first, Stephen Jr. was given medication and sent home. There was some mild improvement, but it didn't last long.

"I can't even begin to tell you how many trips we made back to the emergency room,'' Irene said.

A few weeks before Stephen, 26, and the Falcons were scheduled to begin training camp last July, doctors sat him and Irene down.

"They basically said it wasn't getting any better and that just treating it with medication wasn't going to work,'' Stephen said. "He had to have a heart transplant and it would have to come soon. There was no other choice at that point.''

Irene and the baby went to Boston. Stephen went to training camp, where he went through the motions, but his heart was in Boston. For the next four months, Stephen Jr., wired with tubes of medication to help keep his heart functioning, waited for a donor they weren't sure would come in time.

As all this was going on, there was a development that makes you realize the NFL isn't always the cold, hard business we always hear about. First-year coach Mike Smith, a gentle man with a family of his own, sat down Nicholas and told him not to worry about his job security.

"We were very cognizant of what was going on and wanted to make sure he was able to get to Boston as often as possible,'' Smith said. "We wanted him to be with his wife and baby because that was a very trying situation.''

Smith offered a deal. Each Sunday night during the season, Nicholas could fly to Boston from wherever the Falcons were playing. He could take Monday and Tuesday off and fly back to Atlanta in time for Wednesday's practice.

The show of support went even deeper than that. As a second-year backup, Nicholas wasn't making a lot of money. Two veteran teammates, who don't want to be named, helped take care of his travel expenses and the costs of Irene staying in Boston.

Then there was Kevin Winston. Officially, he's the Falcons' director of player programs. Unofficially, he's the team's social worker and a big brother to the players. Winston looks like he could play linebacker, but has a soft spot for anyone who's going through a tough time.

"Kevin was on the phone with me all the time,'' Irene said. "He was always checking to see if there was anything I needed or anything the Falcons could do.''

Back in Atlanta, Stephen was able to focus on football for a few hours each day. He was a fixture on special teams and a backup at outside linebacker.

"It says a lot about Stephen's character that he was able to still play football while he was going through all that,'' Smith said. "It also says a lot about our football team and how the guys rallied around him.''

The situation also revealed an awful lot about Irene. She might have been the strongest of all. She was on the front line, sitting with Stephen Jr. every day, not knowing how long his heart would last or if a new one was coming.

"She's a rock,'' Stephen said. "She held down the fort and told me to keep plugging with football because we had to keep going on. I thank God for giving her to me. Every day when I go home now, I kiss my wife and I kiss my baby. I've been blessed with both of them.''

As Father's Day approaches this weekend, things are back to normal around the Nicholas' house -- as normal as can be expected when you're the proud parents of a rambunctious 18-month-old.

"He's more than normal now and really has been since just a few days after the surgery,'' Irene said. "He's into everything and he never really stops, but that's fine with us.''

Without knowing what was going on behind the scenes last season, some Falcons fans were wondering why Stephen was having a quiet year, after a promising rookie season, and not getting on the field much even though starting linebackers Michael Boley and Keith Brooking weren't having great seasons.

Now, fans know. The Falcons learned plenty about Nicholas last season and that's part of the reason they let Boley and Brooking go.

Nicholas has been working as the starter on the strong side throughout the offseason. Part of that is because the Falcons believe his physical skills are ready to blossom. And part of it may be because Nicholas already has shown he's the strongest player on the roster as a person.

"Stephen and his wife are incredibly strong,'' Smith said. "And they've gotten even stronger because of what they've been through.''

This year, Nicholas is looking forward to training camp and a shot at a starting job. Irene and Stephen Jr. won't be so far away this time. In fact, Nicholas already is looking forward to taking some glances at the bleachers between plays to see his son, safe, sound and healthy.

"It's going to be nice to be out there with a clear mind,'' Nicholas said.

WRITTEN by Pat Yasinskas for ESPN.com on June 19th, 2009

Faith in Eagles Management

There has been much lamenting and gnashing of teeth in Eagles Nation over the past week or so as players like Lito Sheppard, Sean Considine, Correll Buckhalter, and most especially Brian Dawkins have either been traded away or left the team via free agency. You also have the two twin towers of the offensive line for the past decade, Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan, very much in doubt as to their own returning for next season. Tight End L.J. Smith is shopping his services and is believed not wanted back by the Birds. These players make up a huge portion of the success that the Philadelphia Eagles football team has enjoyed over the past decade. But as they leave it is important to note something that is extremely important: this current Philadelphia Eagles management team of owner Jeffrey Lurie, team President Joe Banner, and GM/Coach Andy Reid almost always knows when to say 'when' with a player, no matter that player's reputation or popularity. From Duce Staley to Jeremiah Trotter to Hugh Douglas, the Eagles knew when it was time to say goodbye. Probably the only exception was Terrell Owens, and is there anyone out there as an Eagles fan who really wanted him to stay after all the histrionics and drama that he created? He moved on to the Eagles greatest rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, and put up some great stats. He has also continued his controversial ways there, and has helped the Cowboys achieve exactly nothing of note as a team in his two seasons in 'Big D' so far. Since the end of Andy Reid's first season as head coach in 1999, and since Donovan McNabb took over as the starting quarterback, the Eagles have fashioned a regular season record of 92-51-1. They have had just one losing season in that stretch, the injury and T.O. drama-marred 2005 season following their Super Bowl near-miss vs. New England. They have won five NFC East titles, and are coming off a 2008 season that saw them advance to the NFC Championship game for the fifth time. Eagles fans are easily among the handful of most passionate and knowledgeable fan bases in the entire NFL community. They are also notoriously emotional. They form bonds with their heroes that are commendable, but that would be disastrous if such emotion was demonstrated similarly and then operated on by the organization. The Eagles brain trust has to make difficult decisions to remain competitive year-in and year-out. Ask an Eagles fan if he would trade one single Super Bowl victory for ten losing seasons and most fans would take the Super Bowl. Ask the team management if they would prefer to win one Super Bowl and then lose for a decade, or continue to be a competitive club that wins division titles and is in the playoffs most years over the next decade, and I would bet the management would take the latter. That is because management is smart, whereas fans generally are not. 'Smart' in this respect meaning that there comes a time when every player has to move on, and management has to make those tough decisions no matter what the fans feel. It has happened with the popular players already mentioned, and it will happen sometime in the next couple of seasons with players like McNabb, David Akers, and Brian Westbrook. Father Time catches up with everyone, including pro athletes, and especially pro football players who take a pounding in one of the most violent sports ever devised by man. The management team in charge of the Philadelphia Eagles pro football team has proven itself over a decade that it knows what it is doing in keeping the team a strong competitor every year in perhaps football's toughest division. A great deal of leadership has aged and is now moving on as the team says goodbye to Dawkins and Thomas and perhaps to Runyan. But my money right now is on that management team to further develop the players still on the roster, and to bring in more complimentary players via the draft and free agency, and remain strong competitors for that fan base. Due simply to their track record, if for no other reason, I for one have faith in Eagles management to keep the team a winner.

It's Easy to Root for Kurt Warner

He is 37 years old now, which is getting pretty long in the tooth for an NFL starting quarterback. He is also a decade removed from his first trip to the Super Bowl, when he led Dick Vermiel's Saint Louis Rams to victory and was named the MVP of the Super Bowl. He also won the first of two NFL MVP awards that season. The midwest boy, born and raised in the Iowa corn fields, grew into one of the most accurate passers in the history of the National Football League. But perhaps more importantly, Kurt Warner grew into a leader of men, and a strong, positive example for mankind. That's a mouthful to say about a football player, but the Arizona Cardinals quarterback is far from being your normal high-profile athlete. First, that football career. Kurt Warner stayed home and played college ball at Northern Iowa. He was not able to win the starting job there until his senior year when he was named the Gateway Conference Player of the Year. Still, the NFL did not come calling. Warner went undrafted in 1994, and so he went to work at a grocery store. In 1995 the local Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League offered him a contract, and over the next three seasons he played well enough that he was considered the best quarterback in the AFL. The officials with the Saint Louis Rams noticed, gave him a tryout, and signed him to a contract for the 1998 season. Warner spent that 1998 season riding the bench and went into 1999 expecting to again be a backup. But an injury to starting quarterback Mark Bulger gave Warner an opportunity, and just as he had at Northern Iowa and with the Barnstormers, he made the most of it. Warner went on to an MVP season with the Rams, passing for more than 4,300 yards with 41 touchdown passes. He was named the NFL MVP, led the Rams to victory in only their 2nd franchise Super Bowl (their first in St. Louis), and was named the Super Bowl MVP as well. In both 2000 and 2001 Warner was again one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, and he won his 2nd NFL MVP award after that 2001 season. Then the career wheels fell off. Nagging injuries drove Warner to the trainer's room and to backup status. He left the Rams for the Giants, and then moved on to Arizona, all the while becoming more and more viewed as an aging, injury-risk, backup-type quarterback who was now just a shell of his former greatness. Coming in to the 2008 season, Warner was expected to be backup to young phenom Matt Leinert. But it was Warner who was healthy and shined in the pre-season, and it was Warner who was named the starter by coach Ken Whisenhunt. He was phenomenal, passing for over 4,500 yards and 30 TD passes. He led the Cardinals to their first NFC West championship, and now will lead the Cards franchise into it's first-ever Super Bowl on Sunday. Warner has thus gained a trip to the Super Bowl for both the city of Saint Louis and their former longtime Cardinals team. He may very well win his 3rd NFL MVP award. With this season and his latest trip to the NFL's biggest stage he has likely cemented his place in the Hall of Fame. But all of that only tells a part of the story, for it is Kurt Warner's personal life that has so endeared him to teammates and fans alike. Let's go back to those days when Warner was undrafted and stocking groceries for a year, prior to the AFL giving him his first shot at pro football. The story is told like this. Kurt was a stockboy at the supermarket when one day a new voice came over the loudspeaker asking for a 'carry out' at register four. Kurt was almost finished, wanted some fresh air, and decided to go answer the call. As he approached the checkout he noticed a new girl working there. As the girl smiled at him he thought how beautiful she was, but also that she was older. Turns out she was 26, while Kurt was only 22 at the time. He found out that her name was Brenda, and after work he offered her a ride home, which she accepted. When he dropped her off Kurt asked if he could see her again outside of work. She said that it wouldn't be possible, but he pressed her and she responded that she had two small children. Kurt was unfazed and volunteered to pay for a babysitter and so Brenda agreed to a Saturday night first date. However, when Kurt arrived she told him that she wouldn't be able to go because the babysitter had called and cancelled at the last minute. Kurt was again unfazed and told her that they could take the kids out with them. She again said that it wasn't possible, and again Kurt pressed her for a reason. As Brenda called out, her cute-as-a-button daughter came running, and Brenda went to get her other child. She came back with him: a wheel-chair bound son who was born with Downs Syndrome. "I still don't get it, why can't they come out with us?" Warner asked. Brenda was amazed, believing that most men would have seen this as their opportunity to bow out gracefully but quickly. After all, her husband had left when he found out about the disability and it's responsibilities. But Warner wasn't like most guys. They went out together that night, and any time that the son needed help, Kurt was there to provide it. Brenda and Kurt fell in love, were married a year later, and Kurt adopted her kids. Where did Kurt Warner get this fortitude, this maturity? It turns out that Kurt Warner is an open, out of the closet, wear it on his sleeves Christian. Kurt Warner, you see, has been touched by the Holy Spirit and has never been ashamed to talk to anyone about his love of Jesus Christ. His teammates on the Arizona Cardinals, as with anywhere else that he has played, have always been both moved and inspired by the depth and openness of his faith. Many of them have come to the Lord and been saved by his direct example and his willingness to share his beliefs with them. So as you can see, there are many more reasons to be a fan of Kurt Warner than simply because he is a great football player. Despite the fact that he beat my Philadelphia Eagles to get here, on Sunday evening I will be rooting for Kurt Warner and the Arizona Cardinals to win the Super Bowl over the Pittsburgh Steelers. When you know the whole story, it's easy to root for a guy like that.

Playing With House Money

Continuation of the 'Sunday Sermon' series, all entries of which can be viewed by clicking on that label below this posting.
I just heard a reporter on the ESPN flagship program 'SportsCenter' mention that the Baltimore Ravens players feel that they are playing today's AFC Championship game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers with "house money." It struck me because I had just prior to that been reading in the newspaper that some of the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals were both using that same phrase this past week, that their respective teams would be playing the NFC Championship game with that same "house money." For those who don't understand, what the term 'playing with house money' refers to is the attitude that you have nothing to lose. It is an old gambling phrase that alludes to being so far ahead already in your expected winnings that you are not playing with your own money, you are playing with that 'house money' (the casino or sponsoring organization of the gambling being referred to as the 'house'.) So what the NFL teams here are saying is that they were not expected to get this far, or that they are such underdogs in todays games, that they have nothing to lose. I would argue that this is nothing more than a way to handle the pressure that they actually are feeling. I would argue that this is misleading in the sports context, and the same goes with your own life. Just as in today's respective conference title tilts, there is no such thing as a day in your life with nothing on the line. In the two games being played later today, the Eagles, Cardinals, Steelers and Ravens are playing for an opportunity to advance to the biggest stage in American professional sports, the Super Bowl. Most players will never reach that game as a competitor. If the Eagles should win and advance it will be just the third time since the game was established some four decades ago that the franchise has advanced that far. They have never won a Super Bowl. There is no house money on the line here. The Eagles are no longer that far ahead of things. They have played as well as any team in football for two months now. There is nothing surprising about their appearance here, they have fully earned it on the field. Should they lose today's game, the Eagles players and fan base will certainly not say "Well, it was a great run, we're happy with getting this far." The Eagles are not underdogs. There is something of worth on the line today. The game stands on its own as meaning something important. The prize in winning is large and worth playing, fighting and cheering for them. The same goes with your own life. We are never so well off, so safe, so saved that we can spiritually coast along. There is no highway to heaven. You can be a regular church-goer. You can pray regularly. You can participate in the sacraments. You can read your Bible. But you get no automatic pass into the Kingdom. All of those things are important. You should be doing them. They will help you live a far better, more secure life with more peace of mind. And they will give you something to hang your hat on when you ultimately leave this world and stand in front of Him looking for your place in eternity. But you cannot let down your guard. You can never say that you have prayed so much, gone to church so many times, given so much in tithing, memorized so many Bible verses that you can slip a little bit and still be safe. Sin is sin. You can do all of those good things, but if you turn your back on God and intentionally sin against his commandments at the end you will be in trouble. You will find at that time that there is no 'house money' with which you were playing. You will find that you have lost, and this time it is no game. NFL Hall of Fame coach Don Shula (pictured above) won a pair of Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins in the 1970's. He also lost his share of playoff games. Shula once famously said "..when you're there, it's not good enough to be there, when you're there, you better walk away with that ring." He went on to discuss the feeling the day after you lose following a nice playoff run. The feeling is no better, and in some instances is even worse, than a regular season defeat. The losers today will find out first-hand about the feeling of getting so close but falling just short of the Super Bowl, the goal for every player in the NFL. Just the same, you need to keep playing the game of life well all the way to the finish. You have to close the deal. You have to play well and practice well every day for your opportunity at the post-life of eternal bliss. Let down your guard and decide that you are playing with 'house money' and you will find yourself sitting in a worse place than today's conference game losers.

The Philadelphia Eagles Need to Replace...

...Brian Westbrook. What! What are you nuts, Veasey? Well we already know the answer to that question. After all, you're the guy who picked George W. Bush as your website 'American of the Year' for 2008. You're the guy who has consistently supported Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb. You think Sarah Palin and Ann Coulter are hot. You whole-heartedly believe in this Jesus fellow, and that he died on a cross specifically for your individual sins that would not even be committed for another two millenia. But Brian Westbrook needs to be replaced? Well, now you are just simply over the top. If the old Byberry Hospital were still around, we might have you committed. Well gang, this is the response that I would expect, but let's talk about the facts that lead me to make this statement. First let's dispense with the obvious. For right now Brian Westbrook is one of the most important players on the Eagles roster. Some would make a solid argument that he is the single most important player to the team. I concur with their assessment, for this particular playoff run. He does not need to be cut, does not need to be replaced right now. But here is something to seriously consider, something the the Philadelphia Eagles management had better be seriously considering. Brian Westbrook will turn 30 years old at the beginning of the 2009 season. For most people that is nothing. It is the beginning of a decade that will be very much like their 20's, at least physically and where overall health is concerned. However, for a professional athlete, it quite often marks the beginning of the end. And for a Running Back playing in the National Football League, Brian Westbrook is already on borrowed time. As Jim Rome just said in the last few days about Ladainian Tomlinson, running backs who hit age 28 usually fall off rapidly and suddenly. Let's look at some examples from the past few decades. Remember Dallas great Tony Dorsett? TD rushed for over 1,000 yards every season of his career until first missing the mark at age 32 in 1986. He never again came close. Barry Sanders? He retired after playing at age 30. Walter Payton? He was strong through age 32, his fourth straight season rushing for over 1,300 yards. He was out of the game two years later after missing the mark at age 33. How about Marshall Faulk? A top contributor right through age 29, but at 30 and 31 showed serious wear and tear, and by 32 he was done. Perhaps the greatest of all-time, Emmitt Smith, was slowly declined through his 32-33-34 seasons. He resurrected his career for one last solid season at age 35, a true enigma, but was gone after that season. The fact is that while Brian Westbrook is not likely to completely lose his effectiveness next season, he is already now showing serious signs of the wear and tear that his heavy workload has put on his body over the past half dozen seasons. The Eagles might be able to squeeze one, maybe two more strong years from B-West. But the facts and history speak for themselves. Despite what many 'WIP'-styled fans feel, Andy Reid should coach the Eagles as long as he remains physically healthy. Donovan McNabb remains one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, and there is no reason to feel that he won't stay at that level for at least another 3-4 years. But Brian Westbrook is at the edge of his productive career. The Eagles need to begin thinking about bringing in his heir apparent, or risk a sudden loss at the position that will leave them seriously reeling.

I Told Me So

I hate to write about the same thing so close together, but after writing about the Eagles just a couple of days ago, here we go again. That was the title of my article on Saturday: 'Here We Go Again', relating to the resumption of the Eagles rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys in the season finale. It was going to be the season finale, because there was only a slim chance that the Birds could slip into the NFL playoffs. A number of different things needed to happen, one in particular being a longshot at best. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had to lose at home to the Oakland Raiders. The Bucs would make the playoffs if they won in front of their rabid fans. The Raiders seemingly had nothing to play for in a lost season. It had all the makings of a Bucs blowout, and when Tampa took a 10-point lead into the 4th quarter you expected the Raiders to coast out of 2008 and Tampa fans to celebrate heartily. But...wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, the Raiders did not roll over. They kept coming. They scored the final 17 points of the game. They beat Tampa Bay, and in doing so the Eagles fans watching at home or following the game in the Linc parking lot suddenly saw the door swinging open again. That door had seemingly been slammed shut a week earlier. Last weekend, the Eagles had this same scenario. The teams that they needed to lose did indeed lose, and the Birds went into their game in Washington needing to beat the 'Skins to take control of a playoff slot. They came out listless and lost without even scoring a touchdown, and thus were in this desperate position yesterday. When the Raiders sacked Tampa quarterback Jeff Garcia, the dead-armed maniac who had miraculously led the Birds to the playoffs just two seasons ago, the clock ran out on the Bucs season, and that door again opened for the Birds. Even with that little favor from Oakland, the Eagles still needed another thing to happen. Either the Houston Texans had to upend the Chicago Bears, or the Giants had to beat the Minnesota Vikings. So Eagles fans found themselves in the unusual position of rooting on the G-Men. They would not cooperate. Despite leading most of the game, the Giants lost to the Vikes on a last-second field goal. So the game in Houston was a must-win for the Eagles, and it didn't look good early as the Bears bolted to a 10 point lead. But once again things went the Birds way. Houston rallied and held off Chicago for a 7-point win. Suddenly, the Bucs and the Bears were eliminated from the playoffs thanks to their own inability to win the key game, and the Eagles playoff door was now completely wide open. It was down to a one game pre-playoff with those hated Cowboys. Whomever won the late afternoon game at the Linc would enter the playoffs on a high. The loser would see their season end in disappointing and disheartening fashion. You expected that it would be a great game, with both teams coming out firing with all guns. It didn't happen. The Dallas Cowboys showed up, but that was all they did. The Eagles, led by their fiery, rejuvenated, future Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins and their similarly revived quarterback Donovan McNabb delivered hit after hit, blow after blow, big play after big play. In the first half, McNabb led the Eagles to three touchdowns, sneaking in for one himself and firing a pair of TD passes for the others, and the Eagles opened up a 27-3 halftime lead. In the 2nd half it was the defense turn. Dawkins ripped the ball from two Cowboys carriers, and each time his defensive mates scooped up the fumbles and returned them for touchdowns. What was already a blowout turned into the greatest rout in the history of this legendary rivalry as the Birds finished up a 44-6 victory that put them into the playoffs. Dallas took their high-salaried, big name roster home on what had to be an extremely painful flight home to 'Big D'. No thought was sweeter for Birds fans than to send the Dallas party home in that manner. A couple of months ago when the buzzards began circling this Eagles team for the first time, and their quarterback for what seemed like the umpteenth time, I would frequently defend Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid to friends and family. Only folks with short memories could look past what Reid has done here over the past decade. He has now taken the Birds to the playoffs for the 7th time in 10 seasons that have included five NFC east titles, 4 trips to the NFC Championship game and one Super Bowl visit. There has never been such a sustained period of success in the history of this franchise. To even utter any phrase that would suggest he should be replaced as the head coach is naive at best, and now should be considered downright stupid at worst. As for McNabb, even being a longtime fan, and even believing that his physical skills would likely yield at least a couple of more strong seasons, I thought it might be time to turn the page and start to rebuild under the 'quarterback of the future' in Kevin Kolb. There were fewer low points than the back-to-back embarrassments of the tie in Cincinnati and the humiliating loss to Baltimore, and McNabb looked old and tired in those games. I joined the cause of calling for a change at the position, going back on my earlier defense of the QB. I was wrong, and so was everyone else who called for McNabb's head. The man has done nothing since he has been here, when healthy, but win for a decade. He is by far the greatest quarterback in the history of the Eagles franchise. He clearly is not physically old. He rose from the ashes of the Baltimore benching and proved as much over this last month. No matter what the Eagles do in these upcoming playoffs, both Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb should be back next year, and the year after that, and probably the year after that as well. I was right earlier in the season to defend them. Now after yesterday's historic, unforgettable victory, I can finally say it: I told me so.

Eagles-Cowboys: Here We Go Again

No matter the circumstances, the playoff implications or the records of the two teams, football games between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys are the epitome of the word 'rivalry'. In two different eras, the Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett days of the 1970's and the Aikman-Emmitt-Irvin days of the mid-1990's, the Eagles and their fans had to sit through numerous defeats at the hands of the team from 'Big D'. The Birds got some revenge during the bluster of the Buddy Ryan era, and even more during their emergence as a perennial contender this past decade. Along the way there have been numerous unforgettable games and moments. This all started waaaay back on September 30th, 1960, a full year before I was even born. The Cowboys were an expansion team that year, and the Eagles were on their way to winning their last NFL championship to this day. But on that late September day it didn't matter that Dallas would end up winless, or that the Birds would win a title. The Cowboys fought the Eagles tooth and nail before the Birds finally overcame with a narrow 27-25 victory. Veteran sports writer Stan Hochman has told the story that the real beginnings of the venom in the rivalry can be traced to the late 1960's and an Eagles running back named Timmy Brown. He ran all over the Cowboys in those days, and so it was rumored that Dallas coach Tom Landry put a 'contract' out on Brown, some reward for one of his own players taking Brown out of the game. On December 10th, 1967, the 'Boys were delivering a beating, having the Eagles down by 31-3 at the half. Late in the 2nd half, Brown was finishing up his route as a decoy on a pass play aimed at a different receiver. As that pass fell incomplete, Dallas linebacker Lee Roy Jordan blind-sided Brown with a stiff elbow to the jaw. Brown's jaw was broken, he had six loose teeth, and he ate from a straw for a month and a half. Jordan got a 15-yard penalty. The rivalry was on. But it was mostly one-sided, as the Cowboys went on to win 17 of the 20 games played between the two teams during the 1970's. As the decade was ending, however, the Eagles were emerging from their losing ways, and were advancing towards their moment of deliverance. Under young, energetic head coach Dick Vermeil, the Birds advanced to the NFC Championship on January 11th, 1981. Who would be waiting there, standing between the franchise and its first-ever Super Bowl berth? The Dallas Cowboys, of course. But this day at cold, windy Veteran's Stadium would be different, and it would start early. Birds all-pro running back Wilbert Montgomery took a handoff from Ron Jaworski, slipped through the Dallas line, and bolted 42 yards for a first quarter touchdown. Eagles Hall of Fame linebacker Bill Bergey would say that it felt like 'millions of volts of electricity' was coming from the fans in the stands that afternoon. The Eagles went on to finish off the Cowboys by a 20-7 score in front of those delirious fans. As a 19-year old young fan myself, I remember it vividly, this great victory over our hated rivals which was coming just a little over two months after the Phillies had delivered us a World Series championship. We were on top of the world. Those are just some of the memories from ages ago now that have shaped the great rivalry. Tomorrow it will rear its head once again here in Philadelphia. It could mean a playoff berth for one or both of the teams. It could mean nothing in the standings. The Eagles fans will most certainly be ready, no matter the circumstances of the standings or playoffs, which will have been settled by game time. One thing is certain, it will mean something, because it is Eagles-Cowboys. If it ends up being the Eagles final game of the season, there are few better ways to end it than with a win over Dallas.

Donovan and Eagles at a Crossroads

Despite what the gloom and doom crowd at 610 WIP AM Sports Talk radio would tell you, the Philadelphia Eagles football team does not stink. Their coach does not need to be fired. Their quarterback is not washed up. Eagles fans have become spoiled by the Andy Reid era. That is a fact. They must have forgotten the Ray Rhodes era that preceded it, when the team went 29-34-1 over a four year period. Or perhaps the Rich Kotite era before that, when the team went 36-28 over four years but only made the playoffs once. Maybe they loved those brash Buddy Ryan years before that, every one a winning regular season. Of course there was that little matter of zero playoff wins. None. Marion Campbell, the 'Swamp Fox', and his 17-29-1 over three years and no playoffs? Forget those. Fact is that since the end of Dick Vermeil's final full season in 1981 and the start of the Reid Era, the Eagles floundered, sputtered, and crashed after brief periods of soaring. Fact is also that since the end of Reid's first season he has guided the team to an 88-52-1 regular season record, 8 playoff wins, 4 NFC east division titles, an NFC championship, and a narrow Super Bowl defeat to this decade's dynasty team. The biggest mistake that professional sports teams make is hiring the wrong manager/coach. The 2nd biggest that they make is hiring the right guy, then giving up on him when the going gets tough. The organizations that remain the strongest consistently, year-in and year-out over lengthy periods of time, which is exactly what their fan base wants, are the organizations that keep their good coach through the tough times. The fact is that the Eagles are in a transition period with their personnel, they play in a tough division with superior competitors, and their superstar running back is playing at less than 100%. Andy Reid and his staff deserve a full chance to work their way through this tough period. My bet is that they quickly have the team back in contention. Of course that's not to say that they aren't in contention right now. The team sits at 5-4-1, just a half game off the final Wildcard pace. Their defense has allowed the 8th lowest points in the entire NFL. Only 5 teams have scored more points than their offense. The simple fact is that they remain one of the top teams in the league. They don't get blown out. They do not get dominated. In other words, to say they 'stink' is to completely ignore reality. They are in such a difficult playoff situation because they have not come through in critical situations in close games, not because they are any worse than any of the teams to whom they lost. Their four losses were twice by 4 points, once by 5, once by 6, and then there is last week's dispiriting tie with Cincinnati. Their five wins have all been by more than a touchdown. In other words, this is a good team. They have simply suffered some bad breaks, and some bad breakdowns at key moments. You can blame that on poor coaching decisions and be correct in a few instances. You can blame that on the inability of players to make plays, and be just as correct. You can also look at the fact that their most dynamic offensive component, running back Brian Westbrook, has been a shadow of his Pro Bowl self in an injury-marred season. The Eagles are in a four-team race with Washington, Dallas, and Atlanta for the final playoff spot. A look at all of their schedules shows that none has a real advantage. In other words, the Eagles are a playoff contender during a difficult season. On Sunday they have a difficult challenge in playing at Baltimore, an AFC contender with a defense as good as the Eagles. It should be a defensive struggle for both clubs. It is up to Donovan McNabb, the veteran quarterback whose career in Philadelphia (but certainly not his entire NFL career) is perhaps at as big a crossroads as this team's season. If McNabb steps up and leads the team to victory this week, the Eagles stay in contention, the WIP crowd is silenced for at least a week, and McNabb stock rises. If the Ravens dominate him and win the game, the Eagles season is likely over, and perhaps McNabb's career here as well. The Philadelphia Eagles and their longtime quarterback are indeed at a crossroads. Their coach should not be considered in the same light.

Who is This Marshawn Lynch Fella Anyway?

I used to play Fantasy Football regularly, and was usually pretty good at it too. With a bunch of guys that I knew from my former profession in banking, I kept playing into my early years with the police department. But somewhere around the turn of the century, I dropped out. Part of the reasoning was that I just wanted to simplify things a bit, to get rid of some things that were taking up my time and effort. You see, when I get involved in stuff like that, I get involved. It's fun, sure, but it's not all just fun, I have to win too. So that means that I have to know as much information as possible, which involves reading on the web and in magazines, watching TV shows, watching games, etc. For the past 8-10 years without Fantasy Football, I have found that I enjoyed watching Eagles games so much more. Of course this may also have had something to do with the fact that during this period the Eagles got really good thanks to Andy Reid, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, Brian Dawkins, et al. I found that I didn't at all miss the Sunday ritual of checking the highlight shows to see if any of my guys had big games, scored touchdowns, and so on. I enjoyed football much more without the Fantasy element. So with all that good stuff, why am I back in the game, cramming suddenly for a Draft to be held tomorrow (Friday) night? Good question. A few guys that I work with are involved, and asked, so I am gonna take the plunge again. I looked down the list of NFL kickers as currently ranked by one of the rating services, and I didn't even know 12 of the top 13 names listed. I don't know the vast majority of the RB's and WR's, and even a few of the QB's. Heck, if it wasn't for some stupid ESPN commercials, I would have never heard of Maurice Jones-Drew at all. So here I sit, having to decide which two players from the team that I have inherited in an ongoing league that I might want as 'Keepers' for my team. I am leaning towards keeping a guy named Marshawn Lynch, because the websites and magazines rate him as around the 10th-15th best player overall. But I don't really know who the heck he is, outside of being a RB on the Buffalo Bills. It is so much different than when I left the Fantasy game a decade ago, when I knew all the players and was educated well on the trends. Now I am playing catchup, which probably means that I am donating my $120 entry fee. At least for this year. Unless of course this Marshawn guy is a stud, and maybe I can spackle and duct tape together enough luck to steal something early. Hope springs eternal on Draft night, where the real fun is enjoyed anyway. Am I ready for some football? Here goes nothin'.
NOTE: The league that I joined decided on Draft night to "redraft" with no 'Keepers' this year, so Lynch was not mine in the end. My first four picks were: Clinton Portis RB, Ryan Grant RB, Steve Smith WR, Donovan McNabb QB

Big Red Opens Green Camp

The Philadelphia Eagles opened training camp for their upcoming 2008 season on Monday at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. The camp will run from now through August 13th, when the Birds will pack up and head to Philly. The Birds open their pre-season schedule at the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 8th, then open at home on August 14th against the Carolina Panthers. The team will then close out it's pre-season with games at New England and at home against the New York Jets. Coming into camp, the Birds have been installed by the odds makers in Las Vegas as the 3rd best team in the NFC. Unfortunately, they are also the 3rd best team in their own NFC East division. Vegas has the Dallas Cowboys as the NFC favorites, with the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants ranked just slightly ahead of our Birds at this point. Over in the AFC, New England is the favorite, and is the overall favorite as well, followed by Indianapolis and San Diego tied for the 2nd overall favorite to win it all. Jacksonville is the 4th highest rated club, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied with the Eagles for 7th overall. The success or failure of the upcoming season is, as always, in the hands of Donovan McNabb. At age 31, McNabb will be starting his 10th NFL season at the helm of the Birds 'West Coast' offense, and will be trying to rally a club that started slow a year ago as he recovered from injury. In the end, McNabb didn't have a bad season last year. He was able to play in 14 of the club's 16 games, tossing over 3,000 yards for the 5th time in his career. His quarterback rating of 89.9 was the 3rd highest of his career, the 2nd highest among full seasons that he has played, and he completed over 61% of his passes. It was in many ways perhaps his 2nd best statistical season, trailing only the magical 2004 of 'T.O' and the Super Bowl. However, McNabb was often tentative through the first 2/3 of the year, when the Eagles struggled and fell to a 5-8 record before rallying to finish at 8-8 by winning their final three games. The Birds have some questions coming in: will the three-headed cornerback rotation of stars Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown and newcomer Assante Samuel work in practice? Will Brian Westbrook be able to get happy with his contract situation, stay healthy, and remain one of the top multi-purpose backs in the NFL? Can Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, and L.J. Smith team with McNabb to form a fully functional, productive receiving corps? Will Jim Johnson's noted 'bend but don't break' defense actually bend a little less, and break a little lesser? Will Marty Mornhinweg get the offense into the end zone from the Red Zone more often? And perhaps most importantly, can the Birds coaching staff fix the horrible problems on Special Teams that killed the club so often in 2007? The Eagles are once again a very talented football team, and they are led by one of the best coaches in the league over the past decade in Andy Reid, who has guided them to five NFC East titles, four NFC title games, and a Super Bowl appearance. Reid's very public family troubles of a year ago are largely behind him now, and his concentration should be totally back in the game. 'Big Red' and his staff know what it takes to win, and given health there is every reason to believe that the Eagles will get off to a better start this year. They remain the most dangerous team in the league after Thanksgiving, so what happens between the September 7th home opener at the Linc vs. the St. Louis Rams and that Turkey Day tilt with the Arizona Cardinals (yes, the Birds are on Thanksgiving this year, at home) will likely determine their season. This fan has rose, or should I say green-colored glasses. I predict that the Eagles will stay healthy and once again win their division, with starring turns from McNabb and Westbrook. Time will tell, but in the middle of the summer at the beginning of training camp, we are all allowed to dream of next January's NFL Super Bowl. The Phils will deservedly keep getting our attention here in the Philly sports world, but it's also time to start following the Birds. Time's yours...