Die Hard Sports Fan

Everywhere I go, at work, at home, in the car, when I am awake and when I am asleep, I have one vision in my head and I cannot shake it from my thoughts.  The harder I try, the more it keeps replaying, over and over again.  That image is Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter being stuffed at the Bears 1 cm line in Sunday’s loss to the Bears.  I want to yell at Buckhalter to reach the ball over the goal-line while you are getting stacked up.  I want to jump into the vision in my head myself and help backup TE Matt Schobel block Bears DE Alex Brown.  In my vision, I want to run onto the field, over to the sidelines and beg Head Coach Andy Reid to run his 230 pound quarterback on a QB keeper.  I want to tell him to get his head out of his arse and run a bootleg or some kind of quick hitter instead of the slow, developing running plays to Buckhalter that they called. 

The NFC East is up for grabs.  It will probably come down to the final week of the NFL season.  With the development and improvement of QB Jason Campbell of the Redskins and their upset victory over The Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, there are now a total of four teams in the NFC East that could win the division.  Just a week ago, we thought it would only come down to The Giants, Cowboys, and Eagles.  Not so fast and now we face the Skins this Sunday in what is looking like a must win game.  Now I fear The Eagles loss to The Bears on Sunday may just come back and bite us in the rear come the end of the season where that we will look back and say “what if we only dialed up the right play calling when the game was on the line that September evening in Chicago?”

You think I am being too hard on Coach Reid?  Check out this article and let me know your thoughts (click here)

With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!!  EAGLES!!

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The Eagles and Bears fought out a tough, competitive game with the Bears doing a better job of taking opportunity of some turnovers and earning the win.

1^st Quarter

The Eagles received the ball first to open the game.  The Eagles went 3 and out and were forced to punt after being sacked on 3^rd down by Bears Safety Daniel Manning.  On the Bears’ first offensive possession, they marched right down the field ending the drive with a Touchdown strike to Tight End Greg Olsen, who beat Eagles LB Chris Gocong in the endzone.

On the Eagles next possession, QB Donovan McNabb came out on fire, standing tall in the pocket, hitting rookie WR DeSean Jackson on multiple big plays including a 22 yard TD making the score 7-7.  Jackson also had a big run on a reverse, helping set up the Eagles’ first TD.

2^nd Quarter

On a Bears’ possession, they were forced to punt.  A Bears’ 38 yard punt was muffed by DeSean Jackson at the Eagles 24 yard line.  2 Plays later, Bears QB Kyle Orton found WR Marty Booker open in the end zone for a 23-yard Touchdown breaking the tie.  The Bears led 14-7.

The Eagles offense responded on their next possession by marching down the field.  WR Reggie Brown had multiple catches helping to get The Eagles down into The Bears’ Red Zone.  RB Correll Buckhalter then took a screen pass from McNabb 19 yards down to the Bears 1 yard line.  Buckhalter then took the next carry and plunged into the end-zone making the score 14-14.

On another possession, The Bears capped off a 60 yard drive with a 20 yard TD to KR/WR Devin Hester where The Bears took the lead 21-14 at half-time. 

3^rd Quarter

The Bears received the ball to start the 3^rd quarter and were forced to punt after a few plays.  The Bears punted the ball down inside the Eagles 10 yard line where McNabb through a costly interception with RB Correll Buckhalter getting hurt during the interception return.

Inside the Eagles 20 yard line, on the 2^nd play after the turnover, Bears QB Kyle Orton forced an ill-advised pass into the end-zone and right into the arms of Eagles Safety Quintin Mikell.  The Eagles defense gave the Eagles offense back the ball where the score still remained Bears 21, Eagles 14.

On the next possession, the Eagles went 3 and out and P Sav Rocca sent a booming punt deep into Bears’ territory where KR Devin Hester let it go over his head where he finally scooped up the ball and ran backwards, being downed at his own 4 yard line.

The Eagles defense stuffed the Bears down at the Bears goal-line forcing the Bears 3 and out.  On 1^st down, McNabb missed on an attempted pass to WR Greg Lewis.  With 3^rd string RB Lorenzo Booker in for injured RB Correll Buckhalter, Booker was creamed for a 3 yard loss on a screen play.  The Eagles failed to convert on 3^rd down with a pass to TE Brent Celek.  On 4^th down, K David Akers missed by dinking the upright of the goal post, giving the Bears back the ball with decent field position.

On the first play of the Bears’ next possession, Eagles DE Trent Cole sacked and stripped QB Kyle Orton forcing a fumble recovered by LB Omar Gaither who returned it to the Bears 28 yard line.

Almost giving up on the running game, the Eagles moved the ball inside the red zone, sometimes using 4 receivers in the formation.  On 2^nd down and 4 from the Bears 10, McNabb and the Eagles tried some trickery with a shovel pass to WR Jason Avant who took the ball down to the Bears’ 2 while picking up the first down.  On first down, McNabb rolled right, miss-firing on a pass in the end-zone to WR Hank Baskett.  On 2^nd down, McNabb tripped coming out from center and lost 4 yards.  With 3^rd and goal, The Eagles threw an incomplete pass in the end zone, bringing out K David Akers for another field goal attempt.  The Eagles cut the lead to 21-17 after Akers hit the 24 yard field goal.

The Bears responded with a Devin Hester kick return all the way to mid-field with a 51 yard kick return.  The Bears squandered the good field position, ending the 3 and out with a sack by Eagles DE J. Parker.

Upon the next Eagles possession, Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter returned to the Eagles backfield, carrying on first down for no gain.  The Eagles were unproductive, going 3 and out on this possession as well.  The Eagles were forced to punt and on the Bears very next offensive play, Bears RB Kevin Jones fumbled the ball, with it recovered by Eagles LB Stewart Bradley.

4^th Quarter

The Eagles ended the 3^rd quarter with a nifty reverse run to WR DeSean Jackson, who took the ball down to the Bears 15-yard line.  McNabb was sacked on the 1^st play of the 4^th quarter, by Bears LB H. Hillenmeyer.  The Eagles failed again to take advantage of the turnover and were forced for a David Akers field goal, cutting the Bears’ lead to 1 point at 21-20.

The Bears responded with finally their 1^st down of the 2^nd half and moved the ball down to the Eagles 24-yard line.  They stalled there and settled for a 41-yard field goal by K Robbie Gould.  The score was now 24-20, in the Bears’ favor.

The Eagles responded by marching down the field with a nice mix of runs by Buckhalter and pass plays by McNabb.  With 3:40 left in the game, the Eagles offense ran out of gas after calling a time out to discuss the next play.  On a crucial 4^th and goal from the 1, Buckhalter was stuffed by the Bears and their swarming defense, turning over the ball back to the Bears.

Taking the ball at their own 1-yard line, The Bears successfully moved the ball, gaining 1^st downs and making The Eagles burn up their time-outs.   The Eagles were successful in forcing the Bears to punt, but it was too little, too late.  The Eagles got the ball back with 17 seconds left after a DeSean Jackson punt return.  The Eagles ran one last play to WR Reggie Brown.  Brown didn’t get out of bounds and the game ended with the Bears winning 24-20.

Wrap-Up

• Bears QB Kyle Orton threw 3 first-half TD passes for a career high.
• Eagles WR DeSean Jackson caught his first NFL TD in his career.
• Eagles RB Brian Westbrook, TE L.J. Smith, and OG Shawn Andrews did not play.
• The Eagles Defense held RB Brian Forte to just 43 yards rushing, however, Forte also had 42 yards receiving.

NFL.com Game Center post game is attached.

With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!!  EAGLES!!”

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There are many tangibles that make this game between The Philadelphia Eagles and The Chicago Bears an interesting match-up.  Will Eagles RB Brian Westbrook play?  Will Eagles QB Donovan McNabb play?  Can you imagine the Eagles high flying offense without both of its two key pieces?  Which Chicago Bears defense will show up Sunday night?  Will it be the Bears defense that went to Indy and squashed the high octane Colts offense?  Or will it be the Bears defense that last week gave up huge passing yards last week to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home?  We won’t know until Sunday night but let’s take a peak at how the Eagles offense could match-up against the Bears defense:

The Eagles offensive line will have to set the tone for the game.  The Bears have talented players who function well in their aggressive scheme.  The key offensively for the Eagles will to be to try to neutralize DT Tommie Harris, DE Alex Brown, LB Lance Briggs, and MLB Brian Urlacher.  When these four players are in their groove; making plays, being disruptive, and swarming the ball; the rest of the Bears defense feeds off of them and makes plays.  If the Eagles can keep these guys off balance more times than not, then they will have opportunities to move the ball down field, keeping the Bears defense and the field, and wearing them down.

Assuming Westbrook does not play but McNabb does, the Eagles will have to rely more on the pass.  Backup RB Correll Buckhalter is a solid replacement for Westbrook.  He will be able to get his nose in there and run hard for some extra yards after contact, but he doesn’t have the speed and skill-set to be a threat the way Westbrook would be against the Bears.  I expect the Eagles to come out trying to mix up the run and pass, keeping the Bears defense honest, and then open up the passing game and try to take advantage of the Bears defense the way Tampa Bay’s passing attack did last week.

With that thought process, the Eagles receivers and tight ends will need to be consistent and not have one of those games where they are looking over their shoulders, dropping key passes and making constant mistakes.  The Bears have a very underrated but talented player in CB Charles Tillman.  I would expect the Eagles to come to the line of scrimmage, find where Tillman is, and throw to whoever he is not covering.  I also expect the Eagles to game plan around the thought process that the Bears will bring the heat with some blitz packages that might make McNabb have to look for the hot read and get rid of the ball quickly.  If the Eagles can get the right match-ups and pick up on the Bears’ blitz, it could mean a big play or two for DeSean Jackson or maybe even Tight End L.J. Smith down the middle of the field. 

Last week, Tampa was successful passing the ball, taking advantage of open space that was there because the Bears were using blitz packages.  Quick hitters and quick slant plays might be the best way for the Eagles to beat the Bears aggressive style of play and help bring our record to 3-1.  Tomorrow, we will take a peak at how the Eagles defense matches up against QB Kyle Orton, RB Matt Forte, and the rest of the Bears offense.

With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!!  EAGLES!!”

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The Eagles Defense earned the victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In a physical, defensive battle, the Steelers could not find a way to protect QB Ben Roethlisberger from the ever attacking Eagles Defense.

1^st Quarter

The Eagles won the coin toss and QB Donovan McNabb moved the offense down the field.  FB Tony Hunt caught a ball out in the flat and tried turning it up field.  Hunt was knocked silly on the play, suffering a concussion.  Worse, he fumbled the ball and the Steelers were awarded possession after a challenge review indicating a fumble.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger then successfully lead the Steelers offense downfield and settled for a 37-yard field goal to earn a 3-0 Steelers lead.

2^nd Quarter

During the next Eagles offensive possession, RB Brian Westbrook went wide left on a running play and tried hurdling over OT Tra Thomas to avoid stepping on him.  When Westbrook came down, he landed awkwardly, spraining his ankle.  Westbrook limped off the field and did not return to the game.  X-Rays did not show anything broken and he will have an MRI on Monday.  A few plays later, McNabb found backup RB Correll Buckhalter open for a 20-yard TD pass.  It was McNabb’s 176^th TD pass, a new Eagles franchise record.  The Eagles lead 7-3.

On Pittsburgh’s next offensive possession, the Eagles defense turned up the heat and shut down RB Willie Parker and the Steelers Offense.  Roethlisberger was sacked 3 times and also fumbled where the ball was recovered by Philadelphia.

The Eagles immediately went to work, mixing it up with the pass and some run.  They marched down to the Steelers’ 14 yard-line where they settled for a 31-yard David Akers field goal making the score 10-3.

The next possession for the Steelers was similar to the last one where the Eagles defense was flying around the field, causing constant pressure.  After being sacked 2 more times, Roethlisberger was intercepted by Eagles CB Asante Samuel, giving the Eagles offense back the football.

After 2 plays, it was third down and McNabb dropped back to pass.  Backup RB Lorenzo Booker missed a crucial block to protect McNabb and he forced a ball into coverage.  It was intercepted by Steelers CB Bryan McFadden, giving the Steelers great field position, at the Eagles 49-yard line.  The Steelers then took the ball forward and settled for a 53-yard field goal by K Jeff Reed, making the score 10-6 right before half-time.

3^rd Quarter

After the Steelers Offense came out and was forced to punt, surprisingly the Eagles offense was lead out onto the field by backup QB Kevin Kolb.  It was reported that McNabb was in the locker room with a chest injury.  Kolb’s first pass was intercepted by Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu.

The Steelers were unsuccessful on their next possession and were forced to punt.  Kolb started the offensive drive, but McNabb replaced him, coming back in on a 2^nd and 2 play.  The Eagles drive stalled a few plays later where P Sav Rocca dropped the ball nicely to the Steelers’ 10 yard-line.  The Eagles and Steelers then finished the 3^rd quarter by trading possessions, punting the ball back and forth to each other after each team failing to move the ball on offense.

4^th Quarter

A few more possessions were traded back and forth as the Eagles defense was too much for the Steelers and their offensive line.  The Eagles offense also had trouble in the early stages of the 4^th quarter moving the ball. 

After a 54-yard punt by Rocca, placing the Steelers at their own 6-yard line, the Steelers were shut down trying to move the ball out from their goal-line.  On 3^rd down, Roethlisberger was pressured in his end zone and flagged for intentional grounding, giving the Eagles a Safety and increasing their lead to 12-6.

The Eagles received the Steelers’ free kick at the Eagles’ 39-yard line but were unsuccessful in moving the ball.  On the Steelers next possession, Roethlisberger was hit by a Eagles Safety Brian Dawkins who forced the fumble and recovered the ball as well.  The Eagles settled for a field goal, extending their lead to 15-6.

The Steelers took the ball back but Roethlisberger left the game with a hand injury.  Backup QB Byron Leftwhich replaced him and was unsuccessful in leading the Steelers to a score.  The Eagles got the ball back, took a knee and ran out the clock, winning this physical battle over The Keystone State, 15-6.

Wrap Up 

The Eagles Defense forced 9 sacks, 1 Safety, and 3 Turnovers against the Steelers.

Besides injuries to Hunt, McNabb, and Westbrook, TE L.J. Smith suffered a back injury.

The Eagles Defense held RB Willie Parker to just 20 yards rushing.

 With that said, “E-A-G-L-E-S!!  EAGLES!!”

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