Super Analysis, Part I

Alright, it's time I address this subject. As most of you know, I am a rabid Eagles fan. I've waited my entire life to see them win the Super Bowl. I've watched as mediocre coaches killed a potentially great team's chances in the late '80s and early '90s, and I saw them turn into a laughingstock in the late '90s. And for 5 years, I've watched Andy Reid bring them back from the dead and make them an elite organization in the NFL. Three NFC Championship losses notwithstanding, this team has the best record in the NFL since 2000, and the second best in the last two years. Second, I might add, to the Patriots. In my extensive analysis of the Super Bowl over the next couple of weeks (I've got to write about the game now, since I've read everything I can stand--can you tell this is exciting for me?), I'll cover certain areas in each edition. No one in the national media is giving the Eagles a chance in this game. I'm going to tell you why they're wrong. So now on to part one...

Experience: One argument people use for the Patriots is that they've got Super Bowl experience. Obviously they've played in and won 2 over the last 3 years. But what does that mean? Every game in the playoffs is "win or go home", as they say. Since 2001, the Patriots have played in 8 playoff games, and the Eagles have played in 11. Granted, they couldn't get past the NFC Championship game, but I might mention that McNabb was injured in 2 of those games, and Brian Westbrook was injured last year. (Sorry, that's irrelevant, but I had to get it out.) Some might say that the Super Bowl is different. I'm not so sure it's all that different for a team that plays in Philadelphia. The spotlight is always on this team in Philly. The people eat, sleep and breathe Eagles football from the first day of training camp. And look at this year--did a week go by where you didn't hear a story about Terrell Owens, or the pressure on Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid, or how they couldn't win the big one, etc? And that's national media. Imagine how magnified it was in Philly. This team knows how to handle attention. It doesn't matter where the attention comes from.

I'll also put this in the experience category, because I'm writing it and I can do what I want: I've heard a lot over the past couple days that winning the NFC championship game is, or should be, enough for the Eagles and their fans. We should all be happy about what's been done, take our second place, and just go home. This is the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time. The team and the city have known all year that if the Eagles don't win the Super Bowl, the season is a wash. There will be no "well, at least...". Eagles fans know this team. And all the fans I've talked to feel the same way I do. We've never seen a team like this. They're not nervous. They're not just putting on brave faces and saying "Our job's not done yet". They can win this game, and they know it. Forget all the talk about the weaker conference, and forget the talk about the Patriots taking out the second and third best teams in the league in the Colts and the Steelers. None of it matters. Nationally covered sports writers and broadcasters will tell you that the experience and the intangibles are the biggest advantage that the Patriots have over the Eagles. It's just not the case. Maybe it would be for a team that hadn't been on the cusp of the Promised Land for so long. Maybe it would be for a team that wasn't so closely knit, or cool-headed. I know this team. And I'll tell you right now, there won't be any jitters when they first get out on the field. The Eagles will come out on the field, whether it be on offense or defense, completely ready to play disciplined football. I'm not saying the Patriots will underestimate them. They're too smart for that. It's just everyone else that's underestimating.

That's all I'm going to say now, because I'm at work. But I'll be back later with stats, for those who want numbers over theories and team knowledge.

Fly Eagles, Fly

I didn't want to post this before the game, because I wanted to avoid any self-imposed curse, but this is an exerpt from an e-mail I sent to my buddy Myq when he asked what I thought about the game this week:

"I will make a prediction right now: the Eagles will destroy the Vikings. It won't even be a game. The Vikings have no defense, and the Eagles will still be awesome on offense without T.O. (Remember they averaged 28 points per game last year.) Not to mention, the birds' defense is so much better than last year it's not even funny--they've allowed the fewest points in the league, even after giving up 38 to the Bengals with their 2nd- and 3rd-stringers in the game. Also, let's not forget week 2, where the Eagles secondary (which has 3 starting Pro-Bowlers) held the yards per completion to 9.3 (including Randy Moss--8.6) and one touchdown. They completely took away the long ball. Not enough? Let's look at common opponents. Eagles: 9-0, Vikings: 4-5. And just for the heck of it, let's take the Packers, who the Vikings beat last week. Final score was 34-17, right? The birds hung 35 points on the Packers in one half. Green Bay's secondary is abysmal. Give me a break. There's no comparison between these teams, T.O. or not. Looking at the defensive performance of Philly, it was just week 2--they've had 17 more weeks to get used to each other and play well together. And they're so much better now than they were then, it's ridiculous. Wanna talk about receivers? Let's do. If they take away Pinkston, there's still Freddie Mitchell, who gets off a jam pretty well, on the other side. There's still Greg Lewis in the slot, who's faster than Pinkston. There's still L.J. Smith and Chad Lewis, the tight ends who always make the plays when they need to. There's still, most importantly, Brian Westbrook, who had the most receptions of any running back in the NFL. No one can cover him. No one. So bring on the Vikings. The game will be over by the end of the first half. Third quarter at the latest. You watch. I know this team."

That was a fun game to watch. Nowhere near as close as the score indicated. It was a whooping. Next up, Falcons. This will be another long week. I think if they lose a fourth straight championship game, I might die. GO EAGLES!!!!