Okay, so our guy Brent Celek was snubbed for the Pro Bowl. Boooo!!!!! That should in no way take away from his awesomeness. Let’s face it, Celek is the fu**ing man.
Not unlike another “Celek” from the ’80s who spells his name a bit different. Of course I’m referring to that mustachioed heartthrob Tom Selleck, who made fighting crime in Hawaii cool playing everyone’s favorite private investigator, Magnum P.I.
Matt, a loyal ITI reader/commenter, put together what I think is a superb tribute to the Eagles best tight end since Keith Jackson. It’s called “Magnum T.E.” and it kicks all kinds [...]

I’m sure some will berate me venomously for even broaching the subject, but should our beloved Eagles fall in Big D on Sunday, there are two chances they will have to turn right back around and face the same Cowboys team again in Big D.
Aren’t playoff scenarios fun? Maybe “fun” isn’t the word I’m looking for? “Confusing” and “insane” are probably better choices.
At any rate, playing the same team in back-to-back weeks would be weird, but not unheard of. Way back in the 2001 season, the Eagles defeated the Bucs 17-13 in Tampa, then came back six days later and [...]

Again, I picked a fine week to travel. I missed the damn Pro Bowl announcements! Even though I’m very late to the party, here are the six Eagles who received an invite:
DeSean Jackson – A starting wideout and the NFC kick returner. What a fu**ing stud. This was an easy pick.
Leonard Weaver – Can you name another starting fullback who has done more than Big Weave? I sure as hell can’t. He belongs in Hawaii Miami.
Jason Peters – A rep pick, IMO. He’s had a decent year, and has really picked it up in recent weeks, but he needs to [...]

The win streak now sits at six. That would be the longest since, dare I say, the Super Bowl season of 2004. The latest victory should have been much easier, but the Eagles decided to sleepwalk through the second half. As I’ve written here umpteen times before, the guys in green always make things interesting, even when they don’t really have to.
I know one guy who won’t be earning a delicious sandwich this week. He plays in the secondary and has the same nickname as a famous professional wrestler. I can’t bring myself to etch his name after he nearly [...]

It never fails. Every time I travel, I miss a major piece of Eagles news. Just when the offensive line was really starting to come together, Jamaal Jackson tears his ACL. Damn! He was the one guy who was able to keep it together from training camp until now. Oh, well.
Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles have a tall task in front of them. Jay Ratliff has been a Bird killer, and that was when Jackson was healthy. Looking even further ahead, teams like the Vikings, Packers and Cardinals boast some stout defensive lineman who will make life difficult for the [...]

Well, that was exciting, huh? Internet problems precluded me from wrapping what was probably the Eagles most exciting game of the season, but I’m back, baby! Lots to cover in this one, so I’ll get right to it. Here’s another peek from the Eagle Eye:

Mike Carey and his crew made the correct call on Maclin’s game-deciding catch. That being said, almost everything that came before that review was an abomination. I thought the second Giants game was poorly officiated. This game was a joke. At one point Carey admitted they “were too slow spotting the ball.” Geesh. These December contests [...]

Trap game? Could the Eagles be peeking ahead to next week’s duel in Big D? I hope not, because the Broncos, led by some guy wearing #20, need a win to keep their postseason aspirations alive.
Of course, so do the Birds. Well, not to get into the playoffs, but to increase their chances of capturing another NFC East division crown and to perhaps claim the #2 seed in the conference.
Let’s be clear. The Eagles offense is a rollin’ right now, and they welcome back both Westbrook and Maclin, although both will most assuredly be limited. Denver boasts a pretty stout [...]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
According to head honcho Andy Reid, twice concussed Brian Westbrook will return this Sunday to face the Broncos, barring any last minute setbacks. Apparently, Westy has passed all the necessary tests and looked spry in practice this week. Good news.
How many snaps he gets is still an unknown. Five? Ten? Fifteen? I’m sure he’ll be worked back into the game plan sparingly, but it will be interesting to see how he, Shady and Weaver split the running back touches. My best guess is McCoy will be the one to lose out since he runs a similar package of plays [...]

Surprise renovations to Reid’s office caused my hidden microphone to be damaged last week. Boo!! Lucky for me, I have connections over at NovaCare who were able to sneak another one inside. Yay!!!
Time to eavesdrop on one more behind closed doors meeting between Big Red and Donny Mac.
McNabb is standing on a step stool decorating a lovely eight-foot Christmas tree. Reid sits in his leather office chair chewing on a Slim Jim.
Reid: It’s leaning to the left, 5.
McNabb adjusts the star.
McNabb: How’s that look?
Reid: Straight and true… the opposite of your throws versus the Niners.

We all miss Brian Dawkins. He was and will always be one of the greatest players to don the midnight green.
Now that I got that out of the way, I’d like to examine the impact of losing Weapon X. Not off the field, because that really can’t be quantified, but rather on the field, where it matters most. I think we can all agree that the “leadership” question hasn’t been an issue on this 10-4 team. It could still become one down the road, but so far, so good.
First, let’s take a gander at B-Dawk’s current stats with the Broncos:

Time to serve up a playoff-sized cheesesteak. For the eighth time in eleven seasons under Andy Reid, our beloved Eagles will be playing some extra football. I dunno about you, but I enjoy securing a postseason spot with two games left rather than the nail-biting, hand-wringing drama we had to endure last December.
For the second consecutive week, I pondered loading the bun up with O-lineman. However, a couple short-yardage fails swayed me from it. That being said, the offensive line is playing excellent right now. Their time will come.
The obvious choice would be DeSean, but I’m going against the grain [...]

Hello, playoffs! Has a nice ring to it, eh? As wonderful as another postseason trip is, the Eagles played some sloppy football in disposing the Niners. Here’s one more look from the Eagle Eye:

I’m not sure what bothers me more: the fact that Reid went for a fourth-and-inches on his own thirty, or that they couldn’t convert it. At any rate, I trashed Bill Belichick for doing a similar thing against the Colts, so Andy doesn’t get a free pass. It was an utterly stupid decision by a coach who knows better. He better buy Sheldon a steak dinner for [...]