Archive for November, 2010

Asante Samuel was on the practice field Tuesday for the second day in a row, although he was still limited with a knee sprain.  Samuel missed Sunday’s game in Chicago, and Bears quarterback Jay Cutler took full advantage, throwing for four touchdowns in one of his best performances as a Bear. Samuel leads the league in interceptions with seven, while the Eagles led the league with 19.  Philadelphia did not force a turnover last week. “He came in this morning and felt pretty good,” said head coach Andy Reid. “He went through the walkthrough. It’s hard to tell right there, [...]

Former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Jon Gruden is rumored to be headed to the college ranks as a candidate to be the next head coach at Miami, according to a report by ESPN. Gruden was the Eagles offensive coordinator from 1995 to 1997 before taking head coaching jobs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders.  Gruden, now a broadcaster on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, was 95-81 overall in his NFL head coaching career and won t he Super Bowl with Tampa Bay after going 12-4 in 2002.

With the holiday season in full swing, we’re doing our best to give back here at FanSided.  FanSided has teamed up with Site5 to try to raise $5,000 for the Boys an Girls Club of America.  The first 10 percent has been contributed by Site5 and FanSided, and we are turning to our readers to help raise the rest. We know times are tough, but even a few dollars will add up fast given that it is a network-wide effort.  The Boys and Girls Club of America is also a great cause with important goals: Core Beliefs: To enable all [...]

“Yeah, we good,” DeSean Jackson said when asked if he and head coach Andy Reid were on good terms after numerous reports said that Reid had singled Jackson out in front of the team after Sunday’s 31-26 loss in Chicago. As for what Reid said? Jackson is following his coach’s M.O. “I’m not here to talk about any of that,” Jackson said. “What we talk about in the locker room is between the team.

1. New England Patriots (9-2) – A 45-24 win over the Lions was just a tune up for what looms next: the New York Jets and a battle for first in the AFC East. 2. New York Jets (9-2) (+4) – Speaking of tune ups, their 26-10 win over the Bengals on Thanksgiving was just that. In one of the best regular season games we’ll see this year, the Jets face the Patriots next week. 3. Atlanta Falcons (9-2) (+2) – I still want to see them impress me on the road, but they may never have that opportunity. With [...]

Michael Vick’s return to prominence in the NFL has been built around key improvements to two areas of his game: ball security and pocket passing.  Through his first nine games, five of them starts, Vick had zero turnovers and just two fumbles.  In the last two games, Vick committed his first two turnovers as an Eagle, an interception and a lost fumble, but also put the ball on the ground six times. Clearly, Vick needs a renewed focus on ball protection.  In fact, Reid pointed it out two weeks ago after Vick fumbled twice, when asked about his lack of [...]

It was another interesting Sunday in which we learned about a few division leaders, saw another spectacle involving the Titans and saw Jay Cutler throw four touchdowns and no interceptions on a day in which Peyton Manning threw four interceptions and just two touchdowns. Here are my Monday Musings, starting with Philadelphia. 1. Things are never as good or as bad as they seem, and that rule definitely applies to the Eagles.  If you had any question about who the MVP on the Eagles’ defense was, you learned today that Asante Samuel is that guy.  He changes the entire makeup [...]

When DeSean Jackson goes over 50 receiving yards or scores a touchdown, the Eagles are 6-0.  When he doesn’t, the Birds are just 1-3, not counting a 37-19 loss at Tennessee in which Jackson didn’t play due to his concussion. Clearly teams that are successful against the Eagles find ways to bottle up the big plays downfield that are Jackson’s bread and butter.  Yesterday in a 31-26 loss to the Chicago Bears in which he caught just two passes for 26 yards, Jackson appeared to grow frustrated throughout the game and at times lost focus.  The normally reliable receiver dropped [...]

The Eagles had their chances in a 31-26 loss to the Bears in Chicago today, but consistently failed to convert in the red zone after falling behind 14-3.  Philadelphia scored just one touchdown in five red zone trips today, matching the numbers from last week against New York. Michael Vick had a shaky day, completing 29-of-44 passes for 333 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, his first as an Eagle.  Vick also put the ball on the ground four times, but Philadelphia recovered all of them. “I hate to lose,” Vick said. “It makes me sick, it makes me ill, [...]

The Eagles couldn’t overcome a poor first half in a 31-26 loss to the Bears, as Jay Cutler torched a banged up defense for four touchdowns.  Philadelphia mounted a late comeback, down 31-13 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t convert an onside kick with 1:48 left. To open the game, the Bears forced a quick three and out from the Eagles, stuffing a pair of runs before a third-down sack of Michael Vick.  Philadelphia’s defense had a similar start, with Trent Cole sacking Cutler on 3rd and 10 to force a punt that DeSean Jackson returned 35 yards to the [...]

The Eagles defense is struggling to find any answers for Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, and the Bears lead 31-13 after three quarters. Cutler is 13-of-18 for 213 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions.  Forte has run for 114 yards on 10 carries. To open the game, the Bears forced a quick three and out from the Eagles, stuffing a pair of runs before a third-down sack of Michael Vick.  Philadelphia’s defense had a similar start, with Trent Cole sacking Cutler on 3rd and 10 to force a punt that DeSean Jackson returned 35 yards to the 50-yardline.

The Bears started and finished strong in the first half, taking a 21-13 lead into halftime thanks to three Jay Cutler touchdown passes, including two to Earl Bennett.  The Bears jumped out to a 14-3 lead, but the Eagles battled back to cut it to 14-13 and appeared poised to take a lead into the half before a Michael Vick interception in the red zone.  Instead, the Bears drove the other way to extend their lead to eight. To open the game, the Bears forced a quick three and out from the Eagles, stuffing a pair of runs before a [...]