Archive for November, 2010

Don’t buy too much into the hype of the Chicago Bears using the Tampa-2 defense, made famous by the Buccaneers of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, according to Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. “Well I think that’s sort of a misnomer there with the Bears,” Mornhinweg said.  “They do play that very well, that’s a big part of their scheme and they’re very disciplined within it.  However, they play an awful lot of some other coverages as well.  It might be a little of Tampa, way back when, ’cause they’ve got the players.”

For this week’s article on NFL.com, I explained why Sean McDermott deserves high praise for the job he’s done turning around the Eagles defense after two key games: the losses to Washington and Tennessee.  After the Redskins loss, the run defense improved substantially based on a key decision McDermott made to insert Moise Fokou and Juqua Parker into the starting lineup and increase Antonio Dixon’s playing time.  McDermott also improved the pass defense and fourth quarter defense after the collapse in Nashville. For Eagles news and insight, follow Ryan Messick on Twitter.

Sorry to ruin your Thanksgiving, Eagles fans, but today you should actually root for the Dallas Cowboys.  Having induced some pre-Turkey indigestion, here’s the breakdown for each game, with an explanation of why a Dallas win is a good thing for the Birds. 12:30 on CBS : New England Patriots at Detroit Lions – Since the Eagles beat the Lions but will not face the Patriots, a Lions win will improve the Eagles strength of victory, which is a playoff tiebreaker.  In a crazy year in the NFC with one 7-3 team currently outside the top six in the conference, [...]

The Eagles handling of Michael Vick’s contract situation has been impacted by the uncertainty surrounding the expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid, who said that he hasn’t spoken to Vick about a contract extension.

“There will be a time and place when that needs to be addressed and we’ll address it,” Reid said. “It’s a crazy deal with the Collective Bargaining Agreement and so on. We really haven’t done anything with anybody. It’s just a different year.

“It’s not because of Michael’s situation or his past. He’s making pretty good money this year. It’s not like he’s not making good money right now. It’s about the way the league is going right now and so it’s hard to make those types of plans for the future.”

After the Jump: Vick’s Contract Details, Including Bonuses

I’ll save you the overused comparisons of who is better, Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb? Vick or Kevin Kolb? Was it Andy Reid or Donovan McNabb who was the problem over the last decade here in Philadelphia? A city desperate for an NFL Championship, known for its passionate fan base, that loves to constantly compare, contrast, and of course say who is the best of all time. Enter Andy Reid, a coach who has been much maligned over the past 10-plus years simply because of one fault, his inability to bring home a Super Bowl to the Philly faithful. This [...]

We hope all of our readers have a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels too and from their destinations.  We also hope you’ll spend some of your football-packed day with us here on Inside the Iggles.  We’ll have the full assortment of articles just like any other Thursday.  In fact, we just may have a little extra coverage for you, including a Viewing/Rooting guide for the three Thanksgiving Day games.

Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel and defensive end Juqua Parker did not practice today, according to head coach Andy Reid. Samuel has a knee injury, while Parker has a hip flexor strain. Reid also said that Ellis Hobbs, now on the injured reserve, is still up in the air as to whether or not he will need neck surgery. Samuel’s status is uncertain for Sunday’s game in Chicago.

“I don’t know,” Reid said. “We’ll take it day-by-day here and just see how he does. I can’t tell you that he’s not a little sore today, and gimpy, but we’ll see how he does. I know he wanted to play in the game.”

Asante Samuel was fined $40,000 for what the league determined was a helmet-to-helmet hit on a defenseless receiver. Samuel popped Giants wide receiver Derek Hagan in the Eagles 27-17 win Sunday.

Samuel told reporters that the fine was originally going to be $50,000 before head coach Andy Reid intervened and convinced the league to drop it by $10,000. Reid has been relatively outspoken, by his standards, on the hit. Immediately following the game, Reid said it didn’t look like a penalty to him.

After the Jump: Watch the hit in slow-mo and vote on whether Samuel deserved a fine.

Eagles head coach Andy Reid said the image Michael Vick is portraying is not an act, like some have speculated.  The head coach believes Vick is truly a changed man, citing his work with charities. “There can be an acting part to an image and I don’t think you’re seeing any acting here,” Reid said. “This is what he’s decided to do. He’s been doing things in the community just about every Tuesday, his day off. And any other time that he can get off to do charity work, he’s been doing so. “He understands that he made a huge [...]

For now, the Eagles are set at quarterback with Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb and Mike Kafka. But the writing appears to be on the wall that Vick will be extended, which makes it increasingly likely for Kolb to be traded. If he is, the Eagles could be in the market to draft Vick’s heir apparent, as he’ll be 30 this season. Even if they sign a veteran backup, there’s a good chance the Eagles draft a quarterback to compete with Kafka on the third day of the draft. If Locker drops, it could shake up the whole board at quarterback. [...]

Michael Vick is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, hitting newsstands today.  It reads: “The Enigma: What Michael Vick Tells Us About Ourselves,” and the article is written by S.L. Price.  Apparently the shooting that occurred after his birthday party this summer is included, and an emotional Vick recounts bursting into tears and wondering if it will ruin his football career. We’ll have more to come after grabbing a copy, so check back later this afternoon.

The Eagles have a wide receiver in the top 15 in the NFL in yards and touchdowns, but his name isn’t DeSean Jackson. For all of the hype surrounding Jackson, and it’s deserved, Philadelphia has a second option as good as the first. In fact, Maclin’s production has been better this year even without as many explosive plays. Their per game numbers are nearly identical, as Jackson did miss time with a concussion, but Maclin has caught a higher percentage of the throws that have come his way. Jackson averages 72.4 yards per game, has caught 56.8 percent of the [...]