Archive for December, 2010

Scoreboard watching increases in importance as the season wears on, so in Week 15, there’s plenty to keep an eye on.  Philadelphia cannot win tiebreakers against the Bears, Packers, or Buccaneers.  The Eagles trail the Saints and would trail the Giants in tiebreakers with a loss (but would clinch the tiebreaker with a win).  The Eagles do hold the tiebreaker over the Falcons, but they’ll be virtually impossible to catch. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5) at St. Louis Rams (6-7) (1:00, CBS) – If you have a preference between facing St. Louis and Seattle in a possible wild card round game, [...]

This week we went behind enemy lines with Andrew Ilnicki of GMenHQ to find out what the feelings are in northern New Jersey as the Eagles prepare to face the Giants. 1. Do you expect the Giants to use a similar defensive strategy to the first meeting, blitzing Rolle from Vick’s left to force him right? I do.  And I’m satisfied for the most part what the Giants were able to do on defense last time around — I think if it’s Rolle or Aaron Ross, they’re going to send 5 from somewhere and mix it up, but I think [...]

by Ryan Messick Lead Writer While it’s not officially a battle for the NFC East title, the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants play for first place today at the new Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., and the winner will have the inside track on the division crown.  The victor will also continue pursuit of a first-round bye in the playoffs, while the loser will just hope to get into the post-season in a competitive NFC conference. Both teams come in at 9-4, with Philadelphia having won the first meeting 27-17. “We all know the magnitude of the game,” said [...]

by Ryan Messick Lead Writer More Headlines: Eagles Injury Report, Giants Plan to Use Athleticism on Defense, Punish Vick Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan announced the benching of former Eagle Donovan McNabb today in a press conference, naming Rex Grossman his starter for the rest of the season.  John Beck will be the backup beginning next week, relegating McNabb to the third string for the last two games of the season. Michael Vick, who developed a strong relationship with McNabb last season, was surprised to hear the news but didn’t have too strong of a reaction. “You know, it’s shocking [...]

by Ryan Messick Lead Writer More Headlines: Eagles Injury Report The Giants have an idea about how to slow down Michael Vick – put your best athletes on the field, even if it’s a less traditional defensive personnel package.  That’s what defensive coordinator Perry Fewell did the first time around, and he spoke about it again this week. For the Giants, it means a three safety look, similar to the one the Eagles use when they move Quintin Mikell into the box and play Kurt Coleman and Nate Allen deep. “We’re a lot more athletic as a defense when we [...]

by Ryan Messick Lead Writer DeSean Jackson, Asante Samuel and Winston Justice are all listed as questionable for the Eagles heading into Sunday’s game against the Giants.  Jackson suffered a foot injury in last week’s game, while Samuel and Justice are working their way back from knee sprains. All three had limited participation in practice today, but head coach Andy Reid saw signs of improvement. “I want to see how it works out tonight, after this workout here, so we’ll see,” Reid said. “[Jackson and Samuel] got more work today, so that was a plus.  Winston got some work today [...]

This week on ITI Weekly, Ryan Messick and Matt Martucci discuss the Eagles trip to the new Meadowlands, which is one of the biggest regular season games in recent memory, if not the biggest.  They also talk about DeSean Jackson’s appearance on the T.Ocho Show and give their Keys to the Game. Weekly Show – December 17, 2010

In this week’s article on NFL.com’s Blog Blitz, I wrote about the Giants need to change up their defensive approach against the Eagles, based on a conversation I had with former Giants’ defensive end Michael Strahan at a March of Dimes event in Manhattan. He believes that if New York has to rely on the blitz to pressure Vick, it will spell trouble for the Giants this time around. You can read the full Blog Blitz article here, and an excerpt from the video is below. I covered the event for Game7.tv, a website that produces sports content, and the full [...]

Things are coming more and more into focus in the NFC, and this week features a huge game between the Eagles and Giants that will further define the playoff picture.  Atlanta also has a straight forward clinching scenario, while there are some more complicated possibilities for playoff spots to be clinched. 1. Atlanta Falcons (11-2) – A win this week in Seattle clinches a playoff spot for Atlanta, but the Falcons have their eyes on a bigger prize.  Their biggest competition for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs comes from within the NFC South, as the 10-3 Saints visit [...]

by Ryan Messick Lead Writer More Headlines: Jackson on Critics The Eagles and Giants will play as big of a regular season game as you can play Sunday, with major NFC East and playoff implications on the line. Both teams come in at 9-4, with the Eagles holding the tiebreaker based on their 27-17 win in the first meeting. While the Giants are currently the sixth seed in the playoffs as a wild card, the loser on Sunday will likely be on the outside looking in with just two games remaining. The Packers and Buccaneers, both 8-5, are looming.  Green [...]

DeSean Jackson wants everyone to take a deep breath and exhale, rather than waiting with baited breath to analyze every word he speaks. Contract? Celebration? Attitude? All included.

“As far as people making a big deal about all of these little things, I mean it’s just ridiculous to me,” Jackson said. “As long as I’m going out on the field and producing and doing what I need to do, people shouldn’t have nothing to say.”

That he’s been doing. Jackson caught four passes for 210 yards and a touchdown, which happened to be the go-ahead score from 91 yards out early in the fourth quarter. He capped the play off by stopping at the one yardline, turning to face the Cowboys and flopping backwards into the end zone. Jackson put six points on the board, but drew a flag and a 15-yard penalty for the display, which didn’t please his quarterback.

“I was upset about that, I think it was unnecessary, but it’s him having fun,” said Michael Vick. Today, Jackson responded when asked about it by the media.

What do you get when you combine DeSean Jackson, Terrell Owens, Drew Rosenhaus and contract talks with the Eagles? We’re about to find out, as DeSean Jackson is appearing on the T.Ocho show tonight and discussed his contract situation with Owens and Chad Ochocinco during a pre-recorded interview this afternoon. Jackson acknowledged that the rule that limits his raise to 30 percent and the uncertainty surrounding the potential lockout have put a damper on getting a deal done so far, but spoke out about getting a large raise before next season.

“T.O., man, I’ma set the bar for you, man,” Jackson told Owens, who will be a free agent after this year. “I’ma try to get the most I can and I’ma set it high for you and I’ma set it high for everybody else, too, so it’s a good look, man.”

“You know I’m always in your corner and I wish you the best,” Owens responded.

“It is what is is though, but hey they gonna have to do something, man, because I’m out there, they way I’m putting it in, hey, something gotta happen baby,” Jackson said at the end of the preview, which can be seen below (after the jump).