Archive for September, 2011

Headline pretty much says it all here. As recently as a few short days ago, it appeared the Eagles would be without the services of both Michael Vick and Jeremy Maclin. That is no longer the case. Andy Reid said today that both are listed as probably and expected to play. The news is not as good for defensive end Darryl Tapp, who is listed as doubtful. He has yet to fully recover from a pectoral strain. As expected, Juqua Parker and Brandon Hughes will both miss Sunday’s game. The Eagles will be near full-strength on Sunday, so there’s no [...]

Welp, last week sucked.  It’s no secret that I was way off on my expectation that the Eagles would not only win, but cover the 9.5 point spread in convincing fashion.   That brings my Eagles betting record to a completely mediore 1-1-1 through three games so far. With the 49ers in town this week, it is a good opportunity for the Eagles to rebound against a less-than-good opponent.  Although the 49ers are 2-1 so far, they have faced some weak opponents and their record doesn’t accurately reflect the level of talent in San Francisco.  I believe the 49ers are the beneficiaries [...]

For the second straight week, every single ESPN “expert” has picked the Eagles to win. This is a rather surprising development given San Francisco’s chippy start to the season and that it’s fashionable to rip the Eagles right now. Here’s hoping they all have it pegged this week–because they sure as hell didn’t last week.

Okay, so things haven’t gone so swimmingly in these parts over the season’s first few weeks. While two bad losses certainly have put a damper on the enthusiasm surrounding the Eagles, there’s still time for them to right the ship and become the team so many expected they would be. It’s only natural to look at this San Francisco game and mark it down as a win for the Eagles, particularly given their recent dominance against the 49ers. Andy Reid sports a 6-2 career record against San Francisco, including five straight wins. But as we saw last week, recent dominance [...]

Sorry, slow day here at ITI. I spent much of the day shaking off the afterglow of an absurd night of baseball (and the hangover from the 14 beers I drank while watching it). Anyway, as I nervously await 5:07 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, I want to share a question that a coworker asked me earlier–where the Hell is Jaiquawn Jarrett? Frankly, I had no answer. So I decided it was probably time to check it out. By the way, you know how I know Jaiquawn Jarrett has been a complete non-factor? I had to Google his name to ensure [...]

Staff writer Steve Fini breaks down his five players to watch during this weekend’s 49ers and Eagles tilt. Vernon Davis (TE/49ers) – Oh, look. It’s another Pro Bowl tight end for the Eagles linebackers to deal with. Great. It’s been well-noted the Eagles struggled to contain Tony Gonzales two weeks ago, but Davis is very different than Tony Gonzalez. Whereas Gonzalez is a savvy veteran who uses his instincts to get open, Davis is a physical freak. He can line up anywhere on the field and get open against almost anyone. Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo decided not to put [...]

Rejoice, children, rejoice. In a move that hardly comes as a surprise, the Eagles have announced that sixth-round draft pick Brian Rolle has been named the starter at weakside linebacker in place of the much maligned Casey Matthews. Perhaps even less surprising is that Nate Allen, a 2010 second-round draft pick, has been named the starter at safety in place of Kurt Coleman. Rolle, who is undersized, is an instinctive player in who has shown good pass coverage abilities. In fact, he’s made the only positive notable play by an Eagles linebacker this season. On a second-and-two from the Philadelphia [...]

Well, this will pretty much kill any of the drama surrounding Michael Vick’s status this week against San Francisco. “I think there’s a 100 percent chance I’ll be out on the field this weekend,” Vick told the Philadelphia Inquirer. Andy Reid, meanwhile, tried to curb the enthusiasm surrounding Vick’s availability, saying that he will need to be near full health in order to take the field. “If he can’t squeeze the ball 100 percent or is in jeopardy of being injured further, we’re not going to put him in there,” Reid said. Translation: Did you see Mike Kafka on Sunday? [...]

This much we know–The Eagles have not played well defensively through the season’s first three weeks. And now that we’ve established this widely-known fact, let me hit you with another shocking relevation. The Eagles defense must play better than the defense that’s allowed 449 yards passing and eight touchdowns over the last two weeks. I’ll allow you a minute to regroup after those shockers. Now, the solutions to the issues that plague the Eagles aren’t that simple, but in a way, they are. This is not a defense entirely devoid of talent. No-name receivers aren’t going to regularly toast the [...]

For the second consecutive week, Vegas bookmakers have had to wait to set a line for an Eagles game because of the uncertain availability of Michael Vick. But, much like last week, it’s becoming increasingly more apparent that Vick will play. While not all Vegas sportsbooks have set a line for Sunday’s tilt with the 49ers, it appears the Eagles will open in most spots as a sevent-point favorite. My initial reaction–what the Hell have the Eagles done to give seven-points to any team, let alone one with a winning record whose only loss came in heart-breaking fashion against the [...]

Well, as Jeff McLane and Les Bowen engage in a Twitter pissing match over Michael Vick’s status for Sunday, The New York Post had quite the interesting cover page on its sports section today. As we contemplate the demise of the newspaper in modern society, let us look no further than journalistic treasures such as the Post.

The title pretty much says it all. A bit pressed for time this afternoon, but this is a quick post I had to get up for all of you. According to a team source, Michael Vick is likely to start on Sunday against San Francisco. Vick, who exited the game early for the second straight week against the Giants, will play as long as the swelling in his right hand doesn’t affect his ability to handle snaps.