http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen RSS Feed for Les Bowen en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:06:06 GMT http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091120_Les_Bowen__Mays_might_be_man_in_middle_as_Eagles_shift_defense_again.html THE SAN DIEGO game was the first time all season the Eagles' defense was unable to force a turnover, a situation that had something to do with Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and maybe even more to do with all the guys playing unfamiliar roles, filling injury gaps. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091117_Les_Bowen__Tough_for_Eagles_to_replace_Westbrook.html WHEN DONOVAN McNABB was asked Sunday about the impact of losing Brian Westbrook again, the quarterback talked about the importance of veteran leadership. It was a theme McNabb brought up earlier in the season, when asked what the loss of Kevin Curtis meant to the receiving corps. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091113_Les_Bowen__Missing_pieces_have_Eagles_scrambling_going_into_Chargers_game.html IT HAS BEEN an interesting week for the Eagles' defense, and life figures to remain chock full of surprises, right on through Sunday's game against San Diego and the NFL's seventh-ranked passing game. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091111_Les_Bowen__Assessing_the_Eagles_at_midseason.html The Eagles at the midway point this season are in a familiar spot - 5-3, just like last year at this time, still in decent shape to make the playoffs, but less consistent and more frustrating than their fans had hoped. Here's an assessment of where they've been and where they might be headed. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091110_Les_Bowen__The_bottom_line_after_Eagles__loss_to_Cowboys.html IF YOU'RE still looking for a good explanation for that fourth-down spot that turned Sunday night's game around, an explanation beyond the silly stuff like official blindness, bias or some sort of massive conspiracy involving Freemasonry and Tom Hanks, I got nothing for ya. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091106_Les_Bowen__Eagles_prepare_for_well-rounded_Cowboys_offense.html WHEN THE PASS-HAPPY Eagles run the ball effectively, as they have the past few weeks, their offensive players are eager to tell you how much of a difference balance makes, how it pushes defenses back on their heels. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091103_Les_Bowen__The_bottom_line__Maclin_catching_on_quickly.html Early on, it was hard to know what to make of Jeremy Maclin. The training-camp holdout, even if it was agent-generated, was a spectacularly bad idea. It got the rookie wideout from Missouri off to a slow start, without substantially boosting the contract he ultimately signed. Maclin had some drops in the preseason, lost the punt-return job, didn't get a ball thrown his way in the season opener. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091030_Les_Bowen__Eagles_rookie_McCoy_needs_to_show_up_vs__Giants.html EVERYWHERE you saw LeSean McCoy yesterday, you saw running-backs coach Ted Williams - Velcroed to the rookie's side, explaining and advising on the way to the NovaCare cafeteria, going over something one more time during a break in practice. http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091028_Les_Bowen__The_Eagles__bottom_line__DeSean_hurts_so_good.html DeSean Jackson has told us how, when he was growing up, his four older brothers "wouldn't let me be a punk." http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/les_bowen/20091026_Les_Bowen__Eagles__DeSean_Jackson_uses_last_year_s_game_vs__Redskins_as_motivation.html THE LITTLE GUY has an ego. He's smart enough not to go the Ochocinco, T.O. route, turning himself into a distracting sideshow. But DeSean Jackson wants to be a marquee, magazine-cover player, works hard toward that goal, and has made impressive inroads since arriving as a second-round pick from Cal before last season.