CAN HEAR CLEARWATER CALLING
As the online fan balloting for the Pro Bowl heads into its final week, we know two things: Asante Samuel is the only Eagle leading at his position, and people in Minnesota spend a lot of time on their computers.
Samuel is the leading vote-getter at cornerback, with a narrow edge over Green Bay’s Charles Woodson. Samuel, who has seven interceptions, has 258,751 votes to Woodson’s 251,505.
The more amazing stat is that of the 19 NFC positions, a Vikings player is leading at 11 of them. Of course, the fan vote only counts for one-third of the total, with the players and coaches representing the other two thirds.
Online voting continues through the end of Monday night’s Redskins-Giants game, with the rosters to be announced on Dec. 29 on the NFL Network. (You can vote here)
Some other Eagles-related notes in yesterday’s release of voting totals:
* DeSean Jackson continues to make an impression on the fans. He is second among wide receivers with 377,807. Larry Fitzgerald leads with 684,698 votes. He also is second at kick returner (122,792) behind Minnesota’s Percy Harvin (298,208).
* Donovan McNabb is fifth among quarterbacks, behind Drew Brees, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner.
* Leonard Weaver is second among fullbacks (99,169), behind Minnesota’s Naufahu Tahi (147,168)
* Brent Celek is not in the top 5 among tight ends. Tony Gonzalez leads followed by Jeremy Shockey, Vernon Davis, Jason Witten and Visanthe Shiancoe. And if you have not heard of him, he plays for the Vikings.
* Kicker David Akers is second (99,075) behind Minnesota’s Ryan Longwell (159,863).
PLAYOFF POSITION
The Eagles can clinch a playoff spot on Sunday in two ways, according to the NFL.
1. An Eagles win or tie and a Giants loss or tie.
2. An Eagles win and a Dallas win or tie.
NINERS INJURIES
Left tackle Joe Staley was held out of Monday night’s game as a precaution as he continues to recover from a sprained right knee that he injured Nov. 1, Niners coach Mike Singletary said in his day-after news conference. It is unclear whether he will return to face the Eagles. His backup, Barry Sims, injured his knee Monday against Arizona, so that could hasten Staley’s return.
Also, Michael Robinson, the former Penn State quarterback, is listed as day-to-day after suffering another stinger in the Cardinals game.
As the Eagles get back to work today with practice, the 49ers will have only meetings. Singletary canceled practice to get his team some additional rest.
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To read our conversation with DeSean Jackson, click here.
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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