Eagles hold up their end
Eagles 40, Giants 17. Really.
Eagles hold up their end
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
Prior to today, the greatest day in Philadelphia sports history was Sunday, October 19, 1980. It was a day that began as this one did, with an astounding Eagles victory.
This one in 2009 -- Eagles 40, Giants 17 -- was borderline absurd. I mean, nobody saw this coming. This was a game for first place in the NFC East. This was a game between evenly-matched rivals. This was a game between a Giants team that had lost two straight games and an Eagles team that could make explosive plays but couldn’t really sustain anything on offense.
The suspicion -- and by that I mean, everybody’s suspicion -- was for a train wreck kind of a game, with both teams hitting each other in the head and staggering around, trying to hit on something. Playing without running back Brian Westbrook (concussion), their historic Giant-killer, and with an offense line that has been mix-and-match, and with a quarterback (Donovan McNabb) who hadn’t looked very sharp the last two games, it was hard to see the Eagles doing anything really methodical on offense.
So, of course, what happened was the Eagles’ defense put clamps on Giants quarterback Eli Manning, forced a bunch of turnovers and bad throws, and then absolutely sliced open the Giants’ defense with a handful of huge plays. Fullback Leonard Weaver had a 41-yard touchdown. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson had a 54-yarder. Rookie running back LeSean McCoy had a 66-yarder.
For the Giants, it was an astounding, breathtaking defeat. For the Eagles, it meant first place in the NFC East. And for anyone who was wandering around a Philadelphia newspaper office in 1980, as I was, it brought back memories.
Because on that October day in 1980, two great events took place: the Phillies won Game 5 of the World Series, putting them one win away from the franchise’s first World Championship, and the Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys at Veterans Stadium in the first divisional showdown between rival teams, back when beating the Cowboys was still something of a rarity.
So, that day in the office, the debate raged: how to play the two huge events on the back page of the Daily News?
It really was a debate, too -- that is how big a win over Dallas was back then. (Remember, this was only months before the Eagles would beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game and go to the Super Bowl.) Sports editor Mike Rathet, a big football guy, was actually considering playing the two games as a kind of co-lead for a while.
The World Series ultimately prevailed. As a consolation prize, The Eagles got what was known in the business as a “big tease” on the bottom of the back page, a bigger-than-usual box pointing readers to stories about the Eagles-Cowboys inside.
Twenty-nine years later, if you asked people about a “big tease,” they would probably think you were talking about Cole Hamels. Which is another matter.
On the latest, greatest day in Philadelphia sports history, the Eagles help up their end -- shockingly so.
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Enjoy these great days, Philly fans. My long suffering husband, a Cleveland fan, has never had the beauty of an experience like this!— PhillyGirlinOhio- I love that you contextualize this. Nicely done!— barcelona fan
- huge day for me too out here in Oregon! Oregon dismantled USC last night with a mobile quarterback who can pass! Today Eagles killed it and trust the Phils will as the press has written the Phillies off! GO PHILS— billgfc
- I remember it well! Had no trouble recognizing that a World Series win was a lot bigger than a regular season win by our Iggles....even if it WAS over the hated (truly, really....hated Cowboys). Here's hoping the night brings the same result over those damn Yankers.— TBear
- The losers who post here will still do so ... they will never go away !— Gringo4
- Great stuff Hoffman. Give us more of this! Classic material!— ThePassenger
- Not surprised. Unlike like lonewolf, I see Eli for what he is- an okay QB. And I see McNabb for what he is- an very good QB.— libertyof76
- Yeah, May 19, 1974 is still the greatest day in Philadelphia sports history.— JSaq
- Damn it! I don't want to be al "gloom and doom", but this normally means that the Eagles will score about 10 points in their next game... Nevertheless, this was a good win for them.— Kevin Moore
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- You said it Liberty. Eli is one of those QB's that had everything fall right to win a SB. He is not half the QB that Mac is and has been.— LuckyDog
- I still have the newspaper from the next day. Great memories. Heres hoping the Phillies bats come to life and trounce CC.— flyigglesfly
The Giants have been overrated all season. Bring on the Cowgirls! We will expose them too and will be sitting pretty on top of the NFC East at 6-2 with a 3-0 record in the division.- Lol. Where all them haters at today? Whats wrong with society today is that with the internet everything is blown out of proportion. Losses will occur over the season, there is no need to abandon a team after one loss. EAGLES!!!!!!— The Blueprint
