BEWARE THE OTHER BIRDS
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
BEWARE THE OTHER BIRDS
Bob Brookover
The message Andy Reid is going to drum into his players as they prepare for Sunday's NFC championship game is that the Arizona Cardinals that showed up at Lincoln Financial Field Thanksgiving night are not the same team that will be hosting them at University of Phoenix Stadium with a trip to Super Bowl XLIII on the line.
"To be honest with you, I didn't think we got their best shot when they were here," the Eagles' coach said at his noon news conference today. "They didn't play good football. They were coming off a tough (home loss to the Giants), it was Thanksgiving Day and they had to travel here.
"This will be a different football team that we will see out there. I have had a chance to go through four games now -- the last four games of their season -- and it's very obvious when you put on the film that schemetically they are doing some different things. They are way more aggressive from a defensive standpoint. Offensively, they've always been aggressive, but they've got their run game going and I think their offensive line is playing better. They're playing very good football right now."
The Eagles, of course, blew out the Cardinals, 48-20, at the Linc and started to put back together their season, which seemed to be on the skids after Donovan McNabb was benched in a lopsided loss at Baltimore.
Veteran running back Edgerrin James, after carrying the ball just 18 times in an eight-game stretch from Week 8 through Week 16, has once again become an integral part of the Cardinals' offense. In two postseason games, the former Indianapolis Colts' star has ran 36 times for 130 yards and a touchdown. He has carried the ball 13 more times than rookie Tim Hightower, who had emerged as Arizona's featured back in the second half of the season.
The Cardinals, of course, are built to throw the football and Larry Fitzgerald has been their postseason star, catching 14 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns in wins over Atlanta and Carolina. Quarterback Kurt Warner, intercepted three times in the game at the Linc, has a 93.9 passer rating in the postseason, completing 40 of 64 passes for 491 yards and four touchdowns. He has thrown two interceptions.
Reid held a team meeting when the Eagles returned home following yesterday's win over the Giants and he gave the players off today.
The coach said receiver Jason Avant was moving around better today after hyperextending his knee and leaving yesterday's game in the third quarter. Also on the injury front, Reid said Jon Runyan remains sore with a right knee sprain and Brian Westbrook has knee swelling.
"I don't think any of these are too major," Reid said. "We'll just see how they do in the next few hours here."
McNabb is due for a good game,he was off in the 1st half against the G men but won anyway.I think one question is who will score a TD against Eagles defense,none have been scored in the last 6 quarters.— eaglevick
this time next week you will be comparing the eagles victory to the dallas game. the eagles will crush the cards and you can say you saw it here first!!!!! see ya on broad st. eagle phans- Hey truthfirst, just asking...you say if the Cardinals were in the NFC East "they would be the Redskins". Umm, the Eagles were 0-2 against the Redskins this year, no?— Billy The Kid
- Eagles 31 Cardinals 21 Final.— thejerz
- outintheflo I love it pretending to be a Cards fan that's funny.— MXWest
- Root for the Birds and you CANNOT lose!— Skena
- This should be a great game but I give it to my boys because of the homefield advantage. I'm not on here to talk smack but I see many here are already badmouthing the Cards. That's fine too, everyone has an opinion. However....Eagles' fans don't underestimate the Cardinals. First the Falcon fans, then the Panther fans, now Philly. This is NOT the same team and YES IT IS BETTER than the Cards' team you played on turkey day. So don't get too hyped up ;) GO CARDINALS!!!— Cards24fan
- I have divided loyalties. Grew up in Pottstown as a die hard Eagles fan and have continued cheering for them since I moved to Tucson in '75. Have also become a die-hard Cards fan long before it became fashionable to do so. Unlike most of the contributors above, I have watched every Cards' game this year, including the humiliating losses. But I can tell you one thing--they are not the same Cards. Also, they are 13-4 @ home since the Wiz became head coach.— ArizonaMike
- The chances that the Cardinals beat the Eagles are about the same as the Eagles making the playoffs.— rixxk
- Why don't the Eagles use Lito Sheppard at all? Doesn't it seem a bit vindictive?— foreclosure11
- Two throwing teams but they will be without their #2 receiver and starting TE and our defense is much better, especially our cover guys. Really think we are gonna do it!— mickeyb4boyle
- Perhaps I'm dating myself, but the Cards of yesteryear including Jim Hart, Neil Lomax, Roy Green, and even Terry Metcalf come reminding... of Martay Jenkins, Brian Finneran (cut in the locker romm), and Greg Garrity so close to the goal line with time running out. That's a lot of s$%@. Philly/Cards have some interesting history.— iggles48
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- Being the typical fatalistic, paranoid Philly fan, I am worried that the Giants game took too much out of our Birds. I have never seen B-Dawk so emotional after a win. If they are not emotionally spent, I think the Birds triumph easily over AZ.— Beechdancer
