THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
It's over.
The Eagles' chances of making the playoffs.
Donovan McNabb's career in Philadelphia.
Andy Reid's ability to call plays, win games, etc.
It's all over.
That's what you're going to hear this week in quadrophonic stereo.
All the people who know everything are going to tell you it's over. Time for a new coach, time for a new quarterback, time to move on.
And they might all be right. Any and all reason for hope seemingly vanished Sunday in Cincinnati.
The Bengals played exactly the way you'd expect a 1-8 team to play and the Eagles played exactly like the Bengals.
Why should anyone believe in a football team, a coach or a quarterback that couldn't beat a team that did everything it could to lose?
Before you pull the plug, however, there is one thing to remember: Sometimes weird stuff happens in professional sports.
In their 11th game a year ago, the New York Giants lost 41-17 at home to the 4-6 Minnesota Vikings, falling to 7-4. Quarterback Eli Manning threw three interceptions that day and they were all returned for touchdowns. It's hard to imagine the Giants sitting up at the Meadowlands the following Monday plotting the design of their Super Bowl rings.
There are more stories like that one from this decade, too.
Pittsburgh lost its last two games in November and its first in December to fall to 7-5 in 2005. Had they lost again, they wouldn't have made the playoffs. They didn't lose again.
The 2000 Baltimore Ravens went five straight October games without scoring a touchdown and were 5-4 after nine games and they, too, won a Super Bowl.
When the Phillies lost two out of three in Florida in mid-September and slipped two games behind the Mets and four behind Milwaukee in the wildcard race, were more people plotting a parade down Broad Street or manager Charlie Manuel's firing?
After watching the Eagles in Cincinnati, there's no reason to believe they can duplicate those unlikely runs above. No reason at all.
But it is a dangerous business to declare something is over before it's actually over.
