In nutty NFC East, Reid keeps Eagles stable
The Eagles are on their third quarterback change of the season, and somehow they are among the sane ones in the NFC East. That's a credit to Andy Reid.
In nutty NFC East, Reid keeps Eagles stable
Jonathan Tamari
5:20 p.m. UPDATE on DeSean Jackson at the bottom of this post.
The Eagles are on their third quarterback change of the season, after ditching their franchise QB in the spring, and somehow they are among the sane ones in the crazier-by-the-minute NFC East.
The latest developments came out of Virginia Tuesday, when the Redskins worked out bust extraordinaire JaMarcus Russell, after trading for Donovan McNabb in the off-season and benching him for the illustrious Rex Grossman Sunday. The head-scratching moves seemed designed to compete with the mismanagement in the undisciplined implosion underway in Dallas. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Cowboys are awful and the Grossman move instantly blew up in Mike Shanahan's face.
And then there are the Eagles, who have had their own drama, but prevented it from spilling onto the field. Credit Andy Reid for this: his team has kept its focus and an even demeanor amid a volatile quarterback situation. No one on the team has publicly clamored for Michael Vick over Kevin Kolb or vice versa. There has been no sniping between the two QBs. To a man, the players have said: we’ll just run our offense and play Eagles football. Reid refuses to publicly criticize his players or assistants. That leads to some infuriating press conferences and statements that are sometimes at odds with reality. But it also suffocates potential fires.
The result? The Eagles are 4-3 and have a shot in a weak conference and nutty division. They have been competitive in every game. You can blame the losses on on-field mistakes or questionable in-game coaching, but not off-field distractions. The staid Reid has maintained a professional atmosphere and kept the circus at bay. That at least speaks well about how the coach has handled his locker room. It’s better than many of his peers have managed. (We're looking in your direction, Minnesota).
Eagles work out two cornerbacks
The Eagles worked out cornerbacks Joe Burnett, a former Steeler, and Fred Barnett, a former Charger and Texan, Tuesday. Neither was signed. The work outs had been planned in advance and were not in response to the Titans' outburst, according to the team. They were intended to scout potential future acquisitions.
The team had no update on cornerback Ellis Hobbs, who appears to have lost his starting job after being torched last game. Hobbs visited a doctor Monday, according to the team. He had not been on any previous injury reports, though he appeared slow against Tennessee.
UPDATE: DeSean Jackson said he visited an independent doctor today to get another concussion test, but did not reveal the results. In a television appearance Jackson said "I'm feeling pretty good overall," but gave no indication that he had passed.The Eagles had no official update Tuesday. Jackson had not passed a concussion test from an independent doctor as of Monday night, according to the Eagles. He practiced Monday afternoon in a light session that did not include contact.
"I'm still taking it a day at a time," he said.
Jackson told reporters Monday that it would be a "game time decision" on whether he plays against the Colts.
McNabb's line from 2008 NFC title game:
28/47 375 8.0 3 1
Defense could not stop Warner/Fitzgerald on game-winning drive. Last incompletion on 4th down for Eagles and Curtis fell down, ball was right there.
Just sayin.— Jim C.
Comment removed.- yes, he does keep them stable..... and that is why they are never great, you need to take risks to attain rewards— main liner
- Andy is like Uncle Charlie. They handle the team day to day better than in game X's & o's.— gdm
- Jonathan has a man crush on the fat man. He's young though, so give him time. He'll hate fatty in no time.— bradlidgesmole
Re: 2008 NFC CG - this is when the levy broke, and the national media started to see that McNabb had flaws, because Troy Aikman was so stunned by McNabb's horrible accuracy in the first half. Multiple missed receivers and a clear touchdown had Aikman almost speechless. To quote that 2008 game as some standard of great quarterback play is to be either stupid about quarterbacking or obsessed with defending McNabb. Accurately stating the events neutrally.— Nuutron- Lose on Sunday and they are 4-4...is that stable? 11 and 5 last year and made the playoffs. Kevin Kolb is the starter, Mike Vick is the starter, making o-line trades a week before the season starts, stable? I don't think so..."And then there are the Eagles, who have had their own drama, but prevented it from spilling onto the field" that's because the reporters won't write stories that will show the organization in a negative light...the stories are there, how about dropping out of the first round of the draft two years in a row (2007-2008) and they passed up on Ryan Clady who made the pro bowl for Denver, the eagle o-line is mediocre at best.
— keepitreal1234 - Comment removed.
This team has always played better in the second half under Reid. They have overcome injuries and inexperience to be 4-3 right now. My guess is 11-5 will be the record again. You read it here first, the Eagles are going to blow the Colts out!- Big Red's teams always play well in november and December,,most of the big game loses were from player execution not bad coaching,but the team seems to have better leadership on the field then ever before on offense,the defense and special have to tighten up......wolf.— wolf 4
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- Playoffs....Did i hear playoffs! yeah Right! Not for a bunch of losers like the Eagles. A lose to the Colts and two games against the 1st place Giants and another game against the Skins. Plus many more games. No playoffs here. All your injuries and a busted up defense and offense will be sitting at home for the Super Bowl just like the phils did for the World Series!— MRD
stability makes casual fans who dont understand the game beliebe the team can actually win a SB since they arent like buried in the stands usually. but it WILL NOT WIN A SB. 58% passing = 0 SB's ever, 59% = 0 SB's ever, Reid career average is right around 60 PERCENT. NOT GOING TO WIN A SB. TRY LESS PASSING, MORE RUNNING ANDY. but he wont do that, therefore HE WILL NEVER WIN A SB. EVER.- Hey Jim C, what about downs 1,2 an3. He missed wide open receivers. You want to blame Curtis on a 4th down pass that was thrown behind him. McNabb people focus on that play because out of the 4 downs, thats the closest he came to a receiver. They act like downs 1,2,3 never happened.— watsonmr
- I have to disagree. The Eagles are as big of a circus as anyone else. They don't have enough professional O-lineman, corners, or running backs and though they are flush with wide outs, they didn't have enough active to get through the Washington game. For the Atlanta game Vick didn't show up on time and never came out of the locker room. The Eagles are a joke, due to Reid. I don't expect them to clear 6 wins.— jtj06
- MRD, TURN IN YOUR EAGLES FAN CARD, YOU BELONG IN DALLAS!!!— PHIILY
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