I was watching Comcast's Monday Night Live show last night, and guest Lito Sheppard had some interesting things to say. I didn't have the DVR set up at the time, but I caught the comments again this morning and thought I'd share them for anyone who missed it.
Sheppard said he's unhappy about not playing, estimating he's on the field for only about 30 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps.
"If you say you want to win and do this and do that, then why aren’t all your best players on the field at the same time or when they need to be?" he said.
Host Ron Burke told Sheppard it sounded like the disgruntled cornerback thought he might not be in Philadelphia all season.
"Well I mean obviously the way things are going, it leads me to believe that," Sheppard said. "So until things change otherwise, I mean, I’m not naïve to the situation."
Sheppard said the situation is getting worse, but he also said he's not the type of person to drag his teammates into his own problems. Burke asked him what, if anything, was going on behind-the-scenes with the Eagles.
"They just want this year to go by and it does what it does and then we’ll see how it goes at the end of the season but that’s not satisfying to me," Sheppard said. "I need to be playing and I’m more than able."
In case you missed it -- and I doubt you did -- Terrell Owens complained to reporters yesterday after the Cowboys lost to the Redskins. Here's what he told The Dallas Morning News after yesterday's game:
"Everybody recognized that I wasn't really getting the ball in the first half," Owens said. "I'm pretty sure everybody watching the game recognized it, people in the stands recognized it, I think my team recognized it. I didn't quit. I kept fighting and trying to running my routes and trying to get open."
This is pretty funny because anyone who watched the game saw that the Cowboys were doing everything in their power to get T.O. the ball. In fact, when the Eagles aren't playing and I'm watching games, I'll write down notes to refer to when I blog during the week. Yesterday, I made a note about how smart Jason Garrett was. Owens had just two catches for 17 yards in Week 3 against the Packers. As I watched yesterday's game, I noticed Garrett was trying to find creative ways to get Owens the ball, probably in an effort to keep him happy (Note: It doesn't appear this worked).
My eyes were not deceiving me. A couple writers for The Dallas Morning News made the same point today. Brian Davis notes that the Cowboys ran 58 offensive plays. Eighteen of them were throws to Owens, and two more were running plays to Owens.
I'd really prefer that T.O. give credit to Shawn Springs and Carlos Rogers, because it wouldn't be good for the blogging business if the Original 81 shut up. ... If T.O. wants the ball more often, he ought to try getting open.
When I lauded T.O. last week for his hustle, I did say he was petulant and prone to whining. Well, he's at it again. It takes incredible gall to moan and groan about not getting the ball when the quarterback throws 17 passes in your direction and you also run the ball twice for 11 yards. That's 19 touches. Eleven more than any other offensive player. It's times like this when I remember why I once suggested T.O. shut up.
Monday night pick: Ravens at Steelers
Monday night record: 4-0
If I pick tonight's game correctly, I'm calling myself Mr. Monday Night. I don't care if the name's already taken. Coming off a Sunday in which I went 9-3 with picks, I'm allowed to have a little hop in my step.
Rookie Joe Flacco makes his first road start against the division rival Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger, meanwhile, is still trying to figure out Jim Johnson's blitz scheme. Maybe he should call Kyle Orton? I'm not sure the Ravens will be able to run the ball effectively, which could lead to some Flacco turnovers. For the Ravens to win, I think they have to get points on defense or special teams. Look for the Steelers to take this one in a low-scoring affair, 20-13.
Correll Buckhalter and the Eagles' offense failed to score down near the goal line in the fourth quarter of last night's loss to the Bears. (AP / M. Spencer Green)
A few quick notes before we get to the observations:
The Inquirer's Ashley Fox will join us for a live chat at 11 a.m. So if you're looking to vent, that'll be a pretty good option. And after the chat, the above link will be the transcript.
1. The Bears' offensive possessions in the third quarter: three-and-out, interception, three-and-out, fumble, three-and-out, fumble. The Eagles' total points in the third quarter: three. Chicago was giving the game away, and the Eagles couldn't take it.
2. Should the Eagles have run the ball more? It's tough to say. In the first half, Correll Buckhalter carried six times for 4 yards. Not good. In the third quarter, when he got banged up, Buckhalter had three carries, one of which went for 25 yards. And in the fourth quarter, he carried for 35 of his 66 total yards.
3. Did you notice Al Michaels' incorrect math? When the Bears had their final possession, he said if the Eagles stopped them on three downs, the offense would get the ball back with about 1:10 left. In reality, the Eagles stopped them and got the ball back with 28 seconds.
4. We did a quick poll during the live chat asking you all what play the Eagles should've called on fourth down from the 1. The majority said a quarterback sneak to Donovan McNabb, so the second-guessing of Andy Reid's play call in understandable. Did Reid consider using a sneak? After the game, he said yes, but he held off because of McNabb's chest injury. When's the last time a QB got injured or reaggravated an injury on a QB sneak? Can someone please look this up?
5. One of you made the point during the chat that opposing kickers never miss field goals against the Eagles. It seemed true at the time, so I had to look it up. Through four games, opposing kickers are six-for-six against the Birds. Two of those kicks were from more than 50 yards, and four were from more than 45 yards. Incredible. David Akers is 8-for-10 on the year, with his two misses coming yesterday.
6. What's your biggest concern after four weeks? High on the list has to be the offense's inability to score late in the game, and that includes the flat-out ugly two-minute offense. In both losses, the Eagles had a chance to win in the fourth quarter, and in both spots, they came up short. On the bright side, the defense has allowed just three total points in the second halves of the last two games.
7. The optimist says:
Give the Eagles a break. It's hard to win on the road in the NFL. The Eagles were without Pro Bowlers Brian Westbrook and Shawn Andrews. Try taking away the best player on a lot of NFL offenses, and they'll struggle. Reggie Brown made positive contributions. Once Kevin Curtis is back, the Eagles will have their full arsenal of weapons. The defense, which struggled to create turnovers last season, had four takeaways. Jim Johnson showed he can make adjustments. It's a long season.
8. The pessimist says:
This team is a joke without Westbrook. Huge mistake not to run the QB sneak down near the goal line. Classic Andy Reid inept play-calling. McNabb fails to come through when it matters once again. And DeSean Jackson makes as many bonehead plays as he does good ones. Defensively, that was the supposed best secondary in the league? They let up three touchdown passes to Kyle freaking Orton! They're in last place in the NFC East. 8-8 would be a miracle at this point.
9. In the first three games, the Eagles converted 19 of 40 third-down chances, a rate of 48 percent. Last night they converted two of 13, 15 percent.
10. I moderate our Eagles chats during the week, and it seems like the same questions keep coming up from you guys. I don't have answers, but I thought I'd share them. Feel free to discuss.
Where is Chris Clemons?
Is Lorenzo Booker incapable of making a contribution? Why'd we get this guy?
What happens to the receiving corps when Curtis comes back?
SI.com's Peter King has the Bears in a 19-17 victory:
I don't like the fact that Philly's two most important players feel like they just got hit by a truck. Looks like Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook will play, but at what percentage of goodness? The Bears are better than 1-2-you can point to about six plays in the Tampa Bay and Carolina losses, and if they make any two of them, they're 3-0-and they'll show up in all their brutishness Sunday night, ready to play a desperate game.
The Eagles are hurting and now take to the road to face a Bears team that has lost two tough games in a row. That's a tough spot. The Bears will be able to shut down the Eagles if Brian Westbrook can't go. Chicago needs this game in the worst way, more than the Eagles, and they get it.
Worst nickname in professional sports goes to Falcons running back Michael Turner. According to ajc.com, defensive end John Abraham has started calling him Michael "The MARTA" Turner. If you're confused right now, don't worry. You're not the only one. I had to look it up. MARTA stands for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. I couldn't make this up if I tried. So basically this would be the equivalent to Correll "The SEPTA" Buckhalter. Somehow I don't think that would catch on. I think The MARTA and the Falcons go down this week.
The pick: Panthers (-6.5)
Bills at Rams
Signs of an unstable franchise: You've been outscored 116-29 over the first three weeks of the season. You signed your quarterback to a five-year, $65M contract in the offseason and then benched him before Week 4. And you're running back, who was a holdout before the start of the season, blasts the decision. Yeah, I think I'm going to go with the Bills in this one.
The pick: Bills (-8)
Broncos at Chiefs
Denver has scored 41, 39 and 34 points respectively in their first three games. Defensively, the Broncos have given up 70 points in their past two games, and they only have five sacks on the season. With Damon Huard back in the driver's seat at QB for Kansas City, take the points at home. (Did I just write that?)
The pick: Chiefs (+10)
Browns at Bengals
Cincinnati finally showed signs of life in an overtime loss to the Giants in Week 3, but Carson Palmer is questionable for this one. Meanwhile, in Cleveland, things are falling apart. The calls for Brady Quinn to start and for Romeo Crennel to leave are getting louder. I'm sure the networks are pumped that they get the Browns on national TV four more times.
The pick: Browns (+3.5)
Texans at Jaguars
You know things are bad when fans are calling for Sage Rosenfels to save the season. The Texans will be sticking with Matt Schaub, however, as they look for their first win. Don't expect that to come this week though. The Jags build off last week's Indy win in a blowout.
The pick: Jaguars (-7)
49ers at Saints
Here's MC's pick of the week. By the way, to clarify, I give MC a game to pick each week. He doesn't get to choose. Last week he got off the schnide and is 1-2 on the season:
I'm not confident that JT O'Sullivan can do enough on the road to keep up with the Saints' offense. The Saints should take this one in a shootout.
The pick: Saints (-5) Cardinals at Jets
Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was 8 when Brett Favre threw his first NFL pass. The starters at quarterback in this one are a combined 75 years old. The Jets are coming off a blowout loss to the Chargers on Sunday night, while the Cardinals went down against the Redskins. Meanwhile, Arizona stayed in the D.C. area this week to practice, rather than fly back to Arizona. That's gotta be annoying for players.
The pick: Jets (-1.5)
Vikings at Titans
Gus FrerotteandKerry Collins in a meaningful game? What year is it -- 1995?
The pick: Titans (-3)
Packers at Bucs
New feature here at MTC. As many of you undoubtedly know, The Office returned last night for another season on NBC. And each week when I make these picks on Friday, there's at least one game that I don't have much to say about. Rather than bore you with a meaningless stat, we're going to give you an episode recap of The Office from my buddy C-Nast. If you don't care about The Office or have the episode DVR'd, scroll down to the next game. If you think this is a lame attempt for me to get my friends to write my blog for me, you're probably right. In any event, here is the episode recap:
What happened:The fifth season opened with questions surrounding Jan’s pregnancy, the Angela-Andy-Dwight love triangle and Jim and Pam’s engagement status. While there wasn’t much progress on the first two storylines (except for several warehouse rendezvous between Angela and Dwight), Jim dropped the bomb and finally proposed to Pam -- at a gas station somewhere between Scranton and New York City, of all places.
So Jim and Pam are engaged, and on top of that, Ryan is again a Dunder Mifflin temp, Michael rocked a goatee and stayed “friends” with new HR rep Holly, and Toby broke his neck in Costa Rica.
Packed with potential storyline threads, “The Office” season premiere didn’t disappoint. But I do think the hour-long episodes tend to include some pretty random clips (Examples: Michael and Holly rapping and Phyllis wondering what people think of her body).
Grade: B+ -- The humor wasn’t the best, but Jim’s proposal was a shocker.
Quote of the Week, from Dwight: “I’m going to randomly select three names, and these three people will get liposuction. Umm… Stanley, Phyllis, Kevin. And you will be responsible for your own medical bills.” The pick: Packers (+1)
Redskins at Cowboys
I'm hearing nothing but great stories from Jeff Pearlman's book Boys Will Be Boys, which talks about the Aikman-Emmitt-Irvin teams. I don't know if I can really bring myself to read a book about the Cowboys, but this stuff sounds pretty intriguing. SI.com's Peter King notes that the book reports that Barry Switzer's liquor tab during the week leading up to the Super Bowl was $100,000. That's quite a few gin and tonics.
The pick: Redskins (+11)
Eagles at Bears
Blog reader Bob asks:
Could we see DeSean Jackson starting along with Kevin Curtis in later weeks? If anyone deserves critique, it's Reggie Brown.
I would think Jackson would have to remain a starter, given what he's shown in the first three weeks. Don't forget, Curtis and Brown have already been injured so the chances of having all three guys healthy for an extended period of time might not be that night. I did think it was interesting to hear WIP interview ex-Eagles receiver Fred Barnett earlier this week. Barnett said it if was him, he'd bring Jackson in as the third receiver when Curtis and Brown are both healthy.
The pick: Eagles (-3) Chargers at Raiders
The YouTube clip of the week comes from insidebayarea.com. ProFootballTalk's explanation of the incident where Raiders executive John Herrera confronts reporter Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News:
By way of background, someone from the Raiders distributed to members of the local media last week a hard copy of an ESPN.com article that was critical of Kiffin. It is widely believed that Herrera is the person who distributed the article, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on Sunday that the article was disseminated at the express direction of Al Davis.
Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress has been suspended for two weeks. (AP / Jeff Roberson)
A report on northjersey.com says that police have responded to two domestic disturbance calls at Plaxico Burress' house over the past few months.
The Giants' wide receiver was suspended yesterday for two weeks, including the team's Week 5 game against the Seahawks. Burress reportedly didn't show up for work and didn't call the Giants to let them know. New York has a bye this week. No reports have surfaced about whether the domestic incidents have anything to do with Burress' suspension.
According to the northjersey.com report, Burress' wife twice called police, and temporary restraining orders were obtained but later dismissed in court. In one of the incidents, she said Plaxico grabbed her, and he said she slapped him in the face.
Burress' agent Drew Rosenhaus says Burress was involved in a "family issue." Rosenhaus has urged the NFLPA to file a grievance with the league to overturn the suspension, according to northjersey.com.
“Although we do acknowledge that there was an infraction here, and a violation of team rules,” Rosenhaus told The Record's Vinny Ditrani, “it’s not something we think is tantamount to Plaxico being suspended from the team for these two weeks, especially the ballgame. … It’s obviously something that doesn’t sit with us, and we’re going to do what we can to get this turned around."
Here's what Giants coach Tom Coughlin said yesterday:
"But we want to make sure that the message is loud and clear. We have had success here because of the team concept. And the team concept means basically that everyone is accountable and responsible and that we don’t let the other guys down. And that is what we are trying to do. We are trying to acknowledge one of our guys has had a violation of a team rule and we want him back and we want him back under very good terms. We try to do this thing the right way."
The Giants have suspended wide receiver Plaxico Burress for two weeks due to insubordination, according to FoxSports.com's Jay Glazer.
According to the report, Burress did not show up for work on Monday and didn't call the team back when they tried to contact him about his absence.
Now before you go checking the Giants' schedule to see who they play the next two games, there's a slight catch. New York has a bye this week. In Week 5, however, they play the Seahawks. So why say it's a two-week suspension if they only have one game? Well, according to the report, it means Burress won't get paid for the two weeks of work.
Burress was off to a good start this season with 18 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown in three games. He signed a five-year, $35M extension earlier this month. Burress has scored touchdowns in three of his last four games against the Eagles.
In other news, Matt Millen is out in Detroit. The Lions went 31-84 under his direction and started this season off 0-3. They also seemed to draft a wide receiver in the first round every year.
By the way, I did a pretty extensive Eagles Links Wednesday post earlier today so make sure that doesn't get lost in the shuffle during your daily blog-viewing.
The Eagles are in the top-five in many power rankings around the country. (AP / Mel Evans)
Every week, I will be delivering various football links that mention the Eagles from around the Internet. While philly.com's Eagles section has your best local coverage, along with blogs Eagletarian and Birds' Eye View, these will be links you may have missed.
Two different defenses. The Eagle D had zero pass-rush in Dallas and allowed 41 points in the Monday nighter. On Sunday, the Eagles smelled blood in the water (with Ben Roethlisberger and his separated shoulder the reason), blitzed on practically every passing down and held the Steelers to six points.
They put up points against a solid Cowboys defense and then used a fierce pass rush to slow down the Steelers. We need to see how Brian Westbrook responds to the ankle injury.
They're darn near perfect, except for the tough loss at Dallas. The defense bounced back in a big way in shutting down the Steelers. They looked like they had 13 men on the field.
Very gritty win against Pittsburgh last week, accomplished with seven offensive starters injured throughout portions or all of the game -- including main men McNabb and Westbrook. Watch out QBs: Defensive whiz Jim Johnson is dialing up the blitzes again. SI.com's Bucky Brooks has Donovan McNabb second on his MVP-watch list:
In leading the Eagles to a hard fought 15-6 victory over the previously unbeaten Steelers, McNabb completed 24 of 35 passes -- including his first 15 in a row -- for 196 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted once. Through three games, McNabb has completed over 66 percent of his passes. He sports an impressive 5:1 touchdown/interception ratio.
The sports press gushes over Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, but TMQ contends line play is the essence of the Nesharim franchise. Never was that on better display than Sunday, when the Philadelphia front seven shut down the Steelers with nine sacks.
But the guy I was impressed with didn't score, had only two tackles and wouldn't draw a crowd if he walked down Market Street. I'm talking about Darren Howard, who is quietly rebuilding his reputation as a valuable defensive lineman and an invaluable part of an Eagles rotation that disrupted Pittsburgh's offense by sacking its quarterbacks nine times.
He's played in some big games -- he nearly beat the Patriots at New England last year when Donovan McNabb was hurt -- and the Eagles would be willing to talk about him because of their comfort level at backup quarterback with Kevin Kolb. He's somewhere between Clint Longley and Jim Plunkett in terms of a guy who might have a chance to play effectively with a good team around him. He's the guy I'd try to deal for, but remember one thing: The Eagles always try to beat teams into submission on trades; anything more than a fifth-round pick in 2009 would be too much. SI.com's Brooks has DeSean Jacksonthird on his list of the top offensive rookies:
The flamboyant rookie had a quiet game against the Steelers (five receptions for 40 yards), but his big play potential has opened up the field for the Eagles' other receivers.
ESPN.com's Jeffri Chadiha says Donovan McNabbis showing more trust in his receivers:
McNabb was right to point to that Pittsburgh game as evidence of the Eagles' growth on offense. That's because it's an example of how much confidence he now has in his supporting cast, even though a fair share of those receivers are backups. He got rid of the ball quickly. He gave his targets plenty of opportunities to make plays instead of buying time with his scrambling. A year after Westbrook set a team record with 90 receptions -- which reveals how unwilling McNabb was to go downfield -- the quarterback is operating like a man who knows exactly what he has at his disposal.
I could pick almost any Eagle after their nine-sack burial of Roethlisberger. Parker had 2.5 sacks, five tackles (two of them for loss), a forced fumble, a pass batted down and four quarterback hits. That's a career day for the man formerly known as Juqua Thomas. CBSSports.com's Prisco gives the Eagles a B-minus for their performance in Week 3:
This one goes to the defense. They had seven sacks and dominated the line of scrimmage. The Steelers couldn't get their running game going at all. The offense didn't do much, but did just enough.
The stats looked modest -- five punts, 44.4-yard average -- but his net was 43.4 yards (meaning only five return yards) and he boomed a punt 75 yards in the air in the second half that pinned the Steelers; he punted from his own one and it landed at the Steeler 25, giving him credit for a 64-yard punt. His next punt was 54 yards to the Pittsburgh 6. His last was 37 yards to the Pittsburgh 7. "You don't very often talk about a punter being a weapon, but he was tonight,'' said Andy Reid.
There are many reasons this team has been good for so long under Andy Reid. Here is one: Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, William Thomas, Jon Runyan and David Akers all have held up as a decade-long nucleus. SI.com's King likes what he sees from Stewart Bradley:
There aren't many middle linebackers stopping the run better than Philly's Stewart Bradley
I think the best thing about the Eagles is they can win games in a variety of ways. They can stop the run -- 13 carries, 20 yards for Willie Parker Sunday -- and they can still blitz when defensive coordinator Jim Johnson feels like it. It sounds like Brian Westbrook might miss a week with his ankle strain (MRI to come today), but I don't doubt Donovan McNabb's ability to stand in against a pounding Chicago defense Sunday night and pull out a win.
Before we get to your grades from the Eagles' victory over the Steelers, I have a link to pass along.
NFL.com has a feature that allows you to cut your own highlight packages. You pick the clips from the first three weeks, the sequence, the soundtrack, etc. You can even incorporate the soothing voice of the legendary Merrill Reese. It should come as no surprise that Eagles fans have dominated this thing so far. The top-rated video is a cut titled "Super Bowl" that has Birds highlights from the first three weeks.
Anyway, take your shot at this and e-mail me if you think you've got something good so I can pass along the link to everyone. If you're wondering why we don't have this feature on philly.com, it's because the NFL only allows us to use about three seconds of "their" video about every six months. Ok, so that's exaggerating, but it's not a lot. And just by writing that, it's quite possible they'll black out every game this weekend on my TV at home. I truly believe they have that kind of power.
Tip of the cap to philly.com managing producer Bob McGovern for passing along the link.
Now on to your Eagles grades, where we take a look at how you evaluated the Birds compared to Paul Domowitch of the Daily News:
Sheil Kapadia is a sports producer for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his dad, most of which turned out disappointing results. He's here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here
MUST BE DREAMING: TEMPLE IS 9-2?
