Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 9:14 AM | 25 comments |
 

What they're saying: Reid, McNabb get roasted
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As always, you can get the best local Eagles coverage from philly.com's Eagles section and blogs Eagletarian and Birds' Eye View. But here is our weekly sampling of other links around the Web that talk about the Birds.

FoxSports.com's John Czarnecki wonders whether Andy Reid would want to stick around for the Kevin Kolb era:

Reid must re-think his long-range plans. And does he really want to stick around and rebuild this team? Maybe it's time to relocate and get out of the Philadelphia fish bowl? Reid remains a solid coach, but his formula is no longer working.

SI.com's Peter King offers his thoughts on Donovan McNabb's overtime comments:

I think I simply don't believe Donovan McNabb didn't know there couldn't be ties in the NFL. What did he think? They'd play forever? "I never even knew that was in the rule book,'' he said after the 13-13 snoozer in Cincinnati. That's absurd.

King also wonders what the Eagles' next step should be:

I think if I'm Andy Reid, I'm starting to think that when the Eagles are out of it, it's time to see Kevin Kolb. McNabb looks old. He can't move. Reid's got to see what he has for the future, but only when the Eagles are out of any realistic playoff contention. That hasn't happened yet.

FoxSports.com's Adrian Hasenmayer says Reid deserves more criticism than McNabb after Sunday's tie:

Forget all the hubbub over several Eagle players, including QB Donovan McNabb, not realizing that NFL games could end in a tie. The more egregious brain fart goes to head honcho Andy Reid, who despite heavy Cincinnati winds and facing a defense that entered Sunday's game ranked 25th against the run, Reid's Eagles threw 58 times vs. just 18 carries in five quarters (3.6 carries per quarter). Remarkable.

FoxSports.com's Alex Marvez says there's no easy way to fix the NFL's overtime rules:

Admittedly, such finishes are so rare that Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb can almost — almost — be excused for not knowing that play automatically ends following a fifth quarter. Only 16 games have finished deadlocked since the league adopted its current overtime format in 1974. Before the Eagles-Bengals game, the lone tie in the past 10 seasons came in 2002.

ESPN.com has the Eagles 17th in its power rankings:

This team was fading even before an embarrassing tie. But as Donovan McNabb says, there's always the second OT.

FoxSports.com's Adam Schein says McNabb should know the rules:

I am a Donovan McNabb guy. I always have been. However, it was flat-out embarrassing and totally unacceptable that he didn't know that an NFL game ends in a tie if nobody scores after the first AND ONLY 15-minute overtime session. That's not on the Philly staff. That's on the quarterback.

Schein also calls McNabb one of his five goats of Week 11.

Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com calls Reid the NFL's worst coach this year:

Twice this season Reid has taken the game out of the hands of Donovan McNabb and tried to win at crunch time with his running game. Here's a coach who loves to throw on damn near every down except when the game is on the line. I also blame Reid for the Eagles failing to trade a second-round draft pick for Tony Gonzalez. Other than the one season with Terrell Owens, McNabb has made a living throwing the ball to the James Thrashes of the world. It's ridiculous. I'm convinced the Eagles don't want to win it all.

Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports has the Eagles 19th in his power rankings:

Did Donovan McNabb at least know that a tie is like kissing one’s sister (and, in this case, is it fair to say that Philly’s sister is pretty damned far from Angelina Jolie)?

Football Outsiders details how the Eagles' inability to adjust in close games has led to their demise:

The Eagles' fear of their running game eliminates the necessary offensive balance they need to be successful. Teams know that they will lean on McNabb in tight situations, and they react accordingly. As a result, McNabb is not effective in late and close situations. In 52 attempts when the teams are separated by fewer than seven points in the fourth quarter, McNabb averages only 5 yards per pass.

ESPN.com's DJ Gallo talks about Brian Dawkins' post-game comments:

Eagles safety Brian Dawkins was clearly distraught after the Bengals game and had this to say in the postgame press conference about how tying felt to him: "It's like in 'Talladega Night' how they say there is only first place and last place." Let this be the latest reminder to you that sports are not to be taken seriously. Sports problems are not real problems. Dawkins was visibly upset and what came to his mind was ... "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." If in your darkest hour, you quote lines from absurd Will Ferrell comedies, you have a blessed life. I mean, it's not often a person is called to the morgue to identify a loved one and tells the medical examiner: "It's like in 'Anchorman' when he says: 'It's a formidable scent. It stings the nostrils. I'm gonna be honest with you, Brian, that smells like pure gasoline.'"

CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco has the Eagles 17th in his power rankings:

After that terrible tie at Cincinnati, they must now go on the road again to play the Ravens. Wonder if Donovan McNabb knows that this game will be 60 minutes long?

CBSSports.com's Prisco gives the Eagles an F for their performance in Week 11:

Like I said, this is a loss for the Eagles. They're supposed to win this game. Their offense isn't doing enough. Donovan McNabb had three picks and didn't get them into the end zone enough. This one will sting.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports says the fans were the real losers in the Eagles-Bengals game:

The eight sacks of Cincinnati’s Ryan Fitzpatrick and four turnovers by Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb made for ugly football. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the offensive drives in overtime were downright inept. And judging by the unfulfilled looks on the faces of all the players afterward, it seemed like a loss for both teams.

Vinnie Iyer of the SportingNews has the Eagles 21st in his power rankings:

With stalwarts such as William Thomas and Jon Runyan still at the tackles, the front five does it best to help Donovan McNabb (only 15 sacks). With guard Shawn Andrews hurting, Brian Westbrook has found less in the running game. The Eagles have gone from 8th in 2007 (at 4.7 yards per carry) all the way down to 26th this season.

As always, if you have a link I missed, send me an e-mail or mention it in the comments section below.
Posted by Sheil Kapadia @ 9:14 AM  Permalink | 25 comments
25
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:50 PM, 11/19/2008
    the real laughing stocks are the fans that put their hard earned money into the pockets of these professional athletes. do they care about you? maybe only enough till you give them your money.
    — give me liberty or death
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:55 PM, 11/19/2008
    Does anybody think the Eagles have a chance this weekend against the Ravens?
    — FreeFalGuy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:59 PM, 11/19/2008
    How many days until pitchers and catchers report?
    — JerseyCommonSense
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:59 PM, 11/19/2008
    the giants were stumbling in a big way last year. people wanted coughlin fired. manning looked awful. they snuck in and well...we know what happened. im sure as hell not saying that could happen here but...that's the 0.5% piece of optimism out of this debacle
    — pistolabus1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:12 PM, 11/19/2008
    I love Philly teams, but I am really angry about this Eagles team. Reid and Morningweig are a joke. Mcnabb looks terrible. We have talent, but coaching that is stubborn and bad, And sadly, ownership that is also stubborn. I feel sorry fo Buckhalter waisting away.
    — RobertB
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:28 PM, 11/19/2008
    Ya know...J Roll was right about Philly fans. I, for one, am not going to bail out on the team that I have been rooting for for 30+ years! When they turn this thing around, I'll be the one left standing on the band wagon stepping on the fingers of all the front running whiners trying to claw their way back on!
    — extremebeat
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:40 PM, 11/19/2008
    We are no longer rooting for a team with any passion. Complacency is a characteristic of Andy Reid and that cannot work in the NFL. Winning games is great as Reid has done in the past, but the message is simple he needs to go and by all means let him take McNabb with him. He has given us great memories and is a tremendous athlete, but what happened Sunday will not be erased from the memories of fans. I have never played organized football in my life and I am well aware of the NFL overtime rules, because as a fan you should know the rules as a player you should eat, sleep, and breathe the rules.
    — joey4287
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:42 PM, 11/19/2008
    give me liberty: go live in Canada, Americans will pay money to watch their sports, you are a square. Let people have fun in their lives even if you don't, money is just money, what do you do? Save every dollar, or give it all to the church/charity?
    — gho_matt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:44 PM, 11/19/2008
    Hey extremebeat, have u even been watching what the hell has been going on. They can't even pick up a yard on 2-3 plays in a row when they need it. Mcnabb can't even throw an accurate 5 yard pass. Drafts have been a joke. No clawing back to that!
    — RobertB
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:51 PM, 11/19/2008
    I decided after about 4 games this year that the Eagles under Reid and McNabb would never win a super bowl. After the Phillies won the world series, I just decided I was not going to take the Eagles seriously as long as Reid and McNabb were running the show. I had my championship fix with the Phillies. I went to the Bengals game in Cincinnati this past weekend with my cousins, with the goal of having a good time, and not worrying about whether the Eagles won or lost. We did have a great time, and really enjoyed the game. We did not think it was boring or ugly. We just decided to enjoy ourselves.
    — PortCity
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:20 PM, 11/19/2008
    >>>Posted by FreeFalGuy 01:55 PM, 11/19/2008 Does anybody think the Eagles have a chance this weekend against the Ravens?<<< I for one do not. Neither do I feel they have a chance, in repeat matches against the other NFL East foes. Nor do I think they will beat the Cleveland Browns. That will pretty much leave them at 6-10, or 7-9. There are those posters who think we are traitors because we've lost faith in the Eagles ability to perform up to acceptable standards (Translation: Wins). They refuse to accept the fact that that skepticism is in fact realism. I have been an Eagle fan for over 45 years . Longer than many of the so-called "true fans" have been alive. The Eagles have not failed to disappoint me in every one of those 45 seasons. Yes, I'm skeptical that they are capable of pulling off any miracle at this late date. And it certainly doesn't make them any more "loyal" (whatever that means) to the Eagles than I otherwise, I wouldn't have been a fan for over 45 years.
    — essell
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:40 PM, 11/19/2008
    It's entertainment. Pure & simple. If it's not fun anymore, go do something else. Watch Sixers or Villanova basketball. Spend your money on a good movie, a good date, or a good book. Loyalty- have loyalty to your wife, to your country, to your best friend - don't be loyal to a game.
    — JeffA


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About Sheil Kapadia
Sheil Kapadia is in his fourth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his Dad. He's not a beat writer or an Insider, but is here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here

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