SCORES TWICE AFTER A PUCK TO THE FACE
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick will be allowed to keep more than $16 million in roster bonuses from the Atlanta Falcons, a federal appeals court has decided, backing the lower court's ruling, according to the Associated Press.
According to the report, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Minneapolis affirmed Judge David Doty’s order saying Vick had already earned the bonuses before his dogfighting conviction, so the money wasn’t subject to forfeiture.
The NFL had sought to end Doty's oversight of the collective bargaining agreement after the Vick ruling, accursing him of bias. The appeals court rejected that claim.
Chicago-Eagles start time
Flexible scheduling begins with the games of Nov. 22, but NBC has decided to keep the Eagles game at Chicago as the night game, rather than select another game.
Puzzle at linebacker
Starting weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan, the only starter remaining from the group that began training camp, suffered a hyperextended knee and a bone bruise against the Cowboys, Andy Reid said.
Reid didn't offer a prognosis, but it would seem unlikely that Jordan would be able to play this Sunday at San Diego.
It isn't clear who would step in - Tracy White? Joe Mays? Moise Fokou, with strongside starter Chris Gocong expected to return to practice tomorrow (and then to play)? Suddenly, you have to wonder about that roster spot Jeremiah Trotter is occupying.
"We haven't determined anything on that yet," Reid said when asked who would play if Jordan is unable.
Asked if they are looking internally or externally for his potential replacement, the coach said, “We have to see how Akeem is first and then we’ll go from there.”
In case you're keeping score at home, original middle linebacker Stewart Bradley went down to an ACL tear Aug. 2. Trotter returned to the NFL during the bye week, not having played since 2007.
Bradley's replacement, Omar Gaither, was lost for the season to a Lisfranc sprain Oct. 18, leading to the acquisition of Will Witherspoon from St. Louis.
Fokou, a seventh-round rookie from Maryland, got his first career start Sunday for Gocong, who was suffering from quad and hamstring troubles.
The Eagles likely will start their fifth combination of linebackers in nine games Sunday.
Games 1-3: Gocong, Gaither, Jordan
Games 4-6: Gocong, Trotter, Jordan
Game 7: Gocong, Witherspoon, Jordan
Game 8: Fokou, Witherspoon, Jordan
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LaDainian Tomlinson is still a player who can help the Chargers win, but it seems clear he can no longer win games for them and is likely closing out his final season in San Diego.
The Chargers are averaging 3.1 yards a carry, worst in the NFL. And unless they can start getting some leads and let Tomlinson and others pound the ball while the line gets in a rhythm, that doesn't look to get much better.
Sunday was the fourth time this season the Chargers rushed 21 times or fewer. They are on pace to rush just 364 times, which would be their fewest since 2000 and third-lowest total ever.
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To read Domo's Second Take from Eagles-Cowboys, click here.
Les
Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News
since 2002.
Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les
only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no
penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite
what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News
from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much
lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their
two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
E-mail Les at bowenl@phillynews.com
and follow
him on Twitter.
Paul
Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982.
He has spent most of his nearly 3 decades with the paper covering the
Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a
selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre
and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo started his career in Texas,
working first for the Midland Reporter-Telegram (1976-78), and then for
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas
Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually was
boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose 2 sports coats to
blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley,
a University of Oklahoma grad who still hasn’t gotten over
that Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State 5 years ago, have 2 terrific
daughters -- Allison, 28, who is an attorney in South Jersey, and Amy,
25, who works in administration for a professional baseball team.
E-mail Domo at PDomo@aol.com and follow
him on Twitter.
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