Blog Zone: Eagles 'no pushover'
Eagles 'no pushover'
The Philadelphia Eagles helped the Arizona Cardinals create the perfect scenario for themselves. After defeating the Carolina Panthers Saturday night, all the Cards needed was the Eagles to walk into the Meadowlands and beat the No. 1-seed New York Giants. . . . It happened.The Arizona Cardinals are not only playing in their first NFC championship in the Super Bowl era, they are hosting the game as well, a scenario quite improbable when the playoffs started.
The Eagles will be no pushover. Donovan McNabb has found new life after his November benching in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Ever since the [Cardinals'] last meeting with the Eagles, they have been on a tear, only losing to the Washington Redskins along the way. . . .
If they thought the intensity was high over the past two weeks, then the Cards haven't seen anything yet. Home field has proven to not mean much so far in these playoffs in the NFC, except for Arizona. Arizona is the type of team that can feed off its fans.
Thanks, Phils
We were championship-starved for so long, we never really had any confidence in our teams. But when the Phillies made their run, they changed something about the way we watch - they inspired confidence in us. They made us more positive. They made us believe. . . .And didn't you get the sense around the city that, when the Eagles made the playoffs, they could legitimately make it to the Super Bowl? . . . All year long, we were frustrated by a team that routinely lost games it could have won. In many cases, should have won. . . . And yet, despite that fact, despite the daunting twists and dire turns, as soon as the Eagles landed in the playoffs, you got this strange sensation that they were about to make a run. . . .
The Phillies showed us that, once you're in the tournament, you've got a chance. They broke the curse. They freed us from the painful shackles of playoff pessimism.
