Eagles coaches spar on sideline

This is what happens when you lose, especially when expectations were high.

As the Eagles plummeted to 4-7 yesterday, Comcast SportsNet reported that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and defensive line coach Jim Washburn had to be separated on the sideline in the first half.

A source close to the situation confirmed to the Daily News that Mornhinweg and Washburn then came onto the field for the second half having an animated disagreement.

There was no official word on what sparked the trouble, but speculation held that Washburn was not pleased with the Birds' pass-heavy approach during the three-touchdown spree the Patriots went on during a nine minute and 18 second span of the first half. Washburn supposedly would have liked to have given his troops some time to recover and adjust, but the Eagles kept misfiring offensively, running the defense back on the field.

In particular, the Eagles had a one-play drive – a Vince Young interception – after which the defense held for a 39-yard missed field goal. That was followed by an Eagles three-and-out, which led straight to a Patriots touchdown drive, and a 21-10 New England lead.

The Birds' best hope for derailing the imposing New England offense and quarterback Tom Brady was to get pressure on Brady, who isn't considered nimble, but Washburn's charges managed only one sack, early, from defensive tackle Mike Patterson. Brady scrambled five times for 28 yards, easily eluding rushers.

"Yeah, that's a rarity," Brady said. "There's just a few times there where I felt it opened up in the middle and I just took off. I'm not moving very fast, they're converging pretty quickly, so I just (slid down) as fast as I could."

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