I was at the Eagles dominating win over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday afternoon.Here are my thoughts...
* Me and my nephew left for the game at exactly 9:00 a.m. No traffic all the way down the expressway. We parked in the Phillies' lot around 9:45 ( $40 to park for an Eagles game is a disgrace)..
It was a sultry, humid, drizzly morning. We sat outside of the Phillies Majestic Clubhouse store until they opened at 10 a.m. A quiet morning, away from the tail-gaters down near the Linc..We were practically alone in the store, gazing out the front door, seeing the ballpark and hoping someday soon the Phillies are invoked in the playoffs. Whatever, it was time to focus on football.
We walked around the parking lot, which wasn't as full as expected, maybe because if the rain, or maybe because it was still early. We found out that the gates at the medical entrance were open, so we decided to head in.
We stopped by and saw Owen, the live bald eagle on display from the Norristown Zoo. The Eagles Pro Shop was bustling with activity, and it was fun to search for new Bird items.
The WIP booth was empty when we got there. I waved to Glen Macnow, who returned the greeting with a thumbs up. Soon Ike Reese, Ray Didinger and Ruban Frank, among others, would arrive at the booth.
The fans gathered and I noticed a guy standing nearby, wearing a Corey Clement No. 30 midnight green jersey. We made eye contact and the guy came over to shake hands, along with another gentleman, also wearing an Eagle green jersey. Turns out the guy wearing the Clement jersey was Clement's father. Clement is a rookie from Glassboro, New Jersey, so he had a lot of family and friends in attendance. His dad was friendly and rightfully proud of his son.
Former Eagles' great defensive tackle Corey Simon showed up to the radio booth. He was interviewed and led the growing fans watching the broadcast in a rendition of "Fly Eagles Fly."
Didinger gave me a smile and wave when my nephew passed along a note I sent to ray, thanking him for his kindness when I met him after a performance of "Tommy & Me" in the summer.
We headed into the stadium to catch an elevator upstairs before it got too crowded. The usual food fare awaited- anything from pizza to dogs to cheese steaks. I went with a hot dog, slathered in mustard, crab fries a soft pretzel and a bottle of water. Over-priced, as usual, but good stuff.
We got to our seats in section 112, in the back of the end zone, watching warm-ups. We said hi and shook hands with the iconic usher Walter, who has captained section 112 for years. Everyone knows his name, and he hugs and pats the familiar fans as they enter the stands.
Excitement abounds as the music blares over the P.A. system. They are replaying a lot of Tom Petty, since he passed away recently.I surveyed the crowd, swelling to 60,00 souls, before kick-off, as the Eagles drum-line and drum-line take the field. The National Anthem was stirring by a great female vocalist who is a cancer survivor.
It was strange, seeing so many fans at an Eagles game wearing t-shirts and shorts in summer-like weather. In no time at all, it was be heavy parkas, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies and ski caps.
The player introductions are always thrilling, with the fireworks and Rocky pre-game videos to hype the crowd. The Cards were booed as they entered the field, but not as much as a Cowboys or Giants team would be if they were visiting Lincoln Financial Field.
Amid the thunderous roar of a sold-out, rambunctious crowd, let the game begin...
* The Eagles' performance was outstanding, jumping out to the lead, up 21-0 before the 1st quarter ended. The were dominating, a total team effort- offense, defense and special teams. Arizona is plagued with injuries, but they also aren't that good. Age has also taken it's toll on the Cards. Plus they didn't seem interested in playing a 1:00 game on the Ease Coast, while the team was still in Arizona morning mode.
* The Birds' tackling was great, as they didn't give up much YAC ( yards after catch). The defense easily could've had 3-4 interceptions that were dropped. They got pressure on Arizona QB Carson Palmer, but I thought the sack total could've been even higher. The offensive is better this season, but the defense looks good, even playing without the injured Fletcher Cox and Ronald Darby.
Carson Wentz has a career game, throwing 4 touchdowns and notably going 11-12 on third down situations. The running game worked, even without Wendall Smallwood, and the passing game clicked with short, West Coast offense-type precision, and long TD bombs to Torrey Smith and Nelson Aglohor.
Special teams flowed all day, with kicker Jake Elliot notching two field goals and Kenyon Barner breaking off a scintillating 70-yard plus punt return.
After playing close games so far this year, it was the most complete game Philadelphia played in a long time.
* The offensive line played great. Wisniewski played better at guard than Womack. The line gave Wentz plenty of protection and opened holes all day for backs LaGarrette Blount, Barner and Clement.
Agholor made a tremendous catch and run on a Wentz bomb in the 3rd quarter,making a spin move on an Arizona secondary guy, and finishing with a backwards, Nestea-plunge into the end zon After dropping a catch-able ball early, Agholor once again stepped up.
* Just a thought- with the Eagles up 31-7 and only 8 minutes left in the game, why was Carson Wentz still int he game?Don't you rest him, especially with a short week ahead,and give back-up QB Nick Foles some mush-needed work?
* Mike Trout was at the game, flanked by security. Former Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was seen in a box, waving to the crowd. He got a warm, but not overly lush, response form the throng. He gave an interview later and once again proved himself to be a jackass.
* The critics will say that the 4-1 Eagles really aren't that good, that they have beaten bad teams Giants 0-5, Chargers 1-4, Cards 2-3, Redskins 2-2. But you play who is on the schedule. Can't help if the teams you are playing suck. A good test will be this Thursday night at Carolina to play the 4-1 Panthers.A tough game for sure, coming off a short week, with OT Lane Johnson possibly out with a concussion. But don't forget the Panthers were awful last year, so they aren't unbeatable at home.
After Carolina, Philly has 3 straight home games: a Monday night contest against Washington ( which is shaping up to be a big game), San Francisco and Denver. Bye week occurs before a trip to Dallas for a Sunday night tilt. So, the Birds can stay on a roll, win or lose Thursday night, and put a little distance between themselves and the rest of the division.
Beating Washington in two weeks will be big, as that would mean a sweep on the 'Skins and the advantage regarding any tie-break situations. Dallas isn't playing well, after losing two consecutive home games, and the Giants are cooked, going 0-5 with an embarrassing loss in New York to a winless Charger team that flew across the country.
With success comes rewards, and the Birds may get flexed a few times in the upcoming schedule. But they already are on Monday Night Football in two weeks, and Sunday night vs. the Cowboys. Christmas night vs. the Raiders is prime-time. So, the only game I can see now that has a chance to be moved is the New Year's Eve game in Philly vs. Dallas, which may be for the division.
Putting an Eagles-Cowboys game on January 31- at night-would be nuts. Imagine the drinking- and partying- if the Birds win!
My NFL wrap-up will be on Tuesday. I did survive another week in the Last Fan Standing football pool by taking the Eagles. Only a little over 3,000 players remain ( from an initial 21,000) so I'm lucky to still be in the hunt. I'm glad I stuck with the Eagles. I was thinking of taking the woeful Giants ( they can't lose at home to the Chargers, can they?) or even Dallas ( who blew it against Green Bay, who always seems to have Dallas' number).
One rule of the pool- never take a bad team, and that theory proved itself true with the Giants. With Beckham Jr. breaking his ankle and 3 other receivers hurt, people will load up against New York this week ( they go to Denver) and for the rest of the season. I've looked ahead at the schedule and maybe the giants win 2 games all year.
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