* The Eagles come into Saturday's playoff game with Atlanta as underdogs. First time ever in a playoff divisional round that the No. 1 seed- The Eagles- are underdogs to the no. 6 seed- the Falcons. The Birds host Atlanta yet are not favored?
Talk about disrespect! Vegas adjusts the line to get even take on bets. I guess they felt that no one would bet on Philly without points, even at home. But it's not just Vegas that is down on the Eagles. Most so-called football experts had the Eagles down and out even before we knew that Atlanta would be coming to the Linc this weekend. Because of Nick Foles the world feels we have no chance.
Sure, the Falcons played great against the Rams, upsetting them in LA over the weekend. I picked Atlanta to beat the young, inexperienced Rams. But the Falcons don't score touchdowns. Their offensive line is lacking. Matt Ryan is not a mobile quarterback. Atlanta has been hot and cold all year. They need to cross the country again and play outdoors on Saturday.
Sounds like the weather won't be as brutal this weekend as it has been recently. Still, it is outdoors in January, and the birds have 70,000 passionate fans behind them in the building.
After Carson Wentz went down in December, I wrote here that the Eagles needed to take an us-against-them mentality for the rest of the season. The Birds would be the underdog and the players and fans needed to hunker down and take a fighter's attitude.
The Eagles need to get off to a fast start and keep the team pumped. 70,000 fans need to stay insane and scream their heads off. Philly needs to show the world not to disrespect the City of Brotherly Love.
Mike Sielski of the Philly Daily News wrote a really negative column recently about the fans and the Eagles not having a home field advantage. He has always been one of the worst writers in the city. He's no Stan Hiochman, that's for sure. He's the same guy who thinks Matt Kentak was doing a great job as General manager of the Phillies, not bringing up the kids last summer. Selski is the worst. I get that he is trying to be "honest" about his opinion. But common sense tells me- this current disrespect of the Eagles is feeding right into the fan's anger.
Nick Foles should be pissed off. Fletcher Cox, Vinnie Curry and the rest of the defense need to step up and cause constant havoc on Saturday against the Falcons. Don't give Ryan time to throw to Julio Jones. Put Ryan on his ass all night.
If the Eagles aren't motivated by the lack of respect for the team, they are losers and don't deserve to win. Get mad, Eagles! Get angry, fans! Will the Birds to victory over Atlanta. Make sure there is an NFC Championship Game at the Linc the following weekend. Wentz or no Wentz, this is your chance. Do something unforgettable, something people will talk about for generations to come.
* The NFL wild-card games continue yesterday. Jacksonville survived against the Bills, 10-3. The Jags, with their shaky QB, won't last long in Pittsburgh this weekend. They have a solid defense, but under Blake Bortles, they don't score enough points. Buffalo was the Cinderella story of the playoffs. They ar eon the right track, but the bills aren't going anywhere until they find a franchise QB.
Tony Romo did the Jags-Bills game and he seems to be getting worse instead of better. I like Romo's analysis early in the year, but he is sliding into the same, cookie-cutter color-guy formula as the rest. Plus he is awkward and doesn't seem to do his homework. He's good at instinct, calling plays before they happen, nice experience from his playing days.
A good example is a shot of golfing great Jack Nicklaus at the Jacksonville game . Romo described him as "The Golden Bill" instead of "The Golden Bear." He quickly corrected himself, but still made himself look foolish.
Meanwhile the Saints beat Carolina 31-26. New Orleans tried to give the game away at the end. Cam Newton and the Panthers weren't good enough to win. And now the Saints go to Minnesota next Sunday in an epic game to decide who will come to Philadelphia next week for the NFC Championship game.
* The Flyers swept their weekend matinee games. beating Buffalo on Sunday 4-1. They won't play again until Saturday when they are away with the Devils. Now is the time to make a move, climb out of the basement and make a playoff push.
* I'm not a college football guy. But there's a National Championship game on tonight. Alabama plays Georgia in Atlanta. First time two teams form the same conference (SEC) go head-to-head in the college title game. For Georgia, it's like a home game.I think the Bulldogs roll over the Tide tonight, beating an Alabama team that isn't as good as past Crimson Tide teams.
* Mychel Franco of the Phillies was suspended in winter ball for violating team rules over the weekend. Apparently Franco was caught partying until 6 a.m. before a game-day. Franco continues to be an immature guy. He has loads of talent, but remains undisciplined at the plate and in life. He is a waste and the Phillies should seek to trade him and turn their attention to getting Manny Machado to play third base for the next 10 years.
The Phils will keep Franco this season, knowing his value is down after another sub par season and now his off-the-field antics will lower his worth. They will go hard for Machado after this summer when he becomes a free agent.
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