Philadelphia Eagles: Week 11 Recap/Week 12 Preview

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Fuck this team. They somehow have me caring again. Just two weeks ago I wrote a very critical post about the Eagles and their frustrating loss against the Bears. I also said that we couldn't possibly lose to the Cardinals and we somehow did (To fucking John Skelton. I feel as if this should be the tiebreaker for the playoffs. You lose to Skelton, you don't make it). After last week's loss I somewhat gave up on this season. I mean what's the point of cheering for a bunch of under-achievers who don't really seem to care that we're losing (other than Vick) and a coaching staff led by a guy to whom the words time and management have no correlation whatsoever. On Sunday night I had no expectations. How could we win against a Giants team at home who was not likely to lose two in a row? Especially with Vick and Maclin out and Vince Young in at center, it wasn't looking too good. I even tweeted about it (shameless plug @Luka_M91). Despite all of this I turned the game on just in time for the opening kickoff. I don't know if it's because I felt obligated to watch or because I had a psych paper due that I didn't feel like starting. Whatever it might have been, I began to watch.

The Eagles: Week 9

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I've decided to mirror my write-ups about this team to the team's actual on field performance. So expect weeks where I research the match-up, do several rough drafts and post only the best finalized copy that I can possibly come up with. Other weeks I'll start off strong and then simply trail o.... And finally some weeks I simply won't show up. I'm tired of making excuses for this team. It's week 9. We have the Chicago Bears at home in what is essentially a must-win game for the Eagles and what happens? The same stupid shit that's been happening all year. Careless penalties, ridiculous turnovers (Hey DeSean if you can't get any yards by going forwards, how the fuck will you accomplish anything by going backwards? And if you're stupid enough to try something 10 year olds try in Madden on one of the best special teams units in the league, hold on to the fucking ball.) and to put it simply, an inability to get the job done.

The thing that's so frustrating about watching (and especially being a fan of) this team is all of the pieces are there and yet nothing has been happening with them. I felt that the defense for the most part did their job tonight. Other than the opening drive where the Bears DA BEARS marched down the field and scored, Philly's D was decent. We stripped Matt Forte twice (something which hasn't happened since week 1 of last season) returning one of them for a touchdown and even crucially held Chicago to a field goal on their last meaningful drive in the game which gave the offense a chance to win the game with 4 minutes remaining. To the offense, protect Michael Vick. We've seen how this team looks without him (as ugly as a female Jersey Shore contestant without makeup) and yet time and time again opposing players get free shots at Vick (Btw, referees, how do you call an insanely soft roughing the passer call on Cutler and let Vick get repeatedly hit after the whistle? What he did outside of the game should play no part in the way the game is officiated but no other QB in the league gets less respect. I mean I'm not even black and I kind of want to play the race card. Just terrible.).

To the receivers, you guys are way too talented to be dropping passes and falling down without any contact (if Maclin doesn't fall on that fourth down and gets to the marker maybe I'm writing a much more cheerful recap without as much cursing.. Fuck). They call you playmakers for a reason, make plays and help the team win. To LaSean McCoy, nothing but the best. Why you only got 23 carries this week is mind-boggling especially since the last two weeks (both wins) you had at least 30 carries. This is solely on Andy Reid and the rest of the coaching staff. Also, why did we only have one timeout for that last drive? I can't believe how bad this guy is at managing time and things in general (He probably causes 3 mile buildups in the McDonald's drive-thrus he frequently visits).

We are now 3-5 on the season looking like the best 3-5 team ever (This is me trying to be positive). We have the Arizona Cardinals next week. I don't even know who plays QB for them but if he's backing up Kevin Kolb he can't be any good. Needless to say this is a must win game for a team that's looking less and less like the Miami Heat as the season wears on because at least the Heat made the playoffs.

Until Next Week (maybe).

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@Luka_M91

The Eagles: Week 7

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I'm back. After a midterm/assignment week that was about as much fun as a shower at Shawshank, I am back and ready to talk some Philadelphia Eagles football!! (the exclamation marks are there because when are you not excited to say FOOTBALL!!) So what exactly have the Eagles done in my 3 week writing absence? They've gone 1-2 in that time while playing some insanely sloppy (think Deena and Snooki) football in their two losses while in their one win, which happened last weekend, Philly managed to make Rex Grossman look like... well Rex Grossman. This ushered in the John Beck era in Washington (have fun with that Redskins fans) and left me strangely optimistic (we beat the divisional champs at home, I don't care that their starting QB was so bad that fans started chanting for his backup who hadn't played a game since 2007. I can be excited, the season's been tough so far.). The Eagles of course had a bye weekend this week so on the one Sunday in the past 3 weeks that I had to relax and enjoy the NFL, my favourite team wasn't on the field (further proving I have angered the scheduling gods in some way).

If you're an Eagles fan i think you have to be cautiously excited for the rest of the season. Even with our record being a terrible 2-4, we are a couple of bounces here and there from winning at least 2 more of those games. In just the last 2 losses, the first being against the Niners (This loss makes way more sense 3 weeks later. San Francisco is very good, they have a great defense, great special teams, a sneaky good offense and a coach who prides himself in giving overzealous somewhat douchey but always entertaining post-game handshakes), Philadelphia could have won if rookie kicker Alex Henery had made one of his two very make-able fourth quarter field goals. The second loss against the Bills showed how unlucky Philly has been in the early part of the season. I'm pretty sure one of Vick's interceptions in that game hit every single person in Ralph Wilson stadium before falling into the hands of a Buffalo Bills player (just about).

Week 3: Eagles

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 Young and Kafka. A 1970's soft rock duo? No. A law firm ? No (maybe). A failed Fox sitcom about two completely opposite personalities living in a New York apartment? No. (actually this might happen, look for it next fall.) Sadly, this is the current quarterback situation for my Philadelphia Eagles coming off a home loss to division rival the New York Giants by a score of 29-16. Why you ask? Because for the second straight game Eagles star QB Michael Vick could not finish the game due to an injury. First it was the concussion scare in week 2 against the Falcons that forced Vick out and on Sunday afternoon a (late) hit by Chris Canty left Vick on the ground with what was diagnosed on Sunday as a broken hand. This diagnosis was later changed to only a bruised hand, something that I still don't fully understand. If there was even a doubt in the diagnosis, why give out a false one? Especially one so severe. Good job by the Philadelphia medical staff (this is like your university professor telling you that you failed an exam on Sunday and then calling you up on Monday saying you actually got a 70).

Vick inexplicably raised some eyebrows after the game with what was in my opinion (again I'm an Eagles fan so i will defend almost everything Eagles related. For example, Andy Reid fat? No Wayyy. he's just big-boned) a warranted criticism of the referees. Basically what he brought up was the fact that he gets knocked down on basically every play (in the first 3 weeks of the season Vick has been hit and hit often while staying in the pocket and the hits haven't always been on time) and doesn't get the same type of calls that other quarterbacks in the league get (see Brady, Tom). These comments caused several analysts, most notably Trent Dilfer to lash out at Vick for criticizing the referees. To these analysts I say settle down. The guy had just lost a game and had what he thought at the time to be a broken hand. It's normal to be frustrated at times like that. Grantland writer Chris Ryan has a good take on this.

Week 2: Eagles

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Why am I posting this early Thursday morning? A full 3 days after the game itself? The same reason i ripped off my retro Reggie White jersey in frustration sometime Sunday night after the Philadelphia Eagles blew a practically won road game against the Atlanta Falcons 35-31 (might have something to do with the fact that my work ethic has been Eddy Curry-like this week). Having to remember aspects of this game was about as appealing as apologizing to Floyd Mayweather (It was a sucker punch. Definitely legal and arguably deserved but still a sucker punch). I haven't watched an Eagles game in a while where so many things go wrong at inopportune times giving the opponent a chance to stay in the game. A prime example of this was the fumble the Eagles had right before the half on the Atlanta four yard line that was returned for 64 yards and led to a Falcons touchdown. A 14-point swing on a play where the offensive line for the Eagles seemingly forgot to block one of the Falcons' defenders.

The second half did not start off better as Vick did his patented "I'm getting blitzed so instead of throwing the ball out of bounds I'll just throw it into an area with a 2% chance of a completion" that led to another Falcons TD on the next possession giving them a 21-10 lead. Even at this point my optimism was high as I felt that we had played a better game then them to that point. I ended up being right as Philly scored two touchdowns on their two next possessions taking a 24-21 lead. During this stretch Asante Samuel had a terrific interception and the defense looked great (every time a ball is thrown in the direction of Asomugha, I don't expect the other team to make a play. It's a great feeling). As we were marching down the field into Atlanta territory for our third straight drive, Vick got hit and somehow happened to collide into Todd Herremans' (his own lineman) shoulder with his head sidelining him for the rest of the game with a concussion. It was at this point that Mike Kafka got inserted into the game causing all Eagles fans including myself to think "who the fuck is Mike Kafka?"(here are some other thoughts that all Philly fans had during the game: Can someone tell Tony Gonzalez it's not fucking 2004 anymore?, Dunta Robinson is a fucking (insert any swear word you like), Is Reid trying to set the record for most end around/reverse plays that don't work in one game? Do we even have linebackers?).

Kafka ended up doing a great job as a replacement and the Eagles ended up scoring off a LaSean McCoy run. This is the point where I feared for the worst because it had not been a good sports day up to this point (Earlier in the day, Chelsea had lost to Man U 3-1 after outplaying them for 90 minutes, the game featured Fernando Torres missing a scoring chance that Professor X would have put away.) and I wasn't feeling lucky. The Falcons started running a no-huddle offense and scored two touchdowns on a defense that wasn't able to get its 3 fantastic cornerbacks on the field (Rodgers-Cromartie got practically no playing time this game) at the same time because of the formation Atlanta was calling plays from. They started using their tight ends more once they realized the Eagles' linebackers are average at best. Even with all of this Philadelphia was on the Atlanta 21 with 2 minutes left when Jeremy Maclin (who up to that point had played a very good game) dropped a pass on 4th and 3.

Tough defeat for Philadelphia and next week won't get any easier when they take on the Giants at home. With Michael Vick I think this would be an easy win over New York since their defense is banged up past recognition. With Kafka it will not be an easy game and a team that could have easily started 3-0 might end next Sunday at 1-2. Not the best week for Philadelphia Eagles fans but we still have 15 weeks to go.

Until next time,

Luka Milanovic
@Luka_M91 on twitter

Week 1: Eagles

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1 down, 18 to go. For a game that started worse than Kobe Bryant's rap career (listen to it, i firmly believe he had to do it because he lost a game of poker to Rick Fox or something), it sure ended well with the Philadelphia Eagles starting their much anticipated season with a 31-13 road win against the St. Louis Rams. If you were to just look at the score of the game you would assume it was a blowout but it was closer than the score implies with it being only a 7 point game at half (17-10). In the second half of the game the Eagles depth, athleticism, and that they have Michael Vick as their QB proved too much for the Rams. The Rams were bit with the injury bug in this game as well with Stephen Jackson only having one carry (he scored a touchdown on it) before leaving with a quadriceps injury. Sam Bradford also left in the fourth after hitting his hand on an Eagles defensive lineman.

Even though the Eagles won by 18 against a Rams team that is favored to win the NFC West (not exactly the best division to say the least, but still) there were some issues that were evident in watching the game. One, the Eagles offensive line still needs a lot of work. If anyone else was under center for Philly, there would be a whole lot more sacks. Several times in the game, the pass protection was simply non-existent and Vick had to scramble and do Vick things. The one thing Vick didn't do well in Sunday's game was throw the ball accurately, he finished the game 14/32 on pass attempts with that number being even lower if he had to throw the ball outside of the pocket. Bottom line is the O-line has to offer better protection. We also learned that like last year, the Eagles are a team that can get run on. Stephen Jackson had one carry and scored, Cadillac Williams (a player I completely forgot about until he was mentioned during the broadcast) managed to get 91 yards on the Eagles run D. And finally, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson further showed that they're some of the best playmakers in the game today. Overall I am happy with the performance by my team. Vick and the offense looked explosive, Asomugha got thrown to maybe twice the entire game so he was doing what needed to be done. Up next: another road game against the Atlanta Falcons, a team that got embarrassed by the Chicago Bears in week 1. I'm expecting a high scoring affair in which the Eagles playmakers shine and we (I know I dont play for the team but fans are allowed to use "we" when describing their team no matter how stupid it sounds) start the season 2-0. Good start, looking forward to more games and when I look at the negatives, I just remember that it could be worse, I could be a Colts fan.

Luka Milanovic
@Luka_M91

2011 NFL Season Preview: Told Through Hip-Hop

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Well so much for any sort of a “lockout hangover”. The 2011 NFL regular season kicked off Thursday night at Lambeau Field with the defending champion Green Bay Packers defeating the 2009 Super bowl champion New Orleans Saints in a thrilling 42-34 game (at no point in the game did my friends and I flip over to Jersey Shore, that should tell you how good it was). Both of the last two Super bowl MVP’s did not disappoint as Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees combined to throw for 731 yards with 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions (makes me sad to think that we’ll be getting the complete opposite of this when Tarvaris Jackson goes up against Alex Smith on Sunday). The game ended with Drew Brees marching his team down from their own 20 with no timeouts left to the Packers 9 yard line. An incomplete pass across the middle intended for Darren Sproles looked to be the end of the game until an iffy pass interference call gave the Saints one more chance at the 1 yard line. The Saints tried to run it up the middle with rookie Mark Ingram and got stuffed, I didn’t and still don’t understand the play call by Saints coach Sean Payton. Why not throw it there? Because your QB just marched down the field with ease and was picking apart the other team’s D? Strange play calling. It was a great way to signal the return of football that made me even more excited for the upcoming season and because I’ve grown tired of reading the same season preview on every other site I thought I’d try something new. So here is the 2011 NFL season preview as told by Hip-Hop.

Hah, what the fuck you boys talking about? I know it’s us cause we the only thing you talk about.

To the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles. A team that undoubtedly won the offseason by adding pro bowlers Ronnie Brown, Cullen Jenkins and the best cornerback in football, Nnamdi Asomugha. They have been dubbed among other things: the dream team and “the Miami Heat” of the NFL (I find this particularly upsetting since I have been an Eagles fan since the tender age of 9). However, there are several differences between the Eagles and the Heat, in basketball there are 5 players on the court at one time and Miami had three top 20 players (including two in the top 5) making up 60% of their starting lineup. In football this is simply not the case so even with all of the talent the Eagles have amassed, it will not be as direct of an impact. Secondly, the Eagles did not have a pre-season celebratory parade/show (I still don’t know what to call this) and have downplayed the dream team talk. The main thing to know is like last year the Eagles will only go as far as their star QB, Michael Vick will take them. If Vick gets injured early (and if you watched the O-line in the preseason then it is a possibility) it will be a long season in Philadelphia (although if this happens I will be the first guy to talk myself into Vince Young). If he manages to stay healthy, look out. I will be writing weekly updates on Philadelphia’s season so expect more on the Eagles this year.

I never met a bitch that didn’t need a little guidance. So I dismiss her past until she disappoints your highness.

To what seems to be Bill Belichick and the Patriots organization way of looking at free agency. This year’s off-season led to the acquisitions of Chad Ochocinco, the former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver who has been in some trouble over the past but nothing too serious. Chad has definitely been a distraction in the past to his QB and the whole team, something that Belichick and the Patriots believe that they can keep out of Foxborough and squeeze whatever is left out of the 33 year old (Btw, am I the only one who finds it insanely stupid that we have to call this guy Chad 85? I feel as if you change your name to something fucking stupid then don’t expect people to always call you by it. And yes I’m also talking about you Ron Artest). The Patriots also took a chance with Albert Haynesworth. An extremely talented defensive lineman who basically committed robbery on the Washington Redskins organization with his play last year. Haynesworth is a proven commodity in the NFL when he is properly motivated and so far he has said all the right things about the Patriots team-first mentality. But what is said off the field and done on it are two completely different things and maybe giving a guy whose nickname was Fat Albert the benefit of the doubt isn’t such a smart thing to do. For more on the Pats, go here.

It’s not about the money, money, money. We don’t need your money, money, money.

Unless you’re Chris Johnson. Then it is all about the money.

But get it while you here boy. Cuz all that hype don’t feel the same next year boy

To the St. Louis Rams and the Detroit Lions as being this year’s unquestionable public favourites to match the hype and take the next step into becoming playoff teams. Both teams have very talented, young but injury prone QB’s in Matt Stafford (Lions) and Sam Bradford (Rams) who are surrounded by talented supporting casts. Both teams even have their own game changers in Calvin Johnson, Ndamukong Suh for the Lions and Stephen Jackson for the Rams. So which team do I think will live up to the hype this season? I’m picking the Rams based on the fact that the rest of the NFC West teams look like NFL Europe teams, in other words, terrible.

Now go to sleep bitch! Die, motherfucker, die! Ugh, time’s up, bitch, close your eyes. Go to sleep bitch! (what?) Why are you still alive? How many times I gotta say, close your eyes?

What every Raiders fan thinks of when he remembers Al Davis is still running the team.

Oooohh, I love you so, but why I love you I’ll never know. Oooohh, I love you so, but why I love you I’ll never know.

To the San Francisco 49ers and their QB Alex Smith who for some bizarre reason will be the team’s starting QB when the season kicks off. In 5 years as a quarterback in the NFL, Smith has piled up these statistics; 51 TD’s, 53 interceptions, a completion percentage of 57.1% and a QB rating of 72.1. George Lopez had a better run as a late-night talk show host. Of course the niners might realize their team sucks this year and are throwing Smith out there to have a better shot at getting Andrew Luck next year.

Fuck the media, I got some suggestions. Fuck Marshall, ask us some questions. Like who is D12, how we get started, (but what about Eminem?) bitch are you retarded?

To the 2011 Indianapolis Colts who are probably getting sick and tired of being called one of the worst teams in football now that their star QB Peyton Manning is out for at least 2-3 months with a neck injury. The Colts will start the season off against the Houston Texans who are now everyone’s pick to win the AFC South. The Colts will begin the season with Kerry Collins under center and even though replacing Manning with Collins is like replacing Leonardo Dicaprio with Billy Zane, Collins is still a solid veteran QB (not the same can be said for Billy and his acting abilities) who can manage a team fine. This Colts team and the way their season turns out will be a very interesting subplot this year.

You don’t know what’s in store. But you know what you’re here for.

To me, you, and the rest of the fans. We have no idea what this season will bring but we do know why we watch. Enjoy the season.

Luka Milanovic

@Luka_M91 on twitter