Friday, December 29, 2017

Eagles Aim for Most Wins in Franchise History

Anyone who reads my blog on a regular basis knows I am an Eagles' homer that would rival Merrill Reese as the longtime radio voice for the Birds. When he is calling an Eagles game along with famed wide receiver Mike Quick, every penalty flag thrown is against the opposing team, every turnover is recovered by Philadelphia and if a close call goes in the Eagles' favor it was right and obviously wrong if it goes the other way. That is why I love listening to the radio broadcast of the games. If you are going to be a homer, go big and bold or go home!

In a previous post on Eagles Lincs in early November, I made the big and bold prediction that Philadelphia would earn the top seed in the NFC at 13-3 or possibly 14-2, which would be the best record in franchise history. Getting that 14th victory against bitter rival Dallas at home on New Year's Eve would be the icing on the cake.

As much as I would love to say that Sunday's win is a lock, I actually went with Dallas in this game as a slight favorite on the road. My main rational for this pick is the uncertainty surrounding head coach Doug Pederson's game plan when it comes to playing his starters. While I do not expect the bulk of the first team on either side of the ball to sit this one out, there will come a point on Sunday when he does start to send his best players to the bench for good.

Flash back to last season's finale at the Linc when Dallas was 13-2 with the top seed in the NFC in hand and the Eagles were trying to close things out with back-to-back division wins coming off a brutal five-game losing streak. Philly walked away with a rather easy 27-13 victory as part of a 7-9 record overall.

There is a small chance that Pederson does play to win as opposed to playing it safe given how sketchy his team has looked the last few weeks on both sides of the ball. While it is great to have that bye next week, it would be even better if the Eagles looked sharp going into it.

For what it is worth, the link below to SportsBettingStats.com is my full game preview and pick for Sunday's divisional tilt.

LINK: DALLAS COWBOYS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES NFL PICKS - ODDS AND PREDICTIONS

Friday, December 15, 2017

Eagles' Title Hopes Now Rest on Foles' Shoulders

Anyone who follows my EaglesLincs blog even on a casual basis already knows that I am one of the biggest homers among the Bleeding Green knuckleheads that consider themselves die-hard Eagles' fans. I was truly stunned and saddened when Carson Wentz went down with a torn ACL in a season where he was on tract to be named the NFL's 'Most Valuable Player' in just his second year in the league.

My main concern for our franchise quarterback is the full recovery of that knee in what has the potential to be a Hall of Fame career given what we have seen from Wentz this season. I may be getting way ahead of myself with that one and I am about to get way ahead of myself with the bold prediction that Philadelphia returns to its first Super Bowl since 2004 under the guidance of backup quarterback Nick Foles. The path to Minnesota for Super Bowl LII on Feb. 4 is rather manageable even without Wentz under center in light of all the other teams the Eagles might have to get past to make their third Super Bowl appearance in team history.

Given that my father was a season-ticket holder from 1961 until the last year at Veterans Stadium in 2002, my entire family grew up big Eagles fans. This undying devotion to the home team has been extended to the next generation with many of my relatives still residing in the Philadelphia area.

Below is an example of that passion in an email that was sent out to my entire family by my nephew (and godson) Kevin in response to Wentz going down and Foles stepping up.

Hi All,

There's no denying it's been a bittersweet 24 hours in Eagles' Country. We won the division but lost our field marshal . . .

Alas, all hope is not lost - a familiar face from the not so distant past is aiming to finish what Wentz started.

I will be the first to admit I am not crazy about Foles and not so much for who he is but for who he was not. He had moments of brilliance with us leading some to believe he was our next franchise quarterback.

Instead his star faded and after a season-ending injury in 2014, he was traded to St. Louis for Sam Bradford (another false pre-season savior). One year with the Rams, which involved a benching in favor of a current NFC foe (Case Keenum), was all there would be to that story. During the 2016 off-season, Foles requested a release when the Rams drafted their QB of the future, Jared Goff.

Foles went on to spend 1 year with Big Red in Kansas City before quietly returning to Philadelphia to play essentially the same supporting role he turned down with the Rams - backup for his old franchise's new franchise QB, Carson Wentz.

Now, reunited with his rookie year QBs coach (Doug Pederson) and paired with the QB responsible for the largest playoff comeback in NFL history (Frank Reich) - Foles is out to make a comeback for himself. He will likely need to slay some dragons from his past (a la Case Keenum and/or Jared Goff again) but if this team is anything, it's resilient - so don't count them out.

This may not be how we imagined the end playing out after our storybook beginning but that's life - seldom picture-perfect and often unexpected. Over the next few weeks, though, I want you to keep these three thoughts in mind:

Be thankful for the amazing and fun season we have had so far

Seek not for our load to be lighter but for our backs to be stronger

"You gotta have a positive atty-tude and a good sense a humor to make it in life" - Gramps


K.O. Kelly


The following is a copy of my response to his email. I decided to share it will all the Philly Phaithful as the journey continues to the Super Bowl glory that has eluded this team since my Dad was sitting in the bleachers at Franklin Field.


Hey Kev,

Great job at summing up the collective thoughts of the Eagles faithful in light of such a bittersweet victory in a must-win game. The bottom line in my book is that the Eagles are good enough to win the NFC with Foles at the helm with the lack of another truly dominant team to get past in the playoffs. Can they win Super Bowl with Foles?....that remains to be seen, but the tape of how Miami made New England look pretty average on Monday night along with the tapes from three very shaky Pittsburgh wins in the past three weeks could be enough of a blueprint to get the job done.

A solid running game and a shutdown defense wins games this time of the year and the Eagles have both of these weapons in their arsenal. Add in the motivation of winning one for the Gipper, or in this case the Wentz could be a very powerful factor in this postseason run. One of the main reasons why Philly is 11-2 right now is every player's understanding that there is no I in team. In the infamous words of Bill Belichick..."Know Your Role, Do Your Job"

I personally am expecting a fun ride all the way to Super Bowl LII with you and your Dad the Deacon high-fiving each other at the Linc on Jan. 21 in the NFC Championship win against Minnesota (or maybe New Orleans). I am going to stop just short of predicting a win in Super Bowl LII until I have a better chance to evaluate the actual matchup.

Nick Foles might just end up front and center on the lead float in the Eagle's parade down Broad Street in early February, but this is still Carson Wentz's team now and hopefully for many years to come.






Saturday, December 9, 2017

Wentz vs. Goff Tale of the Tape



Sunday’s Eagles at Rams game is a huge showdown with each team in pursuit of both a division title and a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. The big subplot in this game is the first head-to-head meeting between the top two picks of the 2016 NFL Draft. Former North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz went to Philadelphia with the second overall pick of the opening round just minutes after the Rams used the first pick in that draft to select Jared Goff from the University of California.

Wentz had the edge in their rookie campaign as the Eagles starting QB from Week 1, but this season each of these young gunslingers have come into their own as two of the most exciting and productive players in the NFL. The best part of this budding rivalry that should hopefully continue to evolve into one of the NFL’s best in years to come is that both teams have dramatically turned things around from a losing 2016 season to become two of the top teams in the league this year.

Breaking down each player’s stats in ‘tale of the tape’ fashion only highlights just how much each one has meant to their respective team’s sudden success this year.

Wentz vs. Goff
Total Passing Yards: 3,005 vs. 3,184
Total Passing Touchdowns: *29 vs. 20
*Leads NFL
Attempts/Completions Percentage: 60.7 vs. 62.2
Attempts/Completions: 242/399 vs. 244/392
Interceptions: 6 vs. 6
Sacks: 27 vs. 20
Passer Rating: 102.0 vs. 98.4
Team Wins-Losses: 10/2 vs. 9/3

When you add it all up, Wentz and Goff have basically mirrored each other’s performance through the first 12 games on the season. However, it is this Sunday’s game that will define this rivalry heading into the postseason. There is a good chance that these two teams meet again in the playoffs, which would only add more fuel to the fire between two budding superstars that will linked to one another throughout their entire NFL career

Saturday, December 2, 2017

Eagles Look to Stay Hot on West Coast Swing

The Eagles will face their toughest back-to-back test of the season with a pair of road games against 7-4 Seattle this Sunday night followed by next Sunday's late afternoon start against the 8-3 Los Angeles Rams. A 2-0 run through these two games would cement the Birds as legitimate Super Bowl favorites. A 1-1 mark would still keep them on track for the top seed in the NFC. A stumble to 0-2 could raise some question marks as to just how good this team really is this season.

As a true homer, I am going with the 2-0 West Coast swing starting with a hard-fought victory against the Seahawks in prime time on Sunday night. This will not be the Eagles usual romp that has created a NFL-best +160 point differential against their opponents over the first 11 games. Seattle is a desperate team fighting for a spot in the playoffs and it has the added benefit of playing this game in one of the toughest places for road teams to come away with a win. None the less, the Seahawks remain a wounded bird especially when it comes to their defensive secondary which is just waiting to be exploited by Carson Wentz and Co.

For my complete preview and pick for Sunday night's game, please check out the link below to SportsBettingStats.com.

LINK: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS- FREE NFL PREDICTIONS