Sunday, November 18, 2018

Eagles Back to the Role of Underdogs Against the Saints

The Eagles go on the road this Sunday as touchdown underdogs against the surging New Orleans Saints and for good reason. Their season is at the crossroads with a disappointing 4-5 record facing a team that has won its last eight games.

Things are so dire that Eagles Lincs sent KO Kelly on the road with the team to try and shake things up in the Big Easy. I am sure he will have some great insight into Sunday's game in next week's post win or lose.

For some added insight into the state of the Birds heading into this game, below in an email he sent me before he took off for New Orleans:


Hi Dave,

Hope your Saturday is going well. Please find below my post for this week:

This Sunday will mark the first time I attend an Eagles game and the opposing team's stadium. My college buddies and I planned this trip before the season and this was presumed to be a heavy-weight match with significant playoff implications.

Oh how the times have changed. One team is poised for a deep playoff run but unfortunately it does not looking like it will be our Birds, who are circling the proverbial bowl.

To be honest, this scenario plays out better for my nerves. If this was a playoff level game I would be stressed and unable to enjoy the experience. Instead, with a win being borderline miraculous, I can sit back and enjoy the game with my buddies.

Having said that, I will still be rooting my heart out for our boys but my hopes for this game are the lowest they have been in awhile.

They have the offensive weapons to go toe-to-toe with Brees & Co but do they have the gameplan? Our defense has been Swiss cheese recently and there's a good chance they give up more than 40 points. So while I do not like what I am about to do - I am predicting my first official Eagles loss of the season 45-24 and a chunk of those points will come in garbage time.

I am hoping this reverse psychology play will work with the universe and we will find ourselves refreshed and back on track. However, they have not shown consistency and it may take a season long march into the darkness to reclaim their position as a top tier team next year. The Patriots missed the playoffs after their first Super Bowl win, so all is not lost if this year goes the direction it appears to be heading.

So with that, let's focus on three positives:
We still have one of the best young QBs in the league
We still have a chance to sneak into the playoffs (queue Jim Mora screeching)
We are still the defending Super Bowl champs!!


As the chief editor for Eagles Linc, I decided to respond with some insight of my own:

Hey Kevin,

When Gramps (KO's grandfather and my dad) first signed on as a season ticket holder in 1961, he went into every Eagles' game with blind optimism that they would win because that was the result he expected. He always wanted to be a winner; win or lose. He never took into consideration that the Eagles were not good enough to win the games they were destined to lose.

I came into the picture at a very young age and always knew that our home team's capabilities as a perennial doormat in the NFC East were rather limited. I also quickly learned that wins were rare in the late 60's, early 70's even in the friendly confines of the Vet.

The 1980 NFC Championship against Dallas is still at the top of my list of the Bird's greatest hits (even above last season's SB win) given how this reversal of fortune changed the direction of the franchise moving forward.

Blind optimism is like fool's gold. As another gem of wisdom from your favorite uncle; Super Bowl hangovers are a bitch.

We still have a great team that is learning this fact the hard way. I am not closing out the book on this season, but the harsh reality of the situation took hold with Monday night's loss to a Cowgirls, who still stink.The Redskins are more than capable of imploding, but that has no real bearing on the Eagles' perplexing 4-5 start.

Bottom line, the Birds need nothing short of a miracle to pull off a win on Sunday on the road against the hottest team in the league. Conventional wisdom dictates they do not have a chance, but faith is a tie that binds!

The betting line has the Eagles listed as eight-point road underdogs. Super Bowl Champions eight-point underdogs! It just does not add up, but it is what it is.

At the very least, I am betting the Birds to cover. One interesting incident that has to be taken into consideration is Gramps' recent invocation into the matter with a cryptic 407 message that I received from his lofty place in Heaven. This tells me that Philly has a strong chance to actually win this game.

While I am preaching to the choir with the Deacon attached to this email, keep the faith!

I am channeling Jules on Sunday afternoon with the K-Man in the Big Easy. The end result of this crazy Bayou Voodoo is a wild Eagles' 34-31 victory that puts the Birds back in the NFC East title race with a Redskins' loss to Houston and the Cowboos' falter against Atlanta.

Kev, regardless of the outcome in the Big Easy have fun! This place kicked my ass more than once and it resulted in an Eagle tattoo on my left thigh that is a whole other story into itself.



Always remember...Keep the Faith,

Dave



Friday, November 9, 2018

Eagles’ Act II Begins on Sunday Night

By: KO Kelly

After the mind-boggling fourth quarter collapse against Carolina a couple weeks ago, I needed to take two bye weeks myself. When I left the stadium after that game, I was not even angry. I was completely dumbstruck. Luckily, they were able to pull out the win against the Jaguars in merry old London but it was not nearly as convincing at times as we would have liked.

Nevertheless, I am hopeful last week’s bye gave the players a chance to rest, unwind, and prepare for a new half. Same for the coaches. The chemistry of last year’s brain trust of Pederson/Reich/DeFillipo has been absent all season. I severely underestimated the effect of losing both in the off-season. Granted there have been health issues across the offense but even so, the play-calling has not lived up to the potential of Wentz & Co. With any luck, Pederson used the bye to travel back in time a la Austin Powers to retrieve his mojo.

On the defensive side, we may see Jernigan return within the next couple weeks, which is a more significant game-changer than the Tate acquisition. We won the Super Bowl last year in no small part because of the strength and depth of our defensive line. Schwartz’s defense is predicated on getting pressure from the front four. With injuries and a weaker supporting cast this year (bring back Beau!), the defensive line has not been as disruptive, which has a trickle-down effect on our linebackers and secondary. Mills getting burnt is not as bad when the QB is already on his back.

Luckily, the NFC East is still very much up for the taking and with our hated rivals - the Cowboys - coming to town this Sunday night, we can start laying our claim to that title.

After their magical run in 2016, the Cowboys have reverted back to their old ways of losing. Always highly touted by the national media, they will continue to be perennial losers as long as they are still micro-managed by Jerry Jones. (I will admit it would have been difficult to choose sides in the Jones v Goodell battle had it escalated any further).

They haven’t accomplished anything impressive in the past two decades and their entire city was shown up by a kicker at last Spring’s draft. C’mo’n man - now that’s just pathetic. If it were not for their bandwagon fans, I would potentially feel sorry for them - like the Browns or Bengals or Lions. But those August front-runners, who conveniently disappear (just like their team) in the winter keep my hate for the Cowboys dialed up to a 10.

So what’s my bold prediction for Sunday Night football at the Linc in all black . . . 42-3 Eagles - something kind of like this.

Record 5-4

Sunday, October 21, 2018

The Streak Begins

By KO Kelly

A week ago today, the City of Philadelphia breathed a collective sigh of relief and rejoiced in the further dismantling of the already crumbling 2018 season for NY Giants. Our Birds came out with a statement game and as Coach Pederson mentioned in his post-game locker room speech, this win should serve as the spark they were needed to propel their title-defense campaign for the rest of season.

Wentz had his best game of the year and is off to a better statistical start than last year, which is amazing considering he is only nine months out from serious knee surgery. The chemistry he has with Jeffery, Ertz, and Agholor is likely to only improve from here, so get used to the return of +30-pts games. Clement and Smallwood performed well and have another chance to prove their mettle this weekend. With any lucky, they will have stellar outings and continue to quiet the doubters who contend we need to bring in a big-name running back before the trade deadline.

Speaking of running backs, though, we have to give credit where credit is due. Saquon Barkley was absolutely brilliant last Thursday. He runs the way Jay Ajayi thinks he is running when he hits the hole. Barkley also seems like a decent guy - he anti-OBJ - which makes it even harder to dislike him. He is going to be a nightmare for us for quite some time but luckily as long as Eli “Wait-I-Am-Allowed-to-Throw-the-Ball-Deep?” Manning is still their quarterback we are in good shape.

Now onto this week’s opponent: the Carolina Panthers.

This week last year we were still fuming from the infamous Pete Morelli Yellow Flag Festival, where he penalized the Eagles 10x more than the Panthers during our week 6 visit to Charlotte. Well, it seems the tables may have turned this year because in addition to the game being played at the Linc, there is also reason to believe the refs may be more favorable to us this time around. All I is a clean game with minimal interference from the zebras, oh and possibly the head of Pete Morelli on a silver platter! I mean really, does this guy even know that roughing the passer call on Barnett’s SACK of Cam Floppin’ was outrageous.

But I digress. This was our first real test last year after our week 2 loss against the Chiefs and will serve as a similar barometer for whether or not this year’s team is back on track. The Panthers are a lukewarm 3-2 with a recent loss to the Redskins and a nail-biter with the Giants. They may have cooled off after their somewhat hot start but they are still seen as real contenders in the NFC, especially with the Falcons sitting at 2-4 and the Bucs cratering back to reality.

McCaffery is having a strong season and will pose a significant threat to our banged-up defense. Cam won’t have much time to get the ball in his hands, though, because our front four will be putting pressure on him all afternoon. I am also going to call again for our first pick-6 of the season (eventually I will get it right). There will be some garbage points at the end but the Panthers offense will look mediocre for most of the game.

Wentz & Co will continue to connect through the air and on the ground as he puts up 4 TDs for the first time since the Rams game last year (note: he also threw for 4 TDs in week 7 last year against the Redskins). With the attention on Jeffery and Ertz, expect Matthews or Goedert to step up in this game. After this game, we will begin to forgive and forget the terrible football we suffered through in September as we Fly Eagles Fly on the road to Wembley!

Eagles win 35-17
Record 4-3

Thursday, October 11, 2018

Eagles Need a Statement Game

By KO Kelly

Very few of us - if any - foresaw the Eagles season starting off this way. After a miserable preseason we all hoped was part of masterful misdirection plan to hide our real campaign to defend our title - we have continued to see sloppy and inconsistent play from our Birds.

We originally chalked it up to Foles’ high variance play and believed once Carson Wentz was back, things would come together. Wentz has performed much better these past two weeks but unfortunately it has not been enough. There have been too many mistakes (e.g. costly pass interference penalties, red-zone fumble), missed opportunities (e.g. not scoring after turnovers, not stopping three 4th downs in over-time), and just plain bad luck (e.g. Bennett’s roughing the passer, Vikings’ Joseph’s 64-yd TD).

Last year’s team wasn’t exactly lucky when you consider all the key injuries we suffered but many things did fall in our favor last year that are just not happening this year (e.g. Elliott’s 61-yd field goal, Julio Jones slipping in the end-zone). Having said that, we are just a few plays away from being 4-1 right now. If Ajayi does not fumble within the 5-yd line last week, that game potentially goes the other way. If we stop any of those three 4th downs in Tennessee, we win that game. Close does not count in the NFL, though, so we just need to play better.

I am not going to dwell on the bad. There are plenty of those writers discussing those concerns. In the pre-season I said there would be weeks like this, so I am going to heed my own advice and focus on three things to be thankful for:

• Wentz appears to have shaken off any lingering rust as is getting in mid-season form
• We are in the NFC East, which can be won by a 10-6 / 9-7 team
• Aside from the Rams and the Saints, the NFC in general is pretty wide-open

Now onto this week’s match-up against the much-despised albeit woefully inept NY Giants. I thought Eli might go on a revenge tour this year to demonstrate how wrong McAdoo was in benching him but the same old, cement-for-shoes Eli is still causing a good chunk of the NY metro area to have heartburn every Sunday. Luckily for them, they will be able to enjoy this weekend since they will have all day tomorrow to digest the pain they are about to be dished tonight.

I have tried to reel in my homerism in my first several predictions - (“Really?” you might be asking, “Those were tempered predictions?”) - but this week I am throwing logic and reason to the wind. The Eagles need a big win to change their momentum and what would be better for this team and city right now than a complete dismantling of a hated divisional rival in their own home.

Carson is going to put on a show that will earn him player of the week accolades and Clement will quiet down the clamoring to mortgage our future for a featured back. The defense will harass Eli all night and we will see our first pick-6 of the season. We still have a long uphill battle ahead of us but just like last year, beating the Giants will provide a spark for the rest of the season.

Eagles win 31 - 0
Record 3-3

Editor's Note

KO is looking for a long night for Giants' fans, but I do not think we will get a chance to go to bed early tonight. After slipping past New York last season on a 61-yard field goal in the first meeting of the year, the Birds got into gear for their Super Bowl run. Look for another tight matchup this time around to keep things interesting until the fourth quarter before Philly finally plays to form.

Friday, October 5, 2018

Eagles Face Familiar Foes with Some New Faces

By: KO Kelly

Last week’s meltdown against the Titans wasn’t due to the return of 2016 Agholor or the ghosts of Asomugha/ Williams/Fletcher in the secondary or our porous o-line. No, it was my fault. Like Big Red used to say, “It’s starts with me”. Both of our losses this year have occurred while I was also on the road. I was aware of our home record when I am at the games (2-0) but I didn’t realize the responsibility I was shouldering this year for road games. I will act more responsibly next Thursday when we travel to the Meadowlands and stay in Philly.

Additionally, it did not help that I built up last week’s match-up as a game to remember. I was just trying to be creative in my writing. I did not expect the Titans to actually deliver on my prediction of it being a close and memorable game. I mean really - who would have thought they would go for and convert three fourth downs . . . in a row . . . within field goal range . . . in overtime! That takes some serious huevos. Even in defeat an Eagles fan can appreciate that. So let’s give credit where credit is due, the Titans - after disappearing for a while in the middle - did not give up and willed their way to victory.

It should have been a joyful memory as the game where the Eagles offense found their groove with the return of Jeffrey and the continued progression of Wentz’s recovery but alas it will be a painful memory of defeat snatched from the hands of victory. Luckily it was an out-of-conference game and should not have too much of an effect on playoff standings.

This week’s match-up, however, has serious playoff implications for two teams thought to be clear NFC favorites only a month ago. Who would have predicted that with 4 games under their belts, these teams would not even collectively have that many wins?

After losing a shoot-out with the Rams last Thursday, the Vikings are in a near do or die situation. They haven’t won since week 1 (vs the Niners) and are likely still recovering from their embarrassing outing against the Bills two weeks ago. Speaking of embarrassing, remember when the Vikings came to the Linc last year heavily favored by all the major media outlets and oddsmakers and then were summarily Skol’ed out of town to the tune of 38-7? Good times!

This time around they will have a real QB at the helm (Hey Kirk, you like that shout-out?) who has a history of putting up big numbers against our Birds. Paired with one of the three offensive masterminds (DeFilippo) from Wentz’s break-out 2017 campaign, I do not foresee Cousins’ track record against us slowing down.

Fortunately, Wentz will continue his upward surge with a masterful performance that will silence the doubters and restore confidence in this beleaguered city that hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 8 long months! The defense will look better throughout most of the game - pressuring Cousins’ and forcing some turnovers but they will give up some garbage points in the 4th quarter, which will rightfully annoy all of us who are hoping for a 38-7 repeat.

Eagles win 35 - 21
(Record 3-2)