Move On. You Lost.

"See this is why I cannot stand Eagles fans: their stupid song and they run their mouth when their team wins. Talk when you actually win a Super Bowl. Philly always shits the bed," says a NY fan. They fail to understand they're always running their mouth, everywhere.

If you win the Super Bowl in the season you're talking shit you have all the room in the world to talk--or just be a man an enjoy it. Sure, friendly ribbing is fine both ways, but I'm just tired of the New York motto of their fucking lips constantly moving up and down. Just shut up. Your team lost. You were the #1 seed and lost AT HOME. It's happened to us when your team was 4-12 and 6-10 or whatever other awful record you had. It happened to you THIS SEASON to OUR TEAM. The 2007-2008 season was last year. Congrats on your remarkable season last year. Great Super Bowl win/upset, whatever you want to call it. Your season ended this year. We've gone farther. We knocked you out. Deal with it. Unless you're actually in the organization or on the team, there is nothing you can do about it. Don't act like your team winning somehow makes you a better human being. It doesn't. It never will. Just enjoy it because you followed something so closely all season. Yes, you feel apart of it as a fan and it always seems like they won the championship for YOU, but they didn't. Rings define teams, not individuals.

Same goes for us Phillies fans. Once the Phillies season ends next year with either a good or bad result, what happened in 2008 was 2008. It was so fucking amazing, but it was 2008. Don't dwell on the past if things end poorly for us in 2009. Don't run your mouth if we don't repeat. Sure, you can run your mouth if the Phillies finish ahead of the Mets again. Remember this though, each year is different. Every year, teams are different. Cherish the wins. Enjoy them. Remember them. Handle winning like a man. Handle it like you've been there before. The only thing that matters is winning it all.

If you lose, don't be a bunch of morons like the guys in the videos below. (courtesy of the 700 level). You could always jump on our bandwagon like Brandon Jacobs.





On to Glendale!

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DO YOU FEEL THAT IN YOUR DOG-GONE CHEST?

The Eagles are back in the NFC Championship game and back because of an amazing defense. Thankfully, the offense just has a few more weapons than years past.

I am still completely in shock that we're back in the title game for the 5th time in 10 years and we really wanted to get rid of Reid and McNabb. Maybe it is telling us something. Wait for the end of the season for the knee-jerk reactions, but just let everything play itself out before we start pointing figures. For some reason, this just seems so much more exciting. The feeling you get from rooting for the underdog and seeing them be victorious is great.

I fucking hate the Giants so much and get so tired of hearing shit from their fans. Well guess what...your Mets lost and now your Giants just lost to Philadelphia again. Deal with it.

I'll write an actual report on the game tomorrow. Enjoy.

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Um...I hope you're pumped up!

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Divisional Round Predictions - Sunday

OK so I missed the Saturday games but I got 'em right in my money pools. So now I'm gonna post my picks for the Sunday games. I'll start with the Sunday nighter in Pittsburgh. The Charger's who snuck in with an 8-8 record, which was good enough to win them the pathetic AFC West. They rolled all over the hot Colts last week, being carried by Darrien Sproles. I honestly don't see him being able to carry the Chargers again versus the toughest run defense in the NFL. He will just get man-handled. Pittsburgh's offense has been the opposite of what the name calls it, especially with Ben Rothleisberger and Willie Parker not being 100% and a weak O-Line. I still see the Steelers winning this in another defensive struggle, 13-6.

In our day game at 1PM, the Eagles go to the Meadowlands to play the Giants. They are the only team to win in New York this and they honestly can do it again. It's easy; get pressure on Eli Manning and shut down Brandon Jacobs, who is obviously no Adrian Peterson. If the defense plays like they did versus Minnesota and the offense keeps the Giants defense on the field, this game is theirs. They have to play like they did in Week 14 when they won 20-14. Control the clock and pound the offense. Use Correll Buckhalter more, run the ball, and re-issue the screen game. Donovan McNabb needs to spread the field latterly so he can attack vertically. This should be either very pleasing or very disappointing. Eagles by 10.

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The Eagles Just Have to Win!

I actually feel really confidant about tomorrow's game, but I think there is one key for my confidence level to remain high come game time. For the Eagles to win, Westbrook AND Buckhalter need about 30-35 touches between them. Reid needs to do a better job of using Buckhalter every so often to help spell Westbrook and keep him fresh for the entire game. Also, Buckhalter gets through the hole a little quicker than Westbrook with a nice burst and change of pace to keep the Giants defense off-balance.

By giving the running backs plenty of touches, McNabb will be able to use play-action to help confuse the pass rush and coverage by the Giants. With the weather conditions expected to be a wintry mix of shit along with high winds, it will likely not be the easiest game for McNabb to just do the regular five-step drops. Also, I would like to see a few three-step drops with slant patterns to Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson.

Defensively, the team just needs to continue doing what they've been doing. They will need to control the two-headed monster in Ward and Jacobs. If they can try force Eli's hand in winning the game, I completely believe the Eagles will be victorious. I still stand firmly by my belief that while Eli is not a bad quarterback, he's far from a good quarterback and he's never truly showed me any signs of carrying the team on his back.

Don't even talk about the Super Bowl. Yes, he made a great play when he broke away from the sack, but he also nearly threw 3 interceptions before throwing that Hail Mary of a pass that took a ridiculous catch to bring down. That's luck, not skill. He's also without the loser who shot himself in the leg and that hinders his throw it up and hope someone catches it mentality.

The one thing that I am scared about is the fact that the Giants are truly due for a statement game. They've been losers of 3 of their last 4 and in each loss, they failed to score at least 20 points. The Eagles defense is playing at their highest level in years and I really feel that they'll be able to shut down the Giants, but they will need to watch for the home run type runs that really push the Giants offense. Brian Dawkins is playing every game like his last in an Eagles jersey, so I would not expect any less.

Personally, I really need this win tomorrow. I think we're due for another NFC title game.

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Westbrook Runs 33 Times!

If I were to tell you that the Eagles would not only beat the Giants today but absolutely dominate the best team in football, you would laugh in my face and call me a homer. Well with a week of my faith and pessimism battling it out, I came to a conclusion that if the Eagles were able to establish a run game and shut down New York's dangerous tandem of Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, they could possibly win.

They did just that as the Eagles controlled the game, beating the Giants 20-14 in a game that did not reflect the score. The Giants beat teams all year with clock management, a methodical offense that could beat you on the ground or in the air, and with a defense that would make your punter see the field almost as much as the offense. Well, that's exactly how the Eagles played today. They absolutely dominated the Giants in every aspect of the game except for field goal blocking.

The Eagles also did something I have not seen them do in a very very long time; they ran more times than they passed with a ratio of 41:31. They also held the ball for 35 minutes and only punted 3 times. They beat one of the best run defenses in the league by running the ball.

The game breakdown after the jump

Offense: This was an unbelievable showing by Donovan McNabb and the rest of the unit. Brian Westbrook did what he needed to do and that was to repeat last week's performance. They ran and ran and ran. The offensive line made blocks and when it didn't Westbrook kept his legs moving to pick up first downs. He rushed 33 times for 131 yards and a TD and also caught 6 passes for 72 yards and a TD.

At times the offense was sustaining good drives but not finishing. Two big examples were the 4 times they attempted field goals. Clock management at the end of the first half was a bit iffy as Reid decided to run with 21 seconds left on 1st down forcing McNabb to spike the ball and setting up 3rd and 5. He was able to complete a pass to Greg Lewis to get them in very close range. If Andy Reid elected to pass at those times, time would have been saved and a TD would have been more likely and possible that blocked FG that was returned for 6 would not have happened.

The air game was even better. McNabb used his legs more, rushing for a couple first downs and even used his mobility on his touchdown pass to Westbrook in the 4th. McNabb completed 19/30 passes for 191 yards and a TD.

Matching Westbrook's team high in catches was LJ Smith who turned into a nice target all game. Smith even had 2 straight plays where he took a short dump off by McNabb and avoided tacklers to get back to back first downs. DeSean Jackson was not a factor at all in this game after he was injured and Kevin Curtis left with a concussion.

Grade: A

Defense: This unit deserves the most praise. Brian Dawkins was hitting hard and breaking up plays. The defensive line failed to sack Eli Manning but created pressure and forced him to make bad throws. Yes, his receivers dropping the ball helped too, especially when Domenik Hixon dropped a deep ball when he clearly toasted Sheldon Brown.

Manning was just 7/21 going into that last drive where he led the Giants down field for that late score. What irked me on that last drive was the Eagles playing prevent defense. Don't let them drive down. Do what you did all game because it's what worked. Force Manning to make mistakes. I mean he almost coughed up Dawkins' team record-setting interception if Asante Samuel didn't try to make a spectacular grab.

If it wasn't for that drive and the blocked field goal, the defense would have shut out New York. Another big stat was New York going for it on 4th down 3 times and being stuffed all 3 times. The first was on the opening drive when New York was marching down the field and Manning's pass fell short of Hixon. Then, Steve Smith got drilled as he was bobbling the pass on the 2nd attempt and Trent Cole forced a bad throw on the third attempt in the 4th.

Trent Cole had 2 tackles for a loss, leading the NFL, and Stewart Bradley led the team with 9 tackles. Though no sacks, interceptions, and fumbles were recorded, the defense's play making ability was there. The only real problem was penalties. The Eagles recorded 9 penalties for 73 yards, a very sloppy number.
Grade: A

Special Teams: You know I was in such a good mood when I was typing this up until I got this section of my analysis. David Akers had 2 field goals blocked with one of them being returned for a TD. Jackson didn't break anything special but he did get off a good 15 yarder in the second half. Despite the blocks, David Akers technically went 2/2, nailing a huge 51 yarder to put the Eagles on the board first. He also made a 34 yarder in the 4th.

One smart call by Reid was that with 4 seconds left in the first, he spent a time out so Akers could kick his 51 yarder with the wind to his back. Akers made it and the teams switched sides with an Eagles lead. Reid also obviously said something in the locker rooms during half time because the team was able to recover from keeping the Giants in the game with that blocked kick.

Also, the Eagles blocked a field goal of their own.

Grade: B-

Eagles Best Play: Brian Westbrook got behind center Jamaal Jackson and broke into the wide open for his 2nd quarter TD run.
Eagles Worst Play: Justin Tuck went flying over the Eagles field goal unit and batted down Akers' attempt. Ken Dockery then scooped it up and ran 71 yards for the TD.
Eagles Best Number: 203 - number of yards by Westbrook from the line of scrimmage
Eagles Worst Number: 2 - number of field goals they had blocked
Turning Point: The Eagles stayed composed

3 stars:
Westbrook
LJ Smith
T. Cole

This was a huge win to keep the 7-5-1 Eagles mathematically alive in the playoff hunt. They need to win out the rest of the season and have some teams lose to give them help. They were really only fully out played twice all year and this team has the ability to be much better than their record shows. If they sneak into the playoffs and make a run, they would have stolen some magic from the Giants today.

The next game is going to be on Monday Night Football at 8:30. The game is home versus the Cleveland Browns.

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Will the Eagles Fire Bullets or Blanks?

When the Eagles offense is on, they look unstoppable. There is a problem though, CONSISTENCY. Throughout the Reid/McNabb era, we have struggled with inconsistency with performance and play-calling. We never ever know what we are going to get from game, but it only takes a few series for the offense to become predictable for that game.

The cold and windy weather completely plays into the Giants favor because they will most likely run, run, and run some more. They will use their #1 ground attack to hold possession for much of the game and not allow the Eagles to even build momentum. Instead of going for quick strikes, the Eagles will need to try to establish the run and do the same if they want to pull out a win in New York, I mean, New Jersey.

Brian Westbrook is banged up again, but he will play. The Eagles will be without Wide Receiver Reggie Brown, yes, the guy complaining for more playing time, but never sees the field anymore because he is more fragile than Mr. Glass. If the Eagles plan to pass, they will need a balanced offense to keep the Giants high pressure defense off guard. Will it happen, probably not, but it is what needs to happen. I would not expect another high-scoring performance, at least not from our end. I am not sure if the Eagles will be able to do that with an injured Westbrook and Lorenzo Booker. We still neglect the big running back. A thunder and lightning technique similar to the Giants would work wonders for us.

What do you want to happen? Are you looking toward next season already and at draft pick ranges or do you really want this team to try and compete for the playoffs. Personally, I think we're too far out of the race do any damage in the playoffs, but I hate losing. I do not want the team to just give up. I'd expect the Eagles to use both of their first round picks next year, with at least one being on an offensive tackle.

I'm predicting a loss. Sorry guys. The Giants are just damn good.

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Inside the Eagles: Week 10

Go figure. The Eagles played another close game in the division. They fell to 0-3 in the division. The entire nation was able to see how terrible Andy Reid is with clock management and late play-calling. All of the Eagles losses have come by less than a touchdown. Sunday night's 36-31 defeat to the New York Giants was no different. Someone needs to finally step up and take accountability.

Let's face facts here. Andy isn't the worst coach in the world, but the magnitude of his mistakes continue to grow. Since the Super Bowl, the McNabb-Reid combination is right around .500. If Reid was only the head coach, he might get somewhat of a pass. As the head coach, he does do a very good job of keeping the team even-keel and doesn't let them put their heads down. The "tease" we get is what makes us frustrated. It seems like we're always on the losing end of the close game.

Andy's biggest problems are his stubbornness and predictability. He is one of those coaches that scripts his first 10-20 plays. He doesn't break away from that script, even if he needs to adapt to the defense. This is often why the Eagles seem to start a little slow. If Andy remains in Philly, the best thing for him to do would be to find a real offensive coordinator. In baseball, there is a stat for close and late situations. In baseball, it is largely based on luck. In football, it comes down to preparation, play-calling, and execution. In terms of clock management, Reid often fails. In terms of play-calling, Reid often fails. The plays he called last night were so predictable that Tiki Barber was able to call them from the NBC studio. If Tiki Barber knows what is coming...don't you think the Giants do to?

The defense was unable to stop the run all game, but they got the stop they needed the most with a little under 3 minutes left. They got the ball back to the offense down 5 and everything I just talked about was a failure.

Play-calling wasn't Andy Reid's only brain farts. The 4th quarter challenges cost the offense two time outs. One of those time outs could have been used so the Eagles could read the 3rd and 4th down defenses on those 2 short yardage plays. The first challenge was just awful. Whether it was Reid or whomever he talks to in the booth regarding replays, that person should no longer be allowed to call for the challenge ever again. It wasn't even close and it was the dumbest waste of a challenge that I've seen in a long time. For the gambles out there, it was comparable to when you're sitting on 21 in blackjack and you call for a hit. It was that dumb.

I can live with the second challenge because it was worth the risk and it was close enough where you want to gamble on it. The only reason this challenge looks so bad on paper was because Reid challenged the play immediately before. I'm tired of watching this team just waste time and time-outs. At times, it seems like they have no clue at all.

Offense
Though they faltered late, they were still able to put up 31 points and they cashed in twice for touchdowns on 2 Giants turnovers. For the second straight week McNabb started slow, but he did well with both his arms and legs as the game moved on. He completed 17 of 36 for 194 yards and threw 3 touchdowns to 1 interception, after starting 0-7. He was able to complete passes to 7 different receivers. However, he had clock management issues of his own when he was unable to run another play before the 2 minute warning. They literally sat there and watched 35 seconds come off the clock.

Our running game is shit. Westbrook carried the ball 13 times for 26 yards. The Eagles were unable to run the ball all game and they chose to run the all on 3rd and 4th and short at the end. Smart, huh? I'm not quite sure why Reid chose to take the ball out of McNabb's hands there. All year, every game, we pass a hell of a lot more than we run. Why change it now? If you rarely run in the game, you can't expect to establish a running game.

One bright spot was that they used the wildcat formation to spring DeSean Jackson in to the end zone. I would have liked to see that ran a few more times. Jackson is just so damn fast. Outside of the end-arounds, the Eagles have not been running many mis-directions. Every thing seems straight towards the whole and it is often why the defense has been able to shut the running game down. By keeping the running game simple, the defense can cheat a little and not worrying about staying completely true to their gaps. McNabb was the Eagles leading rusher with 35 yards on 3 scrambles.

Defense
Well, they could not stop the run or pass the tight end. Our defense allowed a whopping 216 yards rushing. What the hell? Is this college? The line was often beat off the snap allowing the Giants create easy holes. When the Eagles were in the gap, they did an awful job of wrapping up the Giants running backs. Stewart Bradley lead all players with 13 tackles.

The problem that has plagued the Eagles all season long is stopping the opponent's tight end. Last night, Kevin Boss lead all receivers with 6 catches for 69 yards. Every NFC East opponent has a good TE. Every single one has killed the Eagles.

The Giants are a good offense and we knew it'd be tough. The Eagles allowed them to obtain some easy 3rd down conversions (regardless of forward pass rules) and it cost them. You cannot expect to win if you're allowing the defense to convert 7 of 15 third down plays.

The defense was able to force 2 turnovers and force 2 more fumbles. We all know the one forced fumble that was just a tad too late and the other one forced the Giants to punt i our end.

The Eagles defense allowed 4.9 yards per rush on running plays. Our defense was on the field for 39 of 60 minutes of game time. The Giants ran 77 plays to the Eagles 57. If the Eagles could run more, they'd be able to control possession better. Oh yeah, the Eagles need to be able to stop the run as well.

Special Teams
Though Demps fumbles his first return, he did a good job of giving the Eagles a short field to work with. His only returns for less than 30 yards were when he was tackled by the helmet/facemask (no-call) and when he fumbled.

The kick-off coverage team was much better than it has been. They allowed less than 20 yards per return. Akers did have some short kicks, and they helped improve the Giants field position somewhat.

Conclusion
The Eagles lost another game inside the division that they could have easily won. They're now 0-3 in the division with 2 of 3 division games left on the road. The schedule doesn't bode well for an Eagles playoff run. Anything can happen. The Eagles are still healthy and talented enough to get the job done. The thinking heads need to do a better job now. I'm tired of seeing this team out-coached in close games with even-matched talent. The Birds currently sit 8th in the NFC conference.

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Eagles-Giants Preview

Cue the NFL Films music. Tonight "should" be a good battle between a very good football team and a team who was a short time ago highly respected in the NFC. The Eagles and Giants will meet for the first time this season under the bright shiny lights of Financial Field. An Eagles win today shakes the entire division up. A loss puts them in last place (Cowboys hold the tie-breaker) and 0-3 in the division.

I'll be honest with you, the Giants might not be exactly better talent wise, but they play like the better team. They are the better "team." The defending champion Giants are coming in to Philadelphia with a 7-1 records, the best in the NFC. The Giants are able to run the ball for 162 yards per game and unless the Eagles find a way to get a lot of team tackles to bring down big Brandon Jacobs, it could be a long night.

Both teams are ranked in the top 6 both offensively and defensively. Neither teams allows a bunch of sacks, so the protection is there if they need to pass. Both teams run a similar aggressive defensive scheme and I wonder why...oh yeah, it is teacher (Jim Johnson) versus student (Steve Spagnuolo).

More analysis after the jump.

If the Eagles offense wants to be successful, they will need to try to establish the run because the Giants defense has been so good against the pass (even when they've built up large early leads). Andy Reid NEVER attempts to establish a running game, so we'll see what happens. If the somehow Reid changes is game plan for once, the Eagles should be able to go over the top with some deep passes to either Jackson, Curtis, or Brown.

LJ Smith returns to the lineup, but he hasn't been a factor in this offense in a few years. Just proves the stubborness of Reid. Why start shitty, terrible, can't block to save a life LJ Smith over Brent Celek who just came off a 6 catch, 131 yard game. Celek can get open and catch the ball with two hands when he is open. LJ is a liability. Against the pass rush, I'd expect the TE position to be ineffective because they'll likely have to stay in and help block if the Reid calls his same predictable offense.

Defensively, the Eagles are going to have to try to force Eli Manning to win the game for the Giants. Obviously, stopping the Giants running attack will be an extremely tough task, but this defense has done it before. Jacobs is a North-South runner so they will not have to worry about him cutting back and forth much. The linebackers and safeties need to make sure they wrap up Jacobs legs if they want to bring him down. If they try to hit him high, they'll lose every single time.

If somehow the Eagles take away the running game, they'll look to apply pressure on Manning with different packages. Manning still makes questionable decisions, but he has definitely matured as a quarterback. He's not very good on the run and they could force him to make mistakes and turn the ball over.

Tonight, more than ever, the Eagles need to look for the turn over. The Eagles offense needs to try to establish long drives to keep our defense off the field. We have a problem with 3-and-outs so we'll see if Reid can establish a working gameplan.

Key Players
- Hank Baskett - because of the agressive Giants pass rush, I'd like to see the Eagles throw a couple jump balls to their big receiver, especially down in the red zone.

- David Akers - Akers will need to make sure has deep kickoffs and stays accurate with his field goals. We cannot afford to give the Giants extra field position.

- Steward Bradley - Bradley is going to have to be huge if the Eagles are going to stop Brandon Jacobs and company.

- Andy Reid - try something new.

Come on Birds, we need this one! Show a sense of urgency!

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Prime Time? Oh no!

The Andy Reid era started with a 16-1 record in primetime games. Since losing a pointless game in 2004 to the Rams, the Eagles have gone 2-12 to now own a 18-13 primetime record under Andy Reid. [Camden Courier Post]

It gets even worse because the Eagles are currently on a 7-game losing streak in primetime games, including two losses this season to the Cowboys and Bears. It could be a matter of coincidence and their opponents, but the birds really need to get a win on Sunday's primetime game against the Giants.

A win means the NFC East division race is wide open and it keeps us in the hunt for an over .500 record in the division. A win gets us to 6-3 and keeps in the hunt for a wild card spot. A win keeps us from falling 0-3 in the division and 4-4 in the conference. When you lose the teams you should beat in the Bears and Redskins, it sets this Giants game up to be a must-win.

Check in tomorrow morning for a preview to the huge NFC East battle.

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Giants win the Super Bowl

Congrats to the Giants as they win 17-14 over the heavily favored New England Patriots. The Patriots choked in the last game of the year trying to become the second team to go undefeated. They fell short as the Giants became the first team to play a complete game. I have nothing left to report. Read the news. Do whatever. It's over.

How 'bout that Barkley commercial?

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Roose's Super Bowl prediction

The time has come for another end to the football season. And like 39 other times, us Eagles fans are not gonna be watching the Green take the field in February (or late January). We tend to pick a favorite or even the under dog. We have our reasons for doing so like last year seeing Peyton Manning finally win one or the year before seeing Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis retiring on top. Well this year is different. Since we won't be seeing Brett Favre in the game, many of us are forced to root for New England, America's most hated team at the moment. This is a day we are not anticipating. The dilemma: root for the division rival Giants, who we were born to hate, or watch New England go 19-0 and see their bandwagon get bigger and bigger. It's disgusting really. Unfortunately, I'm forced to see those cocky New Englanders boast on a fourth trophy in six years than seeing the Giants fans from North Jersey/New York pull one more championship ahead of the Eagles.

ASSESSING THE OFFENSES

New England: This is the most dynamic offense in the history of the NFL. They broke records in points scored for the year. They are led by MVP quarterback Tom Brady who broke the single season touchdown passes record set by Peyton Manning with 50 TD's. On the receiving end, Randy Moss caught 23 TD passes from Brady, another record held by Jerry Rice that was broken. Moss is aided by Dante Stallworth and Wes Welker, who combined for 168 catches and 11 TD's. The ground game consists of the dangerous tandem in Larence Maroney and Kevin Faulk who are both threats in the air from the backfield. Tight end Ben Watson has been spectacular in the playoffs.

New York: Eli Manning has finally proven that he is a clutch QB. He was inconsistent all year but found his consistency in the playoffs, knocking off the Buccaneers and top seeded Dallas and Green Bay. His receiving corps is very depleted compared to Brady's with Plaxico Burress being injured most of the year. Burress still finds a way to perform well every week. He is joined by Amani Toomer, who has always been clutch in the playoffs. With tight end Jeremy Shockey on the IR, Kevin Boss has been filling in for him, Boss is going to need to step up his game this Sunday.

Edge: Patriots

ASSESSING THE DEFENSES

New England: The Patriots are number four in the league. The defense is strong. They have stuck together for most of the Super Bowl titles they accumulated. The addition of Adalius Thomas has been huge and Junior Seau has really been playing like a guy who wants to win one. The Patriots secondary is led by Asante Samuel and the hard hitting Rodney Harrison. Also Ellis Hobbs and Brandon Meriweather have been good in the supporting cast.

New York: There has been a lot of criticism on this team's defense this year. The secondary isn't great but the line is amazing. The linebacking corps is also good led by Antonio Pierce. The defensive line is led by Michael Strahan and Osu Umenyiora who combined for 22 sacks. They will give the tackles a tough job come Sunday. Sam Madison and Gibril Wilsonlead the team with 4 interceptions.

Edge: Patriots

ASSESSING SPECIAL TEAMS

New England: Stephen Gostkowski is supposed to be the as clutch as Adam Vinatieri. He is 1-2 in the playoffs. Chris Hansen has been solid. Ellis Hobbs is one of the best returners in the game.

New York: Lawrence Tynes is 4-6. He needs to get over almost losing the game for New York in the NFC Title game. Jeff Feagles is the best coffin corner kicker in the league. RW McQuarters is not a game breaking returner but Dominick Hixon is a good KR with on TD this year.

Edge: even

COACHING

New England: Bill Belichek is a genius

New York: Tom Coughlin needs to really work to outsmart Belichek

Edges: Patriots

The Patriots are the better team, no doubt. The Giants have been really hot in the playoffs and came close to beating New England in week 17. They have nothing to lose and a lot to be motivated for. The game will be a shoot out. Eli will be good and Tom will be good. This should be a good Super Bowl as the final score ends up being 31-28......Giants.

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Figures, Hitler = Cowboys Fan!

[The 700 Level]

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Roose's Championship Sunday predictions

Well I went 2-2 this past week, killing my perfect bracket. I also lost my championship pick with Indianapolis. I've been thinking about this week already after the Giants win over Dallas. Do I want to go with an upset or do I want to go with the home teams. Both home teams (New England and Green Bay) play in the frozen tundras.

AFC: The Patriots have been perfect. They are 17-0 and 2 games away from history. They already tied the '72 Dolphins by winning their first 17 games and they are one win shy of being tied with the '85 Bears' total of 18 in a season and playoffs. They go up against the #3 Chargers who upset the defending champion Colts. The Pats are fully healthy while the Ladanian Tomlinson (hyper extension) and Phillip Rivers (sprained meniscus) are both questionable for Sunday's game. Antonia Gates has also been battling injuries in the playoffs. Look for a low scoring game as San Diego's defense, especially Shaun Merriman look for revenge after last year in the AFC championship game. If LT is having problems with his knee, look for back-up Michael Turner to see plenty of touches. The Pats offense is explosive. Tom Brady is the best in the league, Lawrence Maroney and Kevin Faulk are a dangerous duo, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Dante Stallworth are a dangerous trio to defend, and the defense is tough to do anything on. I have the Patriots winning 21-10.

NFC: The #2 Packers emerged victorious last week with a big win over Seattle as the Seahawks couldn't handle the snow and wind. Brett Favre is riding this record-breaking season to another championship game. He will look to cap it off with a ring. The Giants are coming off of a huge win in Texas as the Cowboys struggles near the end of the season and in the playoffs again. Romo can't seem to get his first win as a starter and T.O. needs a box of tissues. Maybe Jessica Simpson can cheer him up. The Packers are a very balanced team. They have Ryan Grant in the backfield, Favre at the reigns, solid receivers in Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, and a good defense with a great secondary. The Giants have young but inconsistent QB in Eli Manning, a very strong running game with Brandon Jacobs, weapons for Eli, and a vicious run defense. If the secondary plays their game for both teams, the scoring will be low as well. I still have the Packers 20-10.

Look for a repeat of Super Bowl XXXI with hopefully the same outcome.

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Roose's Playoff Predictions - Divisional

OK after a 4-0 Wild card week for me, I correctly picked New York, Seattle, Jacksonville, and San Diego to move on to the Divisional round. We already had 2 "upsets" with wild card Giants and Jags winning. Will a few more upsets occur? I picked no as the #1 and #2 seeds should advance to face eachother in the Conference championships.

AFC: The AFC is featuring 2 very anticipated match ups. The first of these is the Saturday game, #5 Jacksonville at #1 New England. After a 16-0 season, the first of it's kind, the Patriots are the pretty pick ot win it all. They have a tough road ahead of them as the other 3 AFC teams are very tough as well as the winner of the NFC. The Jaguars are known for beating good teams as they have proven in the past. Their no-name defense and ground-oriented offense could pose a threat to NE. The Pats are favored heavily but the under-estimated Jaguars will keep it close but fail.
Pick: NE over JAX

The Sunday game features the #3 Chargers, who are coming off a close game against Tennessee, versus the #2 Colts, who are now healthy and ready to defend their championship. The Colts quietly went 13-3, while the Patriots took all the spot light. The Colts enjoy being the under-dog. With Marvin Harrison back, all Peyton needs to do is find his ryhthm with him and they will lock up victory. The Chargers don't seem to stand a chance unless LT can run all over the defensive line who is featuring the return of Dwight Freeny.
Pick: IND over SD

NFC: The Saturday game features the #3 Seahawks going to Lambeu Field to face #2 Green Bay Packers. Brett Favre is looking to cap off a magical season, and probably career, with a Super Bowl ring. The Seahawks, who got 14 of their points from the defense last week, needed the whole game to put away the fighting Redskins. Hasselback has shown he is an interception machine and with the secondary the Packers have, it could get worse. The run defense, led by AJ Hawk and Nick Barnett will look to shut down the inconsitent Shaun Alexander. Look for domination as Green Bay wins easily.
Pick: GB over SEA

The Sunday game will be played in the great state of Texas (yea ok) where bad presidents come from. The #5 Giants look to knock off hated rival #1 Dallas. Going into the final weeks of the season, Dallas has played awful, getting shut down by Philadelphia, a team absent from the playoffs, and Washington, a team getting knocked out last week. Tony Romo has been very poor to finish off the regular season while T.O. got hurt in week 16. He is expected to play and maybe his efforts will be "heroic." The Giants are coming off of a solid win over Tampa but another inconsitent QB, Eli Manning, is leading them. He could wind up throwing 3 TD's or 3 picks. He needs to prove if he really is as tough as his Ecko Citizens watch.
Pick: DAL over NY

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Perfect the first round

I went perfect my first round of playoffs successfully picking Seattle, Jacksonville, New York, and San Diego to move on. In a few days I will write next weeks picks for the Divisional round. Will the 1 and 2 seeds prevail or will they be upset by one of these four winners.

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Nothing exciting to report lately

There's been nothing really to report. Sports in Philly have been boring if not depressing. The Eagles are eliminated from the playoffs, the Flyers are on a 6-game losing streak (2 points), and the Sixers are having another dismal season. The only bright spot is the Phillies can't depress us with blowing it even though their front office has been dormant other than siging Jenkins and Taguchi and trading for Lidge.

Other news...
-Prior signs one year deal to Padres
-Pats/Giants to be aired on national TV
-Blazers are on an 11-game win-streak
-MSU punishes five players from bowl game for accademic violations after 36 from FSU got banned for cheating

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