January 10th, 2011
I’ve stepped away from the sports buffet for the last year or so, but I made time yesterday to hunker down and watch the entire second half of the Eagles-Packers game. It was, by a long measure, the most sports-entertainment product I’ve watched in one sitting since last year’s Super Bowl.
Despite the Eagles’ loss, I was pretty stoked and part of my excitement came from realizing that it didn’t really matter that I’d been gone for so long. Everything was still the same. The Eagles were vaguely competent, over-achieving team good enough to get close.
The INT at the end of the game felt like a dagger at the time, but Galley Brother B.J. explains, calmly and dispassionately, that the pick was really the least of the problems:
The Eagles played very badly (and so did the Packers or it wouldn’t have been close). Does Reid have something against Winston Justice or does he just not know how to adjust? This is the 2nd game where Reid has let an elite pash rusher dominate Justice without using a back or TE to help Justice out (the first game was the Giants game where Justice gave up 6 sacks to Osi Umenyora).That said, I liked the final offensive play call. 40 seconds left, no timeouts, need a touchdown, and the Packers are in 1-on-1 coverage. I doubt the Eagles would have seen so few defenders in the endzone for the rest of the game. I fully support going for the touchdown on that throw. The ball was under thrown which might have been intentional figuring that the DB’s would be making sure no one got behind them. Or the ball could have been under thrown because being out of football for about 2 years (including 1 year in prison) and then playing 30 snaps for a year and only throwing 5 passes doesn’t turn you into an unstoppable QB.Oh well, the Wild Card round is the new NFC Championship game.
That sounds about right. Andy Reid is a mystifying figure. On the one hand, what he’s accomplished in Philadelphia in terms of regular season records and play-off appearances is nothing short of awesome. There aren’t five coaches during the last ten years who are in his class. From an organizational view, he’s a fantastic big-picture manager.
But on the other hand, he often has teams show poorly in big spots. He’s not very good at in-game adjustments or on-the-fly coaching. And he’s possibly the worst boss in America. (Not that this matters to us fans.)
Back during the ’90s baseball people often asked if you’d rather be the Braves or the Marlins: Would you rather have a consistent winner for a sustained period of time, or an up-and-down franchise that occasionally won a championship.
I’ve always thought that I’d prefer the Braves. And that’s kind of what Reid’s Eagles are. And, on balance, I think they do make for a more enjoyable fan experience than, say, the Bucs.
But as I’ve said before, while I’m sure I’ll miss Reid when he’s gone, I won’t miss him when he leaves.
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Galley Brother B.J.,
What’s this business about NFC Championship game?!? If Greenbay makes it pass Atlanta they will still face the mighty Bears (I’m from Chicago, can you tell?) Cutler and his double chin are coming for you…
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B.J.,
Thanks for clearing that up! Have you ever seen a professional athlete who can perform at such an elite level (I mean Cutler can throw the ball like a rocket) who looks like he just finished working out with an Italian beef sandwich and six beers? His face is not a professional athlete face…and yet he is doing fine with the ladies.
Galley Brother B.J. January 11, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Reid’s Eagles have gone from typically losing in the NFC championship game to losing in the Wild card round.
If Cutler comes after me, I’ll throw some candy at him.