NFL FanHouse

Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears

Adam Gretz — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Eagles, NFL Live Blogging

A week after tossing five interceptions in a 10-6 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears return home to take on Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night. As always, the FanHouse live chat will be rolling along, so please stop in and join us as we discuss all of the action.

Party begins at 8:15 PM ET.

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Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eagles, Westbrook Wisely Play It Safe

Nancy Gay — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Raiders, NFL Injuries, NFL Quarterbacks

The best NFL news on Wednesday was that Brian Westbrook will not play this week. He may be your starting running back in your fantasy league, but the Philadelphia Eagles' all-time leader from scrimmage with 9,711 yards also is a man who is recuperating from two concussions in 20 days.

Right now, Westbrook is not just an NFL star. He is a medical patient.

Thankfully, everyone realizes it's time to focus on Westbrook's health and future well-being, and not how he can help move the chains for the Eagles' offense.

The eight-year veteran and former All-Pro met with two doctors on Wednesday who specialize in head trauma, among them Dr. Mark Lovell, the founding director of the groundbreaking University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine concussion program. Westbrook, the athlete and patient, is hoping to get answers.

To his great credit, Westbrook has been admirably proactive in admitting publicly that he is frightened and concerned about the effects of these injuries.

Westbrook sustained his first concussion in an Oct. 26 game against the Washington Redskins. He then missed two games, returned last Sunday against the Chargers in San Diego and suffered another concussion after catching a third-quarter screen pass from quarterback Donovan McNabb and colliding helmet-to-helmet with safety Eric Weddle.

Again -- thankfully -- Westbrook immediately recognized his symptoms. He told coaches he felt "foggy" after the play, and that's why Westbrook did not return, Philadelphia coach Andy Reid confirmed.

This is more good news; Westbrook, Reid and the Eagles were educated enough on the dangers of head trauma to take every precaution for the player's safety. Only a few years ago, NFL players sustained concussions and would return a few plays later. The official diagnosis: "He had his bell rung." Programs like the one at Pittsburgh Medical Center have taught all of us that head trauma in sports often has serious short- and long-term effects on an athlete's health.

Unfortunately, NFL players also consider the occasional concussion an inevitable part of their profession, as The Associated Press learned recently in a survey conducted this month that questioned five players from each of the 32 NFL franchises. Of the 160 players surveyed, 30 told the AP that they had hidden or downplayed the effects of a concussion in order to remain on the field.

Is Westbrook more enlightened than most? Maybe his age (30) and experience are motivating him to think less about his statistics and more about how to avoid becoming permanently brain-damaged by the time he's 31.

The Eagles' team leader now is placing his season, and his career, in the hands and judgment of Lovell, who helped develop the important neuro-cognitive tests that NFL and NHL teams now use to diagnose degrees of head trauma. Perhaps other NFL players will take note -- one of the NFL's biggest stars is willing to walk away from the fame and riches if it means preserving his faculties.

Meanwhile, the Eagles (5-4) are moving forward and giving Westbrook their full support.

"We'll know more on him as the next day or two go on," Reid said. "I talked to him on Monday and he was in a good place. I think he's grateful to have the care that he's had. He seemed to just want to find out what went on with this next (concussion), but he didn't seem rattled."

Rookie running back LeSean McCoy, the former Pitt star, will start Sunday against the Chicago Bears (4-5). Teammates voiced their confidence in McCoy that he will rise to the task, and they expressed their support for Westbrook as he contemplates whether he should take the football field again.

"As a friend and teammate, the only thing we can do is pray for him right now," McNabb said, "and have in our minds that whatever decision Brian makes, it will be the best decision for him. We'll continue to support him."

Anyone who has enjoyed and admired Westbrook's talent and his career should be rooting for an outcome that ensures he will remain healthy and active for as long as possible -- off the football field, not on it.

Raiders Finally Bench Russell

Wednesday's news that Raiders coach Tom Cable had decided to bench struggling quarterback JaMarcus Russell and go with journeyman reserve Brad Gradkowski as the starter for now is remarkable for this reason: it showed Cable is doing what's best for the 2-7 franchise by getting hands-on owner Al Davis to agree with him about the move.

In fact, Cable said there wasn't even give-and-take with Davis on the decision to make Russell a No. 2.

"No, no. He left this up to me; this is my decision," Cable said of Davis. "We talked about it and he supported it."

Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, has been yanked by Cable in two of the Raiders' past three games as the quarterback's performances and decision-making ability steadily regressed. It's been painful to watch, and crippling to the Raiders' organization.

Russell's completion percentage this season is 46.8; he's thrown nine interceptions and lost five fumbles. And while the Raiders drafted Russell out of LSU hoping he would replicate his deep ball talent at the NFL level, that simply hasn't happened -- according to STATS LLC, in Russell's third pro season, he has completed only 2 of 34 passes of 20 yards or longer, for a total of 85 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.

Russell was not present when Raiders reporters had locker room access on Wednesday. His head coach said Russell was disappointed, as is to be expected. But Cable also said he firmly believes that Russell is the future of the Raiders' franchise, even though he will be a No. 2 on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"This is in no way giving up on the guy," Cable said. "This is just trying to jump-start this team and really break it down and make a decision based on what gives us the best chance to win."

Eagles, Westbrook Wisely Play It Safe originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bozo the Coach, Andy Reid and the Belichick Precedent

Dave Goldberg — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, AFC East, AFC South, NFC East, NFC North, NFL Coaching, NFL Analysis

What Bill Belichick did Sunday night has happened before. It justifiably earned Barry Switzer the nickname "Bozo The Coach'' for failing TWICE on fourth down in the late stages of a tie game. And the Eagles' Andy Reid did the opposite of the New England coach on Sunday, eschewing fourth-and-short twice to kick field goals in what turned out to be an eight-point loss.

Switzer's mistake didn't prevent Dallas from winning its third Super Bowl in four seasons in the early '90s, but it left Switzer at the top of the oft-debated list of worst coaches to win a title.

On Nov. 15, 1995, the Cowboys were playing in Philadelphia and faced a fourth down and 1 on their own 29 with the game tied 17-17 and just over two minutes left. Switzer decided to go for it and sent Emmitt Smith left over the massive Nate Newton.

Jay Mariotti: Spygate to Stupidgate: Belichick Blunders

He was stopped but it didn't count. The officials blew the whistle for the two-minute warning. No problem. The Cowboys tried again. Same play. Stuffed again. Three plays later, Gary Anderson kicked a 42-yard field goal that gave the Eagles a 20-17 win.

Headline in the New York Post the next day: "Bozo The Coach.''

The result brought the Eagles to within a game of the Cowboys in the NFC East with two games to play. But Dallas won its next two games, won the division, won both its playoff games and beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl -- the one in which Larry Brown ended up as the MVP on a team that featured Smith, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders.

But it was the end of an era. The Cowboys beat the Vikings in a wild-card game the next season, then lost next week to second-year expansion team Carolina. That win over Minnesota was the last postseason victory they've had.

Reid?

In Sunday's 31-23 loss in San Diego, the Philadelphia coach decided to kick a field goal trailing 14-0 in the second quarter with the ball perhaps six inches away from the Chargers' goal. In the third quarter, trailing 21-6, he had fourth and one at the San Diego 7 and had David Akers kick again. The Eagles lost, 31-23.

"There was too much time," Reid said of his decision on the first, the most obvious. "I thought it was important to come out of there with points."

That was four points. The second fourth-and-one kick was four points.

The Eagles lost by eight.

Bozo the Coach, Andy Reid and the Belichick Precedent originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Westbrook Suffers Another Concussion

Nancy Gay — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:15:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Injuries

SAN DIEGO -- Brian Westbrook's Oct. 26 concussion was so troubling for the Philadelphia Eagles running back, he openly discussed the touchy subject of NFL head trauma and how concerned he was for his long-term health because of it.

Three weeks later, Westbrook sustained another concussion, one that took him out of the Eagles' 31-23 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium. And now it's almost a certainty that the running back's season will be cut short.

After catching a 9-yard pass from Donovan McNabb with just over 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Westbrook headed to the sideline and was replaced by rookie LeSean McCoy. It was Westbrook's first game back since sustaining the first head injury in the Eagles' 27-17 victory against the Redskins in Washington, when he took a knee to the helmet and lost consciousness as a result.

Eagles coach Andy Reid offered few details as to Westbrook's condition this time around, or what the franchise might do if its star running back can't play another down this season -- or if his career may even be threatened.

"He got hit. I don't remember the play," Reid said of his eight-year veteran and team leader. "We'll just see how Brian does here; I know that's a concern for everybody; us included, and Brian. We'll evaluate him and we'll see how things go this next week."

Almost certainly there will speculation that the Eagles rushed Westbrook back too soon.

As he recovered from the Oct. 26 injury, Westbrook told Philadelphia-area media that his concussion "scared" him and that he was concerned about the long-term effects of head trauma.

"I didn't have a great understanding of concussions before," Westbrook said. "When you think about it, they don't have a lot of information about concussions when you get to be 50, 60 and 70 years old, how it impacts your life. Unfortunately in this profession, a lot of guys have concussions. Some guys don't even know they have concussions until it's too late."

The Eagles (5-4) may have lost Westbrook at a time when the offense could really use an impact, experienced running back. Despite the loss Sunday, McNabb passed for a season-high 450 yards, completing 35 of 55 passes. His final pass was intercepted in the end zone by Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

Three Philadelphia drives stalled inside the 10-yard line with the Eagles struggling in short-yardage, and they instead settled for a trio of field goals from David Akers.

While the franchise awaits medical reports on Westbrook, the team may have to examine the free-agent market for running back help. Veteran Edgerrin James is available after being released by Seattle earlier this month. Former Chiefs starter Larry Johnson, who was cut by that team last week, also is unsigned.

Westbrook Suffers Another Concussion originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unexpected Gift Rejuvenates Tomlinson

Nancy Gay — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST

Filed under: Broncos, Chargers, Eagles, AFC West

SAN DIEGO -- LaDainian Tomlinson's blessings simply flowed on Sunday. Two hours before his San Diego Chargers claimed a share of first place in the AFC West with a 31-23 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFL's No. 3 all-time touchdown king received a gift from his wife, LaTorsha.

Tomlinson found it in front of his locker at Qualcomm Stadium, a decorative purple bag -- "TCU colors," he explained later -- tied with a bow. The attached note implored "Please Open Immediately - LaTorsha." Inside was a box, and what it contained was a pregnancy test. A positive test.

"My wife is pregnant," an emotional Tomlinson announced on a day when one of the NFL's greatest running backs reached two significant milestones: His season-high 96 yards on 24 carries pushed him past Thurman Thomas and Franco Harris for 12th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 12,145 yards.

More From San Diego: Brian Westbrook Suffers Another Concussion

And Tomlinson's two rushing touchdowns gave him 146 for his career, surpassing Marcus Allen for sole possession of third place on the all-time list.

Tomlinson was humbled by and appreciative of his football achievements Sunday -- not to mention the 6-3 Chargers' return to relevancy thanks to a four-game winning streak and quarterback Philip Rivers' career-best 80 percent completion percentage. Rivers was 20 of 25 for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

Tomlinson was also thankful San Diego will get a chance to break that division deadlock with the Denver Broncos -- losers of three in a row -- next Sunday at Invesco Field, and gratified that he was a key part of a victory that confirmed Rivers wasn't out of his mind a month ago when he proclaimed his San Diego team would erase Denver's seemingly insurmountable 3 1/2-game lead in the AFC West.

But that purple bag ...

"It was weird. I thought it was going to be a necklace or something," said Tomlinson, grinning widely. "But it was a pregnancy test in there. It was pretty special.

"Years ago, we lost a child so we've been trying again. God works in mysterious ways, and it's a blessing we're pregnant again."

Tomlinson and his wife, who were college sweethearts, already had a name for that baby. She was a girl, due in June 2005. Mckiah Renee's ultrasound picture was so special, L.T. carried it around with him everywhere. The couple eagerly decorated her baby room.

But when Tomlinson returned home from Hawaii following the '05 Pro Bowl, complications with the pregnancy stole Mckiah away from LaDainian and LaTorsha, who had wanted her so badly.

Sunday's news that another baby is coming, after so much heartbreak, was more than motivation for Tomlinson's milestone day. It was like a guiding hand lifting him past Eagles tacklers, and erasing the doubts of anyone who thought the 30-year-old former NFL rushing champion was past his prime.

"It absolutely was," he said, "because there is a special thing about having a child and your wife being pregnant. I can't explain it, but it was."

Tomlinson called LaTorsha as soon as he left the field, just after San Diego's defense held off a fourth-quarter charge by Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final period to pull Philadelphia (6-4) to within a score of the Chargers, 28-23, with 7:18 remaining.

"I said 'You're amazing,' " Tomlinson told his wife, who had held back the news for five days. "I actually cried for about five minutes."

How will Tomlinson process everything that happened to him Sunday -- the baby news, the career achievements, the important Chargers victory in which he played such a significant role?

"I don't know. I'm thankful. I'm thankful," he said. "I'm just so excited."

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Baby Boom in Sports

NFL star LaDainian Tomlinson is ready to be a father. Tomlinson's wife, LaTorsha, surprised him with a positive pregnancy test result before he carried the Chargers to a 31-23 victory over the Eagles. Click through to see photos of sports stars with their children.

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Baby Boom in Sports

Frederick M. Brown, Getty Images

Roger Federer and his wife Mirka Vavrinec released a photo of their twin daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose. The twins were born July 23.

Federer Family/AP

Lindsay Davenport, pictured here with her son Jagger during the ASB Classic tournament in January 2008, recently gave birth to daughter Andrus Davenport Leach.

Michael Bradley, AFP/Getty Images

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong shared a picture of his new son, Max, on Twitter in early June.

Armstrong Family / AP

NBA star Kobe Bryant with his wife Vanessa and daughters Natalie and Gianna

Andrew D. Bernstein, NBAE via Getty Images

Tiger Woods poses with daughter Sam, wife Elin and new son, Charlie.

Dom Furore, Woods Family

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward with his son Jaden

Jonathan Ferrey, Getty Images

NBA star LeBron James with his son LeBron Jr.

David Liam Kyle, NBAE via Getty Images

Olympic swimmer Dara Torres and daughter Tessa

Al Messerschmidt, Getty Images

Softball superstar Jennie Finch with her son Ace

Christian Petersen, Getty Images

Unexpected Gift Rejuvenates Tomlinson originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL Does Not Want a Little Captain in It

Josh Alper — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFC East, NFL Media Watch

When Eagles tight end Brent Celek scored a touchdown on Sunday night, he celebrated his touchdown by putting his hands on his hips and raising his right leg off the ground. You may not have thought anything of it at the time, but now you'll understand why you spent the rest of the night craving a glass of spiced rum.

Celek's celebration was actually a pretty nifty bit of guerilla marketing by Captain Morgan, which offered to donate money to charity anytime a NFL player celebrated a score by striking the pose made familiar in commercials and on liqour bottles. The NFL didn't find it quite so nifty, however, and reached out to the charity and the company to tell them to put the kibosh on the stunt.

While Celek originally denied the promotional angle, but an exec with the company confirmed the deal. The company was planning to donate $10,000 to Gridiron Greats, which helps retired players deal with hardships, every time a player struck the pose on camera during a regular season game. The money would rise to $25,000 and $100,000 in the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports spoke with NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, who, unsurprisingly, said that the league isn't into companies using their games as a platform unless the NFL gets a cut of the action. They said they will punish any players who go forward with the celebration, presumably in the form of fines equal to the amount donated to the charity.

"A company can't pay a player to somehow promote it's product on the field. Every league has the same rule. ... It's come up before, companies trying to use our games and then players for ambush marketing purposes."

While no one was going to be hurt by a few players striking a particular pose, it's hard to argue with a league's right to profit from its own marketability. That said, no players are getting paid for this, as all the money is going to charity, so while they're right about the Captain using guerilla marketing techniques, there appears to be a loophole. But no player is going to explore that loophole at the risk of infuriating a coach and losing money, so the NFL isn't likely to see a challenge.

Plenty of companies already pay players to promote their products on the field, however. Nike is paying Adrian Peterson to promote its products every time he touches the ball, it's just in a less blatant fashion than Celek promoting Captain Morgan.

The damndest part of the whole thing? Gridiron Greats might not even get the 10K from Celek's act. The campaign hadn't officially launched yet, which means that the Captain got all the publicity without any obligation to give money to the charity. Well played, NFL. Hopefully they'll still do it, because it would be a shame if the only two winners from this were the league and a corporation.

NFL Does Not Want a Little Captain in It originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday-and-Long: Westbrook, NFL Players Wake Up to Concussion Danger

Dan Graziano — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Injuries, NFL Analysis

PHILADELPHIA -- Brian Westbrook did not practice with the Eagles on Wednesday, nor did he talk about why. His coach, Andy Reid, said Westbrook would practice Thursday and that the reason he was held out Wednesday was his ankle, and not the concussion he suffered in the team's Oct. 26 victory over the Redskins. But if you buy that, I've got a South Philly bridge to sell you, too.

The ankle is a red herring. Westbrook's ankle is a chronic problem, for which he's had surgery, and his ankle probably hurts every day. They can put him on the injury report with an ankle problem anytime they want, and nobody's going to bat an eye. This thing with Westbrook is a case of a player, concerned about his own personal future, taking it slow amid a culture that's only starting to embrace the danger and seriousness of concussions.

When Westbrook spoke last week, his comments were telling. He told reporters that the concussion "scared" him, and that he was "concerned about the long-term effects of it."

"I didn't have a great understanding of concussions before," Westbrook said, according to phillyburbs.com. "When you think about it, they don't have a lot of information on concussions when you get to be 50, 60 and 70 years old, how it impacts your life. Unfortunately, in this profession, a lot of guys have concussions. Some guys don't even know they have concussions until it's too late."

What's interesting about Wesbrook's comments is that they sound exactly like the point the NFL players' union was making a couple of weeks ago when it (and commissioner Roger Goodell) testified in front of Congress on the topic of concussions in pro football. It's a major concern for retired players who feel that not enough attention was paid to the issue during their playing days, and new NFLPA director DeMaurice Smith has made it a front-and-center issue for current players as well. The union that day in Washington was hoping to get some congressional assistance in getting the NFL to do more studies of the effects of concussions and to pay more attention to the studies that have already been done.

The Westbrook case is a case of a player heeding that call and applying it at the ground level. It's clear that Westbrook, now 30 years old and, because he's a running back, confronting the downside of his career, isn't thrilled about the idea of playing with a concussion. It's clear that the Eagles are attempting to be sensitive to the player's concerns while also trying not to call too much attention to it. It's clear that the super-macho NFL culture, in which a grown man can still reasonably be worried about what his peers will think if he doesn't want to play because his head hurts, is still a factor here.

What's encouraging is that a player of Westbrook's stature and experience would take the cautious route. Because that route hasn't been taken enough in the NFL. And it needs to be. And maybe, because Brian Westbrook is taking it, more players will do so in the future.

The Main Event

You will be saturated with Patriots-Colts previews over the next few days, so I don't want to add too dramatically to that, but the league sent out an interesting statistical note about the two quarterbacks in that game -- couple of guys you may have heard of.

If Tom Brady passes for more than 300 yards and wins, it'll be the 15th straight 300-yard passing game he's won. The all-time record for such a streak is 16 by Johnny Unitas from 1961-69.

If Peyton Manning passes for more than 300 yards and wins, it'll be the 13th straight 300-yard passing game he's won, tying Y.A. Tittle (1953-63) for the third-longest such streak ever.

Of course, if they both pass for 300-plus yards, then one of their streaks must come to an end. Regardless, it's good to be NBC this weekend.

The Undercard

If the Bengals can win in Pittsburgh on Sunday, they'll have swept both the Ravens and the Steelers this year. They'll be 7-2 and in full control of the league's best division, with a one-game lead over Pittsburgh and either a two- or three-game lead over Baltimore plus the tiebreaker edge over both of the AFC North teams that met in last year's conference championship game.

Of course, to pull this off, the Bengals must buck a tough trend. Since Mike Tomlin became the Steelers' head coach, he is 7-0 at home against AFC North opponents. Pittsburgh is also unbeaten in four home games this year. If the Bengals win this one, it's not ridiculous to think a changing of the guard (at least for one year) is at hand in the AFC North.

Hat Tip of the Week -- Miles Austin, Cowboys WR

Here's why Roy Williams is wrong about the wide receiver pecking order in Dallas. While Williams is worried about whether Tony Romo throws a prettier ball to Austin than to him, Austin is actually playing the game. Williams caught more balls than Austin did Sunday night, but Austin spent the whole game watching the Eagles' defensive backs. In the second half, he told Romo he thought those DBs were locking in on Romo, and that he felt he could get open if he ran a stop-and-go route and Romo made a good pump-fake. So they tried it, Sheldon Brown bit on the fake and Austin got open for the game-winning touchdown. To recap: While Williams was catching more balls than he was, Austin was studying the defense and looking for a way to win the game. Which guy would you take as your No. 1 receiver?

Three for the Road -- Road teams in the NFL are a combined 57-72 -- a winning percentage of .442. Last week, road teams were 5-8. Of the five winners, three were the three teams picked in last week's "Three for the Road" -- Arizona in Chicago, Dallas in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Denver. I try not to pick the obvious ones. (For example, "New Orleans at St. Louis" is not among this week's picks.) In the first two weeks I've done this, I'm 5-1. So let's keep it going. The three road teams I like this week are:

1. Philadelphia over San Diego. Just a hunch here. The Chargers have won three in a row, and while their defense looks much improved since it was humiliated in Week 4 in Pittsburgh, they may be due for a hiccup. I'm saying the Eagles force a turnover on Philip Rivers' weekly fourth-quarter comeback drive, and San Diego falls just short.

2. Dallas over Green Bay. I'm sticking with the Cowboys. Their only road loss so far this year was in Denver, by a touchdown. The running backs are healthy, Romo is on fire and the defense has been playing great. But here's the big reason to like the Cowboys here: In their last five games, they have 18 sacks. In the Packers' last five games, they've given up 25 sacks. Something's got to give, and in this case, I think we know what it is. Duck, Aaron Rodgers. Duck.

3. New England over Indianapolis. Because the Colts have come close to losing to San Francisco and Houston the past two weeks. Because their secondary, though it played valiantly Sunday, is shredded by injuries. And because wrecking the Colts' perfect season just feels like the kind of thing Brady and Bill Belichick would do.

It's Just a Fantasy -- Three guys I wish I had on my fantasy team this week:

1. Ray Rice vs. Cleveland. I play in a PPR league. Rice is pure gold. And he's playing the Browns. Jealousy is a terrible thing.
2. Rashard Mendenhall vs. Cincinnati. On the morning of Oct. 4, I nearly picked him up on waivers but decided instead to hold onto Julian Edelman for one more week. Since that decision, Mendenhall has rushed for 105.6 yards per game. Oops.
3. Alex Smith vs. Chicago. Crabtree in the fold, Vernon Davis playing like a beast...The Bears are loaded with issues, and I have a hunch Big Al plays like a No. 1 pick tonight.

Traveling Man

This week I'm going to Green Bay for the Cowboys-Packers game. It will be my first visit ever to Lambeau Field, and I'm very much looking forward to it. (For those who don't know me, I was a baseball writer for 15 years and know my way around Fenway Park, Wrigley Field and all those places, but much of the NFL is still unexplored by me.) I'm a little concerned that things might get ugly, due to the likelihood that the Packers come out of the game 4-5. Let's all please remember the Packers next year when some team has a brilliant preseason and makes us all ignore the voices telling us, "Don't read too much into the preseason." The Vikings looked like the best team in the NFC North in June, and they still look that way in November. They'll gladly take that in exchange for the Packers' brilliant August.

Thursday-and-Long: Westbrook, NFL Players Wake Up to Concussion Danger originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eagles' Joselio Hanson Suspended for Violating Steroid Policy

Chris Burke — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Injuries

Philadelphia cornerback Joselio Hanson -- who was unexpectedly absent from practice Wednesday -- has been suspended four games for violating the NFL's steroid policy.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the suspension.

Lawyer David Cornwell said in a statement that Hanson took "a pill that turned out to be a diuretic" prior to the NFC title game last January.

"Joselio accepts his responsibilities as an NFL player," Cornwell said. "Nonetheless, we suspect that he is a casualty of the looming labor war in the NFL. Here's hoping that he is the last."

DelawareOnline's Geoff Mosher, after Hanson was a no-show at practice, received the following comment from Hanson via text message: "I'm just going to say that the NFL don't treat players the same."

That's a reference, no doubt, to the ongoing StarCaps case that reached a congressional subcommittee last week. Minnesota's Pat and Kevin Williams, along with New Orleans' Charles Grant, Will Smith and former Saint Deuce McAllister, tested positive for StarCaps, a weight-loss drug that contains bumetanide -- a substance that is banned by the league's drug policy.

The league attempted to suspend the Williamses, whom were then allowed by a federal appeals court to fight their suspensions in a state court. The ruling allowed the Williamses to continue playing while the case remains unresolved. The NFL subsequently announced that it would not immediately enforce suspensions for Smith or Grant, saying that it would be unfair to do so while the Williamses were allowed to continue playing.

Hanson has 29 tackles and one interception so far in 2009.

His suspension comes at a particularly bad time for the Eagles -- head coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday that cornerback and special-teams player Ellis Hobbs would be placed on IR with a neck injury. Hobbs had 11 tackles this season and also averaged 24.1 yards on 20 kick returns.

Philadelphia signed free-agent cornerback Ramzee Robinson and signed another cornerback, Jack Ikegwuonu, off its practice squad to try and compensate for the losses of Hanson and Hobbs.

Eagles' Joselio Hanson Suspended for Violating Steroid Policy originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Michael Vick: I'd Sign With Eagles Again

Dan Graziano — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:18:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Quarterbacks

PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Vick has all but disappeared, since the season began, into the Eagles' multifaceted offense and Andy Reid's secret future plans for it. But he is still MIchael Vick, convicted dogfighter and NFL lightning rod. So when he said in an interview with NBC's Bob Costas on Sunday that he'd have a hard time returning to the Eagles in his current role next year, he wasn't surprised that it became big news.

But on Wednesday, before the Eagles took the field for practice, Vick spoke briefly to reporters in the locker room and wanted to make it very clear that, while he'd obviously like to be playing more than he is, he's still enjoying the Eagles' bench much more than he was enjoying federal prison.

"I've said it many times and I don't mind saying it again -- I'm just happy to be playing football," Vick said. "Two years ago, I wasn't playing football and I didn't know if I had a future in football. I know what I said, and I didn't mean it to come across as being disgruntled or upset or anything like that. I just want to have a chance at playing time. That's just me being a competitor. But if that's not the situation, what can I say? I just have to keep working and getting better."

Vick has been a nearly invisible part of the Eagles' offense this year. He enters games occasionally as a wildcat quarterback, but the Eagles haven't employed that very much since the regular season began. And when starting quarterback Donovan McNabb missed time early in the season with broken ribs, Kevin Kolb stepped in as the starter. Reid and Vick both declined Wednesday to discuss whether more wildcat is in their plans for the second half of this season, but even if it is, that's not a role in which Vick envisions himself long-term.

"I don't want to be handing the ball off," Vick said. "That's not what I do. I didn't come into the league doing that, and I don't want to do it for the rest of my career unless it's just something that's involved in the offense."

The point of Vick's address today was to make it clear that he's speaking about the rest of his career, and not 2009 -- a year in which he says he just feels lucky to be putting on a uniform. Asked directly if he'd sign with the Eagles again if he had it to do over, he said he would.

"I know how i feel inside and how blessed I feel to be in this situation," Vick said. "I want to play. The good thing is, I'm young and I'm going to have an opportunity to do that down the road. I've just got to be patient. Whether it's two years, three years from now, I've just got to be patient and take that opportunity when it arises."

Michael Vick: I'd Sign With Eagles Again originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brian Westbrook's Ankle Injury Flares Up

Chris Burke — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Injuries

The Eagles held Brian Westbrook out of their lineup Sunday, two weeks after he suffered a Grade 3 concussion against Washington. But Westbrook's post-concussion symptoms aren't the only issue he's dealing with -- Eagles coach Andy Reid said that his running back's surgically repaired right ankle is bothering him again.

"Brian had some work done on his ankle, so if he doesn't go on Wednesday [at practice], that would be the cause unless something crazy [happens] with his concussion," Reid said Monday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He had a little bit of swelling, so he had some work done."

The "work done" did not involve any sort of surgical procedure, and Reid went on to say that, if Westbrook has to sit in Week 10 when Philadelphia visits red-hot San Diego, it would be because of lingering headaches due to the concussion. Reid held Westbrook out of Philadelphia's practice last Friday with the sore ankle, but it was the concussion that kept him out of the lineup Sunday night.

Still, any problem with Westbrook's right ankle is cause for concern. Backup LeSean McCoy had an adequate performance in the Eagles' Week 9 home loss to Dallas, but even so, Philadelphia mustered just 89 yards on the ground and the Cowboys chewed up the clock in the second half.

McCoy's capable of a receiver out of the backfield, too (his five catches for 61 yards were both team-highs Sunday), but it's hard to argue against Westbrook's impact on the Eagles' offense when he's right.

That hasn't been the case much this year -- Westbrook's played in only five games and has a measly 49 carries after topping 230 rushes in each of the past three seasons.

Brian Westbrook's Ankle Injury Flares Up originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Night Live Chat: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Adam Gretz — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFL Live Blogging

After a one-week hiatus, Sunday night football returns with a classic NFC East rivalry as Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles host Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. As always, we'll be discussing all of the action on the field (and the rest of Sunday's games) in our Sunday Night Football Live Chat. So grab some Yuengling and a cheese steak and join us, won't you?

Fun starts at 8:15 PM ET.

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=2577b347aa" &amp;amp;gt;Sunday Night Football Live Chat&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

Sunday Night Live Chat: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brian Westbrook Reportedly Out Sunday

Chris Burke — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Giants, NFL Injuries

All indications out of Philadelphia this week were that running back Brian Westbrook would play on Sunday night against Dallas, a little less than two weeks after suffering a Grade 3 concussion. The situation appears to have changed, though.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Westbrook will not play against the Cowboys so he can have another week to recover from his rather serious head injury.

Westbrook was hurt in the Eagles' Week 7 Monday night win at Washington, when he slammed his head into Redskins linebacker London Fletcher's knee on a running play. Westbrook lost consciousness and said later that he had no memory of the play.

He did participate in Eagles practice this week, but sat out Friday in what was dubbed a precautionary decision.

If Westbrook's out of the lineup, the Eagles will once again turn to rookie LeSean McCoy to carry the load. That would out fine for Philadelphia last week -- McCoy rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown, fullback Leonard Weaver pitched in 75 yards rushing and a TD, and the Eagles routed the Giants, 40-17.

Philadelphia plays at San Diego in Week 10.

Brian Westbrook Reportedly Out Sunday originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Preview: Cowboys at Eagles

R.J. White — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFC East, FanHouse Previews

When the Eagles and Cowboys step on the same field, you know you're in for a battle. This will be the 100th meeting in the series, with the Cowboys entering the fay with a 55-44 lead in the previous 99 games. The Eagles have the leg up in recent years though, culminating in a Week 17 beatdown last year that wound up earning Philly a playoff berth over Dallas. (Not that Tony Romo would have done much had he made the playoffs anyway.)

Both teams are 5-2, and with the Giants losing to both these foes in recent weeks, this game will determine who has the inside track at winning the NFC East. So if you though this would be just another regular ol' 100th meeting between hated rivals, think again.

More Coverage: Westbrook Reportedly Out for Eagles
The Once-Over: Breakdowns of All Week 9 Games

Three Key Questions:

1. Can Miles Austin be stopped?

2. Will the Eagles second line of defense at linebacker be able to contain the Dallas rushing game?

3. Can Donovan McNabb's offensive line keep the pressure off their quarterback?

Player in the Spotlight: Brian Westbrook. He's often been labeled a fragile, injury-prone player, and that stigma has come to pass this year. He received 13 carries in each of his first two games before missing Week 3. He then returned after the bye to take six carries in each of his next two games before suffering a concussion early in Week 7. He missed the Giants game last week, but looks ready to go for this important contest. Which is great for the Eagles, as he's routinely been trouble for the Cowboys, and his presence will be key to an Eagles victory.

Dallas's Path to Victory: The emergence of Austin has brought Romo's A-game back, but with the Eagles likely to take away the deep threat, this game will come down to how well he connects with tight end Jason Witten, who's having a quiet year by his standards. If those two aren't on the same page (and it's probably foolish to think Romo and Roy Williams will be clicking), then Romo will start forcing balls to Austin. If that happens, the Eagles will take full advantage. The Cowboys aren't likely to contain the Eagles' passing game, so keeping up with them will be essential to making this a game. Dallas must be able to keep the running game in play in the second half, and it'll take a few defensive stops and smart decisions by Romo to get them tere.

Philadelphia's Path to Victory: It'll be tempting to stick to the air against the Cowboys secondary, but mixing in the rushing game will be crucial to making sure the Dallas pass rush doesn't tee off on McNabb. Luckily for Philly, the ground attack came out in full force last week, rushing for 180 yards thanks to big efforts from rookie LeSean McCoy and fullback Leonard Weaver. With Westbrook back, Philly will try to run a balanced offense to slow down the rush and count on the defense to capitalize on any Romo mistakes. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will keep the pressure on Romo and try to expedite the process.

Prediction: This game should be close at halftime, but I can see the Eagles pulling away in the third quarter and maintaining a two-score lead in the fourth quarter. Once Dallas's offense goes pass-happy, this game is over. I like the Eagles to take a one-game lead in the division, but as we see time and time again, anything and everything is in play in this matchup. Eagles 31, Cowboys 24.

FanHouse Preview: Cowboys at Eagles originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Harbaugh: Cowboys Are Everything That's Wrong With the NFL

Josh Alper — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFC East

On the eve of a Sunday night NFC East showdown in Philadelphia, the Cowboys have gotten some bulletin board material via a comparison of their franchise and the Eagles. Strangely enough, the inflammatory statements weren't made by anyone with current ties to the Eagles, but by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh, a former Eagles assistant, was asked for a new book what made the Eagles more successful than the Cowboys over the last 10 years. Matt Mosley of ESPN.com shares the answer.

"Why is that? Because what Andy Reid and his program stand for is the opposite of what the Cowboys stand for. The Cowboys are a star system. It's all about building around individuals first and collecting talent, collecting great players. Andy has always been about building a team. And over the long haul, it's a team sport, and one of the greatest examples of that is what's happened with the Eagles and the Cowboys over the last 10 years. The Cowboys stand for everything that's wrong with the NFL."

Yee-owch. No one can accuse Harbaugh of pulling his punches, but is he right?

He's certainly right about the Eagles having a better decade than the Cowboys. It's not even particularly close. They've been to five NFC title games and a Super Bowl while the Cowboys are looking for their first playoff win since 1996. Even the most diehard Cowboys partisan would have a hard time accepting that part of the argument at face value.

Parsing further, however, doesn't do much for Harbaugh's thesis. Building a team is about collecting talent. That doesn't mean buying great players as if you're buying trading cards, but finding the line between the two is awfully difficult. Presumably one of the players that fits Harbaugh's star system dig is Terrell Owens, but he was Reid's before he was Jerry Jones's. Why does one side get credit for the move while the other gets slapped in the face for it? And where, exactly would Michael Vick fit into the reckoning?

Furthermore, the ultimate prize has eluded both the Cowboys and the Eagles. All of those trips to the playoffs have resulted in the same number of Super Bowl wins that the Cowboys have picked up in the last 10 years. Whatever missteps Jones has made in the last decade, and there are many to choose from, he's got three Lombardi Trophies to look at when another season ends in a bitter defeat.

Stockpiling talent, be it through the draft or with veteran acquisitions like Charles Haley, and developing stars certainly worked out for them in those days. The Eagles have had a very good run and Harbaugh may well be right about the reasons why, but that doesn't make the Cowboys everything that's wrong with the NFL.

The Cowboys are relatively successful on the field and fabulously successful at the box office. That doesn't superficially look like everything that's wrong with the NFL, and deeper digging doesn't do much to support the point. Does Harbaugh really think the Lions, Raiders or Redskins, to name three examples, have exemplified what's right about the NFL more than the Cowboys?

I'd guess not, because Harbaugh's a smart guy who probably went a bit too far in trying to pay Reid a compliment.

John Harbaugh: Cowboys Are Everything That's Wrong With the NFL originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Explosive Eagles Could End Up Among League's Elite Offenses

Dan Graziano — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

PHILADELPHIA -- You don't think of the Eagles along with the Saints or the Colts or the Patriots in terms of the number, the variety and the explosiveness of their offensive playmakers. Teams like that set the standard, and the Eagles don't feel like they fit into that kind of conversation. And that's fine, because they're not there yet.

But if you watched the Eagles score on big play after big play Sunday afternoon against the Giants, you got the feel that they might very well be there soon. Andy Reid's Philadelphia offense remains a work in progress, but with the number of different weapons he has at his disposal on any given play, we could soon be talking about the Eagles as one of the most exciting and dynamic offensive teams in the league."I think we're just kind of touching the surface," Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said after the 40-17 victory over the Giants. "I really feel like the sky's the limit for us."

What strikes you about the Eagles' offense is its quick-strike ability. Philadelphia scored five touchdowns Sunday, and the shortest of those was a 17-yard pass to tight end Brent Celek. The other four TD plays measured 23, 41, 54 and 66 yards.

"We're all for the big plays," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said.

Equally impressive was the fact that those five touchdowns were scored by five different players. Fullback Leonard Weaver broke a 41-yard touchdown run to get things going. Then McNabb's TD pass to Celek. With 1:38 left before halftime, DeSean Jackson got open for a 54-yard TD catch -- his sixth touchdown of 50 or more yards this season. Rookie receiver Jeremy Maclin caught the 23-yarder right before halftime. And in the fourth quarter, rookie running back LeSean McCoy raced 66 yards for the game's final score.

Notably absent from that list is starting RB Brian Westbrook, who missed the game with a concussion. And remember when the team signed Michael Vick to give it another athletic offensive weapon for the wildcat formations? Well, Vick wasn't on the field much Sunday, but if Reid isn't saving some sort of Vick-related trickery for the second half of the season, then it's hard to imagine why they brought the guy in.

Point is, this Eagles offense right now is a thrill-a-minute. And this while it's still finding itself.

"Putting up 40 points against the Giants is more of a message to ourselves," Maclin said. "We can do that against anybody. And I don't think this is the last time we're going to do that this year."

McNabb is gaining trust and confidence in Maclin. He loves throwing to Jackson, because he knows great things can happen once he has the ball. He threw six times to Celek, the reliable safety valve. McCoy doesn't just look like a good Westbrook replacement -- he looks like a Westbrook clone. And he was one of two Eagle running backs, as Reid pointed out, who gained at least 75 yards on the ground in this game.

"Offensively, it's always big when you can spread it around," McNabb said. "Being able to establish the running game and the screen game opens up a lot of things. Today we were very balanced and we were able to pick upo big plays all throughout the drives, and that led to touchdowns for us."

An offense with a penchant for big plays, playing with a defense that leads the NFL in takeaways with 21, is a frightening combination for the rest of the league. And if it hasn't yet become obvious how frightening this Eagle team can be if its offensive line holds up and McNabb is making his throws, then it will be obvious to everybody soon enough.

Explosive Eagles Could End Up Among League's Elite Offenses originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Football, Baseball and Brotherly Love - Philadelphia Is Sports Heaven

Dan Graziano — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Giants, NFC East, NFL Fans

PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Alvarez is a lifelong Philadelphian with a Cole Hamels haircut and a vintage maroon Phillies cap who spent his Sunday in a parking lot. Alvarez didn't have tickets to the Eagles-Giants game in the afternoon. He didn't have tickets to the Phillies-Yankees World Series game at night. What he did have was a parking space for his truck, a seemingly bottomless supply of beer and enough slightly slurred wisdom to know that there was no place he would have rather been than this particular parking lot on this particular day, surrounded by his fellow Eagles and Phillies fans.

"They got flat-screens over there," Alvarez said, waving his beer can in the direction of a nearby RV. "Everybody's grilling food. I've made a ton of new friends. What more could you want?"

This was around 5:30 pm, an hour and a half after the Eagles had finished throttling the Giants and about three hours before Joe Blanton drilled Alex Rodriguez in the back with a first-inning fastball. It was the chilly intermission of one of the great days in Philadelphia sports history. An NFL rivalry game in the afternoon and then, across the parking lot, a World Series game under the full moon. Big, bad New York teams the opponents in both. Sure, it ended in disappointment, with the Yankees coming back to win the baseball game, 7-4, to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series. Still, for a day this city got to feel like the center of the sports universe. And the beauty part was, pretty much everybody behaved themselves.

That may be the most amazing thing about what's happened here, in a sports town famous for having booed Santa Claus and having taunted Michael Irvin as he lay injured on the artificial turf at old Veterans Stadium. Somewhere along the line, as the Eagles began consistently fielding playoff teams and the Phillies somehow turned into a mini-dynasty, Philadelphia sports fans appear to have shed some of the anger and bitterness that always defined them. Now, they find themselves able to look around on a day such as this and appreciate how special it is.

"I think the town feels like there's a lot to appreciate," said Joe Butkus, who was grilling in the drizzly morning with a mixed group of Philly and New York fans. "Look around. How can you not love this?"

Alvarez told a story of when he was a young boy at an Eagles game at the Vet. It was a cold, icy day, he said, and fans were walking the concrete ramps to the exits at the end of the game, and a woman in a Giants jersey fell and injured herself. As Alvarez tells it, the Eagles fans that day offered no sympathy -- just walked right past her and said, "That's what you get for wearing the wrong colors."

"That's what it used to be like," Alvarez said. "But we're polite now. We have that old reputation, but really, we're a lot more polite now than people say."

Of course, just as he was saying that, a guy walked by wearing a Michael Vick Eagles jersey and carrying a stuffed dog with bandages around its head and legs.

Didn't exactly help Alvarez make his point.

"You're always going to get a couple of nuts," he said.

And, of course, there were on both sides. A fan in a Yankees jersey got into a fight with two minutes left in the first half of the Giants-Eagles game, prompting loud boos and a "Yankees suck" chant from a crowd that had no reason all afternoon to be anything but deliriously happy. A guy in an Eagles jersey, lugging a cooler, tore through a crowd of anti-Vick protesters shouting obscenities and telling them to go away. And even the tamer interactions were designed to let the visitors from the Big Apple know who was boss.

"A guy with a green beard told me, 'You're in for a long day,'" said Vince Gilligo, who came from Hamilton, N.J., wearing a Giants cap.

Considering the setting and the circumstances, the proceedings leaned hard toward harmony. Gilligo was walking peacefully around the packed parking lots with his friend, Chuck Costello, who was decked out in Phillies gear. Tom Gussen and his son Maxwell parked their car early, while the lot was still somewhat empty, got out and started throwing a football around -- father in his green Stewart Bradley Eagles jersey and son in a blue Eli Manning number. Jose and Stephanie Torre, New York natives who now live in Northeast Philly, grilled side-by-side -- him in his Gaints garb and her in her Eagles wear, talking trash with smiles on their faces.

Kenny Kortright was part of a crew of Giants fans who drove in from Long Island. They were just going to the football game, not both. Kortright is a Mets fan, so this year's World Series matchup is a special sort of personal pain for him. After some soul-searching, he said he decided to root for the Yankees, because the Met fan in him sees the Phillies as "arrogant" and he likes too many of the players on the Yankees -- Teixeira, Sabathia, Jeter and Rivera to name a few.

But Kortright and his pals were in town to see the Giants, and as of 11 a.m. they were feeling pretty good about things.

"I'm gonna say 40-17, Giants crush em," Kortright seriously predicted.

And then of course the Eagles won, 40-17, dominating the visitors from the outset and turning the parking lots into a place where Eagle fans could drive by Giant fans flapping their arms out the window and taunting.

"I got the score right," Kortright said between games. "But wrong team. Very disheartening."

In a way, the lopsided football score contributed to the peace that pervaded the late-afternoon portion of the tailgate extravaganza. With an outcome so decisive, what arguments were there to have? What, exactly, was there for the Giants fans to say?

"Go Yankees?" Larry Riefenberg offered.

Oh yeah. Larry Riefenberg. Of Danbury, Conn. If there was a dude who summed up this day, it was our man Larry. He and his friends rented an RV, hired a driver and left at 6 a.m. They hit no traffic and pulled into the parking lot between Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park around 9:30. They set up their grills and their beer coolers and their washer-toss game and settled in for a tailgate with their Philly-based attorney friends, who got them the tickets. As of 11 a.m., Riefenberg and Co. only had tickets to the football game, but they were at work on making it a doubleheader. As soon as they arrived, they connected with a ticket broker and began negotiating a price on some World Series Game Four tickets.

"Got to," Riefenberg said. "How many times do the stars align to where you're going to have a football game here and a World Series game 100 yards away?"

At 5 p.m., with the sun starting to go down and the chill starting to bite, Riefenberg snapped his cell phone shut and said, "We're in. We got 'em." He and two of the other guys in the RV had scored their Series tickets. They knew they were going to the game.

They didn't know much else, though. Like, where they were going to stay after it was over. Or how they were getting home. See, the rest of the RV crew was heading home. The vehicle pulled out of the lot at 6 p.m., bound for Danbury, with three of its original passengers grinning happily as they swigged Bass Ale and marveled at their good fortune. Riefenberg's friend, Arnie, was bemoaning the fact that he was now required to spend as much ($350) on his wife's birthday (Tuesday) as he did for his ticket. And there was some chatter about those little nagging issues of how they were going to find their way back to Connecticut. But all of that was drowned out by the fact that these guys were going to the World Series, and they were fired up about it.

"How can you not?" Arnie said, open arms raised to the red brick baseball stadium across the street from the RV's spot. "I mean, it's right here!"

Right here in the sports complex section of South Philadelphia. Which, for this Sunday at least, was the sports capital of the world.

Football, Baseball and Brotherly Love - Philadelphia Is Sports Heaven originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eagles, Donovan McNabb Dismantle Struggling Giants

Matt Snyder — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Giants, NFC East

Next week there will be a game between the two best teams in the NFC East, and it's not going to involve the defending division champion New York Giants. In beating the Giants to a pulp Sunday, 40-17, the Eagles -- and the Dallas Cowboys, who beat Seattle at home -- have sent the G-Men back to third place. New York has now lost three straight games, while the Eagles won their second in a row after an embarrassing loss in Oakland.

Leading the way for the Eagles was Donovan McNabb, who barely broke a sweat in destroying the Giants' patchwork secondary. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns. He continues to show a strong chemistry with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek, who combined for 11 catches, 186 yards and three scores.

More: Check Box Score | Cowboys Batter Seahawks | Rams Get It Done

Not having starting running back Brian Westbrook wasn't a problem for Philly, either, as fullback Leonard Weaver got loose for a 41-yard touchdown and shifty rookie LeSean McCoy added 82 yards and a 66-yard touchdown on 11 carries.

Eli Manning had a rough day for the Giants, completing just 20 of his 39 passes while throwing two interceptions. He was missing Mario Manningham and you have to give the Eagles' defense credit for playing a nearly flawless game against a quality opponent. Still, Manning was clearly the second-best quarterback on the field Sunday.

As I alluded to earlier, the Eagles square off against the Cowboys next week in a battle that will determine the division leader in the very competitive NFC East. The Giants will look to stop the bleeding against the Chargers at home.

So, let's see: the Eagles beat the Giants, Pearl Jam is playing The Spectrum and Game 4 of the World Series are all in one day in Philadelphia. While it may not always be sunny there, Philly is a pretty solid place to be on November 1, 2009.

Eagles, Donovan McNabb Dismantle Struggling Giants originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eagles Should Sit Brian Westbrook

Chris Burke — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, NFL Injuries

If the Eagles want to do what's best, both for themselves and Brian Westbook, they'll sit the banged-up running back Sunday against the Giants.

Westbrook took a scary hit Monday night in Washington and left Philadelphia's win with a concussion. Eagles coach Andy Reid confirmed later that Westbrook both lost consciousness and had no memory of the play, where Westbrook's head slammed into the knee of Redskins linebacker London Fletcher.

Art Bartolozzi, the former team physician for the Eagles and the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that injuries like Westbrook's are serious.

More Coverage: Goodell Discuss Head Injuries on Capitol Hill

"If he was unconscious, he is probably out at least a few weeks," Bartolozzi said. "The brain is like a computer. Amnesia means the hard drive has been shaken. If you lose data, it tells you something is wrong with the computer."

Westbrook's symptoms are consistent with a Grade 3 concussion, the most severe concussion that can be sustained. Bartolozzi told the Inquirer that Westbrook would likely have to sit out both this week and next in order to be in the clear.

Friday, Reid listed Westbrook as questionable and said he'd be a game-time decision.

But why risk it? Even if Westbrook somehow gets cleared by Philadelphia's team doctors, it would only take another knock to the head to shelve him for the season -- possibly longer.

The NFL has spent most of this season addressing its treatment of head injuries. On Thursday, commissioner Roger Goodell spent several hours before a House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, defending the league's handling of head injuries and denying that those injuries lead to brain damage later in life.

"There's been a cultural change in all the sports," Goodell said. "But in particular, I'm responsible for the NFL, and there's been a significant cultural change in the seriousness of these injuries, and how to treat them. And the fact is, they should be treated on a very conservative, careful basis."

Forcing Westbrook to sit for a couple weeks would be consistent with Goodell's stated plan.

Benching Westbrook would hurt Philly's offense, of course, but with rookie LeSean McCoy around, the Eagles could potentially get by for a bit without their veteran back. McCoy is expected to start Sunday against the Giants if Westbrook is held out.

Part of this has to do with the NFL mindset -- Westbrook no doubt wants to get back in the lineup as soon as humanly possible. NFL players are expected to play through injuries, even those that would shelve athletes in other sports.

At some point, though, the risk has to outweigh the possible reward. Plenty of ex-NFL players have come forward lately stating how much their lives have been altered by the lingering effects of concussions -- there's no reason for Westbrook to join that group if it can be avoided.

Eagles Should Sit Brian Westbrook originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL FanHouse Week 8 Chat Recap

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Lions, Giants, Packers, Rams, Vikings, NFL Live Blogging

He's back, and it's stealing all of the headlines. It's going to be a highly emotional Sunday for many NFL fans, as former Detroit Lions defensive lineman James Hall makes his return to the Motor City as a member of the St. Louis Rams.

Oh, and Brett Favre is back in Green Bay. Not sure if you've heard about that one.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=8769b3a7a6" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;NFL FanHouse Week 8 Chat&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

NFL FanHouse Week 8 Chat Recap originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday Night Football Live Chat: Eagles vs. Redskins

Adam Gretz — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Eagles, Redskins, NFC East

The Jim Zorn watch is officially on, and Monday night we get to watch the drama unfold as the Redskins host their NFC East rivals from Philadelphia. As always, we'll be discussing all of the action in our Monday Night Football Live Chat, and the fun starts at 8:30 PM ET, so please stop by and join us.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;altcast_code=36697eb279" &amp;gt;Monday Night Football Live Chat&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Monday Night Football Live Chat: Eagles vs. Redskins originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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