Home sweet Home

If you are going to play the Vikings... the only team still undefeated in week 7 of the NFL season...
It sure helps to be the home team.

For one thing you can start off with a tail gate that has real Philly cheese steaks.

Looks like the dog found some choice leftovers.

Also, even though we were playing the Vikings...
The fans could still vent on next weeks opponent the Cowgirls..

 

Entering the Linc I was able to gain spiritual strength thru a shrine to my all time favorite Eagle.

Tommy McDonald was one tough dude. 5'10" 170 soaking wet & didn't wear a face mask.

 

The game was one ugly contest. I believe having the home field advantage was the difference maker.
In the NFL you have to win your share of the ugly games. How do you define ugly?
How about 5 turnovers in the 1st quarter. In the end a Win is Win & there is no * for an Ugly win.

Now we go to Dallas next week to play for the NFC lead.
Dallas is coming off a bye week & has the home field advantage.

Here's hoping Jerry Jones is his usual stupid egotistical self & tells Jason Garrett to start Tony Romo.
I wonder if that fat a-hole Chris Christie will be in the Cowboy's owners booth with Jerry Jones.
I don't need any incentive to hate the cowboys but seeing Christie with Jones will amp up my boos.

Back to the NFC East

After spending 2 away games in the visiting fan friendly mid-west, it felt normal to be greeted by a Redskin fan who said "Hey Eagle fan, how many Super Bowls you got". My friend Dennis & I were allowed to go on FedEx field before the game because our friend Joe works for Fox sports. We quickly spotted a familiar friendly face in NFL analyst Brian Baldinger.  We had to take off our Eagles uniforms before the photo op so we went with Rowan Rugby t-shirts.
I just realized that Baldinger rhymes with Didinger.  Brian & Ray are 2 of the best NFL analysts. Maybe they are related in some cosmic Alt NFL universe.
 

We also had the opportunity to visit the game day mission control center.

That didn't go so well as I tripped & knocked over the backdrop & some equipment as I heard someone say "Get him the ^%$#%^ out of here.

 

Oh yea, the game. That didn't go so well for the Eagles except for a couple of highlight plays that made the score closer than the actual game. Now us Eagle fans will get to find out what this Eagle team is made of. Will they overcome the adversity of losing their best O-Lineman Lane Johnson & beat the undefeated Sam Bradford led Vikings at the Link? This upcoming Vikings game will give the Eagles the opportunity to set the edge on their season with a win & become contenders in the NFC east or reveal themselves to be rebuilders for the future.
One thing is for certain... Carson Wentz is the real deal. As my friend Dennis & I were leaving FedEx field several Redskin fans gave us shout outs with acknowledgments that Wentz will be our ticket to a great future at their expense.  

Reality is part of the process

The pregame walkabout revealed that Detroit is indeed part of the Mid-West.
No one called us assholes as we made our way to Ford field in our Eagles green.

We even had the good fortune to meet up with a group from Carson Wentz's church. 

 

And then the game began & Detroit scored a TD on each 1st half possession.

It seemed that Jim Schwartz wanted to throw a bone to his old team....

or maybe Nigel Bradham is a more important part of this defense than we thought...

 as he barely played in the 1st half.  

 

In any case, Bradham returned in the 2nd half & the Eagles Defense returned to form.

That said, if Bradham gets suspended the Eagles "D" looks like it may be in trouble.

Wentz kept us in the game in the 1st half & brought us back to take the lead in the 2nd half.

 

And then the on any given Sunday Reality of the NFL set in. 

There was little margin for error & then Ryan Mathews made a mistake that even rookies don't make by keeping the ball in his left arm on the right sideline.

 

And yet there was still time for Wentz to pull it out with 1:50 on the clock 1st & ten on the 25....

 with no timeouts.

 

If he pulled this one out the pundits would be calling him a mixture of  the Mount Rushmore of QB's.

And then Reality made a visit to Ford field & in one play he lost the chance...

 to become the 1st rookie QB in NFL history to go 4 & 0 without a turnover.

 

But Reality is a multi dimensional nuanced entity. Part of success is reversing failure...

 & the NFL season is young.

 

The Eagles schedule is brutal from here on out.

They play both the Vikings & Cowboys coming off their bye weeks.

 

Wentz & the Eagles will have plenty of opportunity to demonstrate they are legitimate contenders.

 

The Wentz bandwagon hit a bump in the road.....

 but I don't see any flat tires & am still enjoying the ride.

 

 

Bye week Bytes

1st .Jerseys with players who are gone.... from your team & you don't want to remember them.
There may be a different player from a different era..to have your back. The answer is...
                                                                        Duct tape it!!

 

My list of name that should be duct taped.

Get rid of                                  Replace with                       Jersey #       

• Nnamdi Asomugha       * Sheldon Brown                      24
• Byron Maxwell             * Wilbert Montgomery             31
• De Marco Murray         * Harold Jackson                      29
• Riley Cooper                * Pete Liske                               14

Before anyone says Pete Liske .... yes Riley Cooper is that bad.

2nd  ... What if  the Eagles were 3 & 0 with Sam Bradford.

Howie Roseman would be vilified for not taking Dak Prescott in rounds 1 thru 4.. in lieu of betting the house on Carson Wentz who would not have yet suited up.

3rd      Who is Carson Wentz?

When the Sam Bradford trade went down it was reported that Carson Wentz contacted Zach Ertz & while acknowledging the bond Ertz & Bradford had developed playing together.. was able to reassure Ertz that they would "Go have fun".

Simply put by Wentz himself... Football is a game... that he has passion for.....
with a have no regrets work ethic..... & great athletic skill... in a sport that he has fun competing in.

What this means is that Wentz could not comprehend the word choke.
It simply would not occur to him. Football is a game.
Confidence like choking  can be contagious. Perhaps some dropped balls will become great catches.

Wentz is a religious man & his faith puts his football in perspective..
He plays without pressure for fun & competition.
A tweet from Wentz tells you what gives him his foundation.
Pray like it all depends on God, work like it all depends on YOU. - @ContinuedFight #AO1

Welcome to Wentzville

Everyone's happy in Wentzville

 

Last week when I was in the Soldier field end zone for the Eagles Bears game I thought...

"What if the other teams fans came to the end zone at the Linc where I sit & did what we did?

Would we be happily smiling or quietly drinking our beer vs spilling it on the outsiders?

 

I had little doubt it would not end well for the visitors. And yet..there were many visiting Steelers fans in my section. Now, I can't really make a valid comparison since the Eagles beat the Steelers so soundly there wasn't any fuse to incite the Iggles fans to mistreat their visitors. That said, even before the game started the level of politeness being exhibited to our keystone state relatives was uncommon & made me think..

"This must be a dream".

What if this was 1/1/17 the last game of the season vs the Cowboys at the Linc. If any Cowboy fans

show up I'm sure even in my dreams they will find it a bridge to far to cross for Eagles fans to not mistake them ISIS. 

In any case please don't wake me up until after our Super Bowl  parade.

At that point I will take my senior citizen once a lifetime dementia mulligan......

 to accept this dream as reality with a big smile on my face.

 

 

    

From Wentz they came

From Wentz they came and descended on the windy city in a green wave. Could the rookie perform on a national stage in enemy territory & continue the dream for the faithful? No problem Philly. At the end of the game the Eagles fans gathered in the end zone corner to the Eagles locker room to celebrate with the players as they exited the field. We fans didn't want the night to end.
I think all of Iggles nation should take a moment to give a shout out to the man who put the framework of this destiny building process in play. Yes, I'm referring to that guru of  emotional intelligence Jeff Laurie. Who amongst us thought that keeping Howie around made any sense when the Chipper was given the keys to the kingdom. Rumor had it that young Howie went on a quest of emotional knowledge just in case. When the Chipper was found to be lacking & Roseman was resurrected most of us screamed "what is that carpet bagger doing"? And to make matters worse Howie's 1st move is to bring back a Reid light named Pederson. Then the new Howie started rolling the dice & here we are 2 & 0 with a showdown with a Steelers team with legit Super Bowl aspirations. As much as we are all in awe of  the Wentz show I think we should accept the fact that the structure put in place of  ex QB's named Pederson & Reich together with coach/back-up QB Daniels & QB coach DeFilippo have a lot to do with the unbelievable poise & progress Wentz is displaying. Lurie was the one who made the decision to keep Howie around & get him educated in emotional intelligence & Howie put this QB nurturing staff together. Since Laurie bought the Eagles we fans have oftened vilified him as an out of town carpert bagger who wouldn't know a cheese steak from a bratwurst. He wasn't one of us.. just a rich guy trying to make money off the faithful. Well this fan thinks its time to acknowledge that maybe a guy with a masters in psychology & a doctorate in social policy may be onto something with this emotional intelligence stuff. What have we got to lose.

9/11/16

                                                                9/11/16

Lincoln Financial Field / Philadelphia,Pa


Today 9/11/16 will always have a dual meaning. When the Jet fighters flew over the unfurled flag at the Linc at the end of the National anthem players, coaches & fans remembered the moments past with their individual emotions & collective remembrance.
And then the Carson Wentz era began. There will be many football minds greater than mine who will comment on Carsons efficient & productive 1st NFL game.
22 0f 37 for 278 yards & 2TD's with no interceptions... Wentz hardly looked liked a rookie.
That said, my observation of the fans from the tailgates before the game to the concession lines during the game to the fireworks that ended the game was in a word....  Relaxed.

Oh don't get me wrong... the cheering was as loud as I have ever heard it in the 50 years I have been going to Eagles games. The enthusiasm was off the charts. Hugs & Hi fives were the order of the day.... And everyone was Relaxed. As the game progressed I had the strong sense that all of us fans knew that Wentz was special & that eventually.... someday... he would lead us to the promised land of the Lombardi trophy. Oh sure, Wentz will have his rookie moments but his tool set & poise are off the charts. He is confident without a shred of cockyness. Wentz is a natural in his own skin & a natural leader. His team will follow him in a manner focused for winning with a relaxed  no looks over your shoulder mindset that will keep mistakes from choking our football future.
Destiny is a page unturned for a book unfinished. When my friend Dennis & I retired this year we decided to upgrade our bucket list to include going to every Eagles away game. Since I am also a season ticket holder that meant I would go to every regular season game. Who knows perhaps destiny has some playoff games in our future. When we decided to do the away game trips it was at the end of last season. Who knew the Roseman magical mystery tour was part of the package. Destiny knew thats who... & I think Iggles nation is now getting friendly with Destiny.

Me & Swoop before the first game 

Fighter jets fly over the Linc

National anthem 

Wentz in the pocket with poise