Well that all worked out quite well!

In a game and atmosphere at the Linc that could have been absolutely toxic (and there was apparently a smattering of boos for McNabb during the introductions, but we were still walking into the stadium at that point and didn’t hear them), the Eagles got weird on the Lions and convinced every last one of us that thinks we know what’s going to happen in these games THAT WE HAVE NO IDEA AT ALL. NONE. I thought the spread was absurd when I saw it (I thought the Birds would struggle to win this game). I obviously have NO IDEA WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.

I don’t want to take all the credit for the win, but this was my first trip to the Linc since January 2005. So it was either me or the hideous uniforms (and yes, I thought they were hideous, though they didn’t look terrible on the fans…the yellow and blue goes better with jeans than it did with those white pants) that powered the Eagles to victory yesterday. Or Donovan McNabb’s overwhelming desire for revenge against his many naysayers. One of those.

In lieu of rehashing game events, I’ve got three observations on my trip to the Linc yesterday and the attendant glorious Eagles victory:

1. Standing Room Only isn’t so bad: I cheaped out a little on the tickets and went the standing-room-only route. It was a little shaky at first, but once we found a good spot (one that accommodated my missus, who’s about 11 inches smaller than I), it was actually pretty easy. The ramps in the south end of the stadium were much easier than the north end (though I bet they’ll be a lot colder in November). Also, the other folks standing at the south end were a little easier to take; for some reason, the folks in the north end just could not for the life of them sing the song properly. They were three beats ahead the whole way (including the spelling of E-A-G-L-E-S at the end). People, this isn’t so hard. Just sing the words when you see them on the big screen.

2. The best thing that could have happened: Broderick Bunkley sacking Kitna on the Lions first possession followed by a quick Eagles score? Yup. Exactly. That was exactly what we all needed. If the game had instead started with a Lions TD followed by a one-hopped incompletion on third down from Dunavin? Uh oh. Then all sorts of crazy may have started floating down from the stands. Instead, the game was over a few minutes into the second-quarter. It was awesome. They just kept scoring. Again. And again. And again. After an hour, it was already a zero-tension experience. Philly needed that.

3. Sartorial update: I did, in fact, wear the Andre Waters jersey, and earned a fair amount of props from the peoples for it. Actually saw quite a few Buddy-era shirts in the stands: the standard Reggie Whites and Jerome Browns, but also a Seth Joyner, a Keith Byars, and even a Fred Barnett. I also saw another guy with an Andre Waters shirt. I thought about talking to him, but then decided against it for fears the it might prompt the universe to suddenly impode at the speed of light. You can never be too careful.

All in all, I really couldn’t have asked for more from an afternoon of football. Go Birds.

(Sorry about the long title; I didn’t have the guts to use my original idea: “Where’s your Messiah now, Jon Kitna?”)