Wouldn’t say this bodes well for holding on to a roster spot.   

Still, it was lovely to have you in town. Hope you enjoyed the cheesesteaks and ambient level of hostility!

Thank you, Philadelphia Eagles! You made my favorite television show interesting for one more week.

Though it’s probably just a bump in the road for what is still the best team in the NFC (staring at ground in abject humiliation), it’s never disappointing to beat the Cowboys, especially in Texas Stadium. Some quick bulletpoints about the game this afternoon:

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I really wish I was a little more excited about the game this afternoon. The Birds’ season is pretty much through, and I’m mostly concerned that the team has already quit — meaning that I’m going to watch them capitulate to the Cowboys this afternoon with little to no resistance.

That would not be sweet.

All I can think of as kickoff approaches is the opening lines from the very fabulous A Season With Verona by Tim Parks:

“FACCI SOGNARE says the banner. Make us dream! Please!”

And really, that’s what I’m asking for this afternoon. I know there are no playoffs (much less a Super Bowl) in the Birds’ immediate future. I’m rational. That’s all done.

I just want something to get excited about. Something to convince me that these guys are worth rooting for and that next year might be better than this one. (Read the rest of this story.)

For the avoidance of doubt, the Eagles did not win a game on Sunday night.

Yes, they most certainly covered the largest spread in 25 years against the best team in football, but they didn’t win. It’s an L. Same as the losses against the Giants, the Redskins, the Cowboys, the Bears, and the Packers.

Of course, I’d be lying if I said I was anything but giddy about last night’s game/ loss. It didn’t count as a win, but as a piece of entertainment — and as proof of the vitality of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise — it was the best thing we’d seen all year. Hands down. The Birds lost, and this was still the best Eagles game of the season. If we can say nothing else about Sunday night’s affair (don’t worry, we can say plenty), it is this: the loss against the Pats makes me want to watch them again — makes me want to believe (!). Makes me want to believe like the Carolina game last year. Or like the Week 15 win against the Giants. It made me think that this is team worth rooting for (something I hadn’t really felt all that often this season).

And really, that’s all I’m asking from the Eagles TV show/ live event.

Now for some actual game analysis:
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As with most things in life, it really depends on how you keep score.

A piece in yesterday’s Inquirer marvelled at how the Eagles’ defense has managed to remain in the “top half” of the league defensive standings despite its, um, rather uninspired play of late. It’s a nice piece, one that’s meant to find a silver lining in the lame efforts of recent weeks and to remind Eagles fans that maybe the defense isn’t so bad after all.

Unfortunately, that remark about the “top half” doesn’t really tell the whole story:
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What’s that gigantic tall thing over there in the corner?

Oh, that’s right. It’s Jim Johnson’s oversized novelty mobile phone! The one he’s going to use on Sunday to DIAL UP SOME BLITZES against the Dolphins and their rookie quarterback who’ll be starting his very first NFL game:

“John Beck, the oversized novelty mobile phone is for you.”

“Cool — do you know who’s calling?”

“Someone named Quintin Mikell. He says he wants to break your jaw on a safety blitz from the blind side.”

“Oh cool, put him through.”

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At the risk of going all-Sheldon-Brown-all-the-time here on BountyBowl, we have to admit that we completely agree with his post-game comments in re: how he expected the Birds to actually blow yesterday’s game:

“Normally, we’d find a way to lose that football game,” said cornerback Sheldon Brown.

So I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought that the Tampa game from ‘06 might happen again.
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Yup, you’ve seen this a gazillion times. I don’t care. This just doesn’t get old. The slight delay between the pick and the crowd’s reaction is perfect. Perfect.

LI-TO! LI-TO! LI-TO! LI-TO! LI-TO! LI-TO!

So we’ve all heard this story before.

Many moons ago, back in the days before TO and the trip to the Thuper Bowl, the Eagles used to grind out wins with their QB, a feisty defense, some talent at TE and RB — despite a completely overmatched WR corps. If last night’s game is any indication of a larger trend, it sure looks like this team needs to start thinking about winning in the 2003 style and not the 2004 style, because their WRs are getting pushed around like Trash and Stinkston.

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Seriously, guys? Now we’re talking about imaginary Super Bowls from alternate universes?

For reasons that are entirely beyond me (and I’m sure beyond EmbattledEaglesCoach Andy Reid), half of his starting secondary (I’m shocked they didn’t get Michael Lewis on a conference call from San Francisco) has begun speculating to reporters that the Patriots might have cheated in Super Bowl XXXIX. Sheldon Brown and Brian Dawkins both offered the sort of quotes that reporters can transform into headlines like “Opinions on Pats’ tactics mixed among holdovers from Eagles’ NFC title team.” Of course, given that it’s Philly, half the city probably believes this now as well.

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