In what I'm considering a two-fold precautionary move, Donovan McNabb, his injured thumb and ankle, and fragile ego will be
taking tonight's game against the Patriots off. It's not that I doubt the severity of the injuries, I'm sure he's hurting, it's just that I think Andy et al weren't exactly pushing number 5 to hurry back and take his beating at the hands of the Pats.
Everyone and their Mother (except uber-commenter JJ, and myself) thinks the Pats are going to absolutely light up the Eagles, may as well let them light up A.J. Feeley and have McNabb come back fully healthy for the final five games of the year. Obviously, this isn't something the team, or any of the players are saying, it's just a gut feeling from me.
From the "just what we needed" category, Quintin Mickell will also miss tonight's game, meaning J.R. Reed will be the starting strong safety. A weakened secondary vs. Brady, Moss, Stallworth and Welker...wonderful.
Maybe that 22-point line wasn't so crazy after all.
One last note: the Eagles are 13-8 without McNabb over his career, including 1-1 in the playoffs. They tend to rely on Westbrook much more for their offense, and actually run the ball. Every single time, they're shocked that running the ball with a huge offensive line and one of the best backs in football is actually a successful philosophy. We'll see how it plays out tonight.
I've already acknowledged I'm not in my right mind. I think the Eagles have a chance of beating those Pats.
The Pats have every reason to win. They have the most dominant team I've seen in years....maybe that I've ever seen. They have more talent, better coaching and they're playing at home. If they don't win the Superbowl this year, something went terribly wrong.
But the expectations become higher and higher with each dominating win for the Pats. The pressure is on them to be perfect, especially playing at home. 22 point favorites?! They weren't even given those odds against the lowly Nills. That's a lot of pressure to not only win, but to win big.
But when everyone expects you to not only win, but to crush your opponent, that does something for the opposition. It frees them of all expectations. Add to that the fact that no one in their right mind holds the opinion that A.J. Feeley is on par with McNabb and a starting QB.
If McNabb was to start, I'd say it was a guaranteed loss for the Eagles. McNabb's head is in deflecting criticism on his game. His mobility has diminished (although he had a few good scrambles here and there), but physical limitations aside, he's played like he's looking over his shoulder and his fragile ego still hasn't come to terms with Kolb being drafted (personal opinion). I don't think his struggles are related to his injury/limitations as much as they are in his head.
Feeley isn't expected to win this game. There's limited tape/footage available on him, and some of that is when he was a Dolphin. No one expects much of him. No one is going to come down and call for his job if he loses this game.
And when everything so blatantly points to a Pats win, it just means they're primed for a good smack upside the head. Hopefully the Eagles will be the deliverer. Still saying 24-17, Eagles.
As of noon today, the spread is now at 24 points. Predicted score: New England 37, Philly 13. Talk about an uphill battle... if the Birds pull this one off, it will be the biggest upset of the season.