SB Nation - Chris Gocong

Could Akeem Jordan return this Sunday?

JasonB — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:00:23 -0000

The absence of Akeem Jordan has thrown the Eagles LB corps into a bit of disarray. At different times his absence has forced the Eagles to move Will Witherspoon & Chris Gocong around, start guys like Joe Mays & Moises Fokou... His return would not only add a good LB to the unit, it would also bring a return to some normalcy.

After missing 3 straight games, Jordan was listed as a full participant in today's practice. He was asked if this meant he'd play this weekend.

"That's always the plan, to get back on the field as soon as you can. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and go from there."

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:03:21 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

27 days ago: Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) has his hand examined during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Browse more photos »

Happy Wednesday, and welcome to a day-late, dollar-short version of ST&NO. First of all, big up TJ for working hard to bring in his outstanding The Dude Abides... Stats That Don't Lie in a day early. I am a bit healthier on Tuesday as I write this, and I am going to see what I can get cranked out in one day, with moderate sneezing, and a heavy Day 1 of close workload in that pesky day job. I didn't take notes, and I didn't remember to record the Broncos game, so I am without a lot of detail this week, and will need to speak more generally than usual. No time to waste, so let's not waste any time. Ready..... BEGIN!!!

1. So I mentioned that I would be in the Constitution State, and that I'd be playing in a football game with my friend Tony, a diehard Giants fan. The morning game was fun, but I ended up pretty sore, for those who asked. It's tough playing once a year at the most.

As for the night game, well, my mom is not what you'd call a high-tech person. Every time I visit, without fail, there's some junk Coby brand DVD player she wants me to plug into some junk/old TV set without RCA inputs. (You have to drop like $40 on an RF modulator to run through coax, which is about 2.5 times the price of the DVD player.) The "how" of plugging in a DVD player is too daunting for my mom to even give it a try for herself. In her main TV-watching area, she has a 21ish-inch Symphonic brand LCD flat screen that I am sure came from Wal-Mart. Her equipment is garbage, but it works for her I guess. Law & Order SVU looks fine on it. (I don't mean to make fun of my mother; she just doesn't share my priorities, or general attitude toward spending a few extra bucks for quality gear.) It turned out to be moot anyway, because NFL Network is on a premium tier she doesn't subscribe to.

So, what to do? Well, Tony was still around. I asked if he wanted to go to a bar for the game, but he ended up inviting me to his parents' house to watch, which was cool. His dad, also Tony, is also a big Giants fan. I usually watch football alone, because I don't consider it to be a social activity. It's really kind of become my job, and I do best when I can take notes, and pause and rewind, and focus on being analytical. I will talk to my brother Chris sometimes during games, but that's annoying, because my DirecTV feed is always 2-3 seconds behind his, so he knows what happened before I do.

Last Thursday, I sat in the living room with Tony and Tony. Tony Version 2.0's mother, and his girlfriend Ana, were there for most of the first half. I like them both very much, but having women around for a Broncos game was a whole other level of different for me. Like, I don't think it has happened since I was married, and that ended Halloween 2007.

But I digest. (I just had a sandwich from Tomayydo Tomahhdo for lunch. It was excellent, as always.) Back to the lecture at hand. I'm watching this game with two Giants fans and their women, and I got it in my mind that I was going to be really respectful of the Giants one way or the other. It turned out I had to do so in the one way, and not the other, which made me happy. For me, it's easier to be gracious in victory than in defeat.

The Broncos dominated the Giants, and in my opinion, played their best all-around game of the season. Kyle Orton threw one bad ball that he'd like to have back. The Giants got one receiver wide open on a well-conceived rub play where Alphonso Smith and Andre' Goodman ran into each other. The line had those 3 stupid scoring-area false starts, and gave up one sack, on the opening play of the game, and it came from the free rusher on a blitz (which puts it on coverage and Orton). Other than those few plays, and a sense that Correll Buckhalter went down a little too easily a couple of times, I wouldn't change much of anything.

McGeorge asked after the San Diego game if I still stood by my 11-5 prediction. I wanted to see how the Broncos did against New York, but after that, I sure do. The Giants game showed the exact formula that the Broncos can use to beat just about anybody. On defense, it was coverage, pressure, and gap control. On offense, it was sharp routes, great catches and good throws, combined with hard running and excellent run blocking. If the Broncos play like that, they will crush the Raiders and Chiefs, and end up with a minimum of 10 wins. They match up pretty well with both the Colts and the Eagles, too, and I think they can win 1 out of those 2 games. Here is my rationale for saying they match up well.

Indianapolis - The Colts are not a complete team, but nobody really is in the salary cap era. What the Colts are is a team which is constructed around the idea that their QB is going to give them leads, and that their defense will therefore need to protect leads. What does that mean? Well, they value zone coverage and pressure from their DEs. If you make them defend both the pass and the run on any given snap, you can score on them without a lot of trouble. Because the Colts can't stop even an average running game with 7 men, their SS Melvin Bullitt runs down into the box very frequently, and the Colts are therefore susceptible to being beaten over the top on play action, if you can run against them. It was no accident how the Texans got out to a big lead Sunday. They ran and threw, and had the Colts defense off balance early. The Colts rookie CBs couldn't handle Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter, and I'm here to tell you, they have nothing for Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal either. The Texans can't handle Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and the Broncos can, assuming Ryan Harris is fully back by then. The Broncos can block the Colts DEs, beat their CBs, and move their front seven in the running game.

Remember this point. Just because the Colts are 3^rd in scoring defense (just behind Cincinnati and Dallas, and just ahead of Denver) doesn't mean they have a good defense. They really don't. They have a defense which is equipped to take care of leads by making teams gain yards in smallish chunks, and by sacking QBs with edge pressure. That, combined with Peyton Manning's constant use of the whole play clock leads to low-scoring days by opposing offenses

The trick, of course, is defending the Colts, and that's where the Broncos have historically struggled. This Broncos team, however, is better equipped than any in recent memory to have some success. The Colts do best when they can run the ball, and I like the Broncos' chances to stop their running game with 7 ½ men (meaning Brian Dawkins is starting in a cover-2 shell, but keying run first). By stopping the Colts run, you take away their play action stuff, which makes Peyton Manning beat you with perfect throws, and his receivers beat you with perfect routes. Which, of course, they can do, but it's a harder go than the other way. I like the secondary matchups pretty well for the Broncos, from Champ Bailey against Reggie Wayne, Andre' Goodman against Pierre Garcon, Ty Law or Alphonso Smith against Austin Collie, and either Law or Josh Barrett against Dallas Clark. The Clark matchup is key against the Colts, and I like Law and Barrett, depending on down and distance, better than anybody else's sub-package guys in the NFL for covering a big-time TE.

I'm not saying the game will be a runaway Broncos win, just that I can easily make a case for them TO win, and that I think they CAN win. What do you think?

Philadelphia - This is a game the Broncos SHOULD win. The Eagles are a lot like the Giants, from both schematic and personnel perspectives. From the angle of attacking Philly's defense, you can outside zone them to death, like the Broncos did so well against the Giants. That's because their LBs tend to be bigger, slower guys who struggle a bit to cover the lateral width of the field. Will Witherspoon is an exception to that archetype, but Chris Gocong, Joe Mays, and Moise Fokou are vertical players.

You have to block the Eagles' blitz packages, and it really helps to stay on schedule against them. That's a bit easier than it is against a Baltimore or Pittsburgh, because you can run the ball. (They're currently ranked 8^th against the run, but trust me, you can gash them if you try a little.) In the passing game, you'd like to exploit Asante Samuel, who bites on a ton of double moves. Yes, he's a ball-hawk, but he doesn't shut anybody down. He can catch extremely well, and he's an excellent tackler, but he's just an okay coverage player. Sheldon Brown is kind of the opposite; better in coverage, but lesser as a ball-hawk and tackler. Where you can kill the Eagles is from the slot, and with TEs, especially if you block their blitz packages.

Offensively, the Eagles are a big-play offense, and the Broncos have been as good as anybody in the NFL at limiting big plays. Brent Celek got paid Tuesday, and he deserved it. He's a very good receiving TE. The Eagles don't have a big, physical #1 type WR, but they have two speedsters outside with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. The guy I think is dangerous is Jason Avant, who is much stronger and more physical than the average slot receiver, and he's a tough matchup for the average thin/quick nickel CB. Of course, Alphonso Smith and Ty Law are both thicker/stronger players, so it's less of an issue. I don't fear the Eagles running game, because if you stop it early, they quit going to it.

This game can go either way, obviously, but the Broncos are well-equipped to get a good road win in Philadelphia. I feel pretty good about both games, actually. So, yeah. I still like the 11-5 prediction.

2. Information From My Eyes - Other Games:

a. Richard Seymour is still playing at a high level in Oakland, despite his fairly modest statistics this season. I watched him defeat the left side of the Cowboys offensive line several times on Thanksgiving Day. Seymour's contract is up after this season, and you have to think he'd rather not re-up with the Raiders. Of course, given the price Al Davis paid, he probably gets franchised. If he somehow isn't, I'd sure like to see him in Denver. Forget all this nonsense about building exclusively through the draft; as we've all hopefully realized this season, a team should take any approach available to it, in order to acquire the most good players possible.

b. Anthony Spencer had the best game I have ever seen him have for the Cowboys. Some Dallas fans took exception with my calling Spencer "just a guy" in Week 3, and if he keeps playing like he did last Thursday, I'll have to rethink my evaluation.

c. I have been a fan of the Cowboys' passing scheme for several years now, going back to the end of the Parcells regime. In 2007, when I started to make it my business to watch teams other than the Broncos closely, Jason Garrett was the young, hot name as the Offensive Coordinator, and Jerry Jones paid him a lot of money not to leave for jobs in Baltimore and Atlanta after the 2007 season.

When Tony Sparano left to become the Dolphins Head Coach last season, it came to light that Garrett hadn't been the primary playcaller in 2007, and that he'd be doing it for the first time in 2008 with Sparano's departure. The Cowboys took a noticeable step back last season, and some of the bloom came off the Garrett rose, even as he interviewed for Head Coaching jobs with the Broncos, Lions, and Rams, and seemed to initially be the favorite for the Rams job. There was speculation that Jones would love to be out from under Garrett's $3-million contract.

Well, the point of the history lesson is that the scheme and execution look much better in Dallas lately than they have since Sparano left. I don't know if this makes Garrett a Head Coach, but it makes him a guy who appears to have grown into his job. The Cowboys' passing scheme is very vertical, and it does a good job of getting the ball in the hands of its playmakers. Some will say they don't get Roy Williams involved enough, but those people believe more in Williams than I do. I think he is what he looks like; a lazy player, who has below average hands, lacks quickness out of his breaks, and rounds off his routes. If there's no salary cap for the Cowboys to take a prorated hit against, I guarantee that he gets released in the offseason, and has to beg for a 1 year, $1-million contract to compete for a backup role somewhere.

d. Charles Woodson is playing the best football of his career right now, which I have mentioned several times this season. He had a big stat game Thursday on national TV, and now everybody is on the bandwagon with me. I actually thought it may have only been the 3rd- or 4th-best game I have seen him play this season. To me, he's the no-question Defensive Player of the Year so far.

e. The Packers defense has really gotten their act together lately, and are a big key to the push they seem to be making. I am pretty comfortable projecting that the Packers will be in the postseason as a Wild Card at this point.

f. Jim Leonhard of the Jets is a tremendously underrated player, and I left him out of my Good AFC Safeties list last week, kind of by accident. He is always around the football, and I've been a big fan of his game going all the way back to his days at Wisconsin. The Broncos offered him more money than the Jets this offseason, but he chose to follow Rex Ryan. It seems like it was a good decision for him, anyway.

g. I watched the Short Cut of the Jets-Panthers game, and I agree with Doug Lee that Mark Sanchez's 13-of-17 stat line was very misleading. He had happy feet, and he looked really confused a lot of the time.

h. I've seen a few people starting to use the line which goes "If Alex Smith plays like he did Sunday, the Niners might not replace him in the draft." Really, he has played pretty well for six games, better than ever before in his career. I think the decision would already be made, if it was up to me. You have a guy who is proving he can play, and he's improving even as teams get some film on him. That rollout and throw to Frank Gore for the second TD was a thing of beauty, as Smith waited till the last possible second, and threw the ball to the only spot he could put it. I'd be looking to improve the offensive line, and counting on having a Top-10 offense next season, with Smith, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, and Vernon Davis. Joe Staley is a solid LT when he's healthy, but General Manager Scot McCloughan really would do well to replace the other 4 starters up front. Sunday's game was the first time in 18 games that the 49ers didn't give up a single sack.

i. I tend to like a lot of University of Florida guys, but Ray McDonald is really coming into his own in a specialist role for the 49ers. He looked unblockable at times Sunday. McDonald usually plays in passing situations at DE. According to ESPN, he didn't record a tackle, but he did recover a fumble. I'm telling you, though, he was defeating some blocks Sunday, and bringing a lot of pressure.

3. There are two kinds of name-droppers, and I am the second kind. It's not like I am extremely famous (yet) with my writing for this site, but when you think about it, I'm known by more people than probably 98% of the population. I'm definitely more famous than any of my friends and family, and in the course of telling my stories, I find it adds rhetorical flourish to mention them sometimes, and it's also fun to share my little bit of light with them. I tell people, if they want to make ST&NO, they should do something interesting with me.

The first kind of name-dropper is the one who tries to stand in other people's light. Our dear friend Jay Glazer is the quintessential example of this kind. Check this douchebaggery, from Tuesday night:

First of all, it's Too $hort, not two-short. And, you know what? That's all I have on that topic. I like making fun of Glazer, but whatever, you know? Fish in a barrel.

I am now going to name-drop a person who is as famous as I am. I met Doug Lee for lunch in Manhattan on Saturday. Yes, THE Doug Lee. Friggin Horse Tracks Doug Lee, people! Doug is a cool guy, and he suggested a great burger spot on the Upper East Side.

The lunch conversation was very interesting, the food was terrific, and it was great to meet Doug, but the hijinks ensued when I left to get back on the road back to Cleveland. I had parked on E 71st Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue (for 14 bucks for 2 1/2 hours.) I came out heading south on 2nd Ave, thinking my GPS would send me back to the FDR, and the Triboro bridge, back up to catch the George Washington Bridge.

Well, it took about 2 minutes for my boy Tom Tom to reacquire a signal, and by then I had gone south 10-15 blocks on 2nd. Tom Tom then wanted me to go to the Lincoln Tunnel, the entrance for which is in the 30s, off 9th Avenue, so significantly south and west of where I started out. It's an unquestionably stupid way to go, driving over the river and through the woods in Manhattan, even on a Saturday afternoon, especially considering the Lincoln Tunnel spits you out on the New Jersey Turnpike, heading toward the world-renowned hell-hole of Newark.. (Home of wred-mann.)

Where's the payoff pitch? Here it goes. I was sitting at a traffic light at E 43rd St and 2nd Avenue, and this Puerto Rican guy (with a flag on his shirt, incidentally), knocked on my window. I looked at him like, WTF? But I lowered the window, and he told my right rear tire area looked like it was on fire, and was smoking like crazy. A woman walking behind him told me the same thing, so I pulled over on 43rd and troubleshot it with my dad on the phone for awhile, before deducing that the emergency brake had probably stayed clamped to the rotor, and was causing sparks and smoke. I watched it, with my mirror pointed down, but eventually I was comfortable enough to go through the tunnel, and eventually through Newark, and back to I-80. The moral of the story is if somebody knocks on your window, he may be trying to be helpful, so you shouldn't look cross-eyed at him, as a matter of instinct. Also, sometimes, Tom Tom messing up is a blessing in disguise. If I had gone FDR to the Triboro, to the GW, It would have been all highway, with nobody walking down the sidewalk to knock.

4. One of the hazards of relying on "insiders" for information is that it comes with agendas and spin. Pro Football Weekly is a (Bill Williamson Memorial) decent site, but they rely tremendously on anonymous insider commentary. They've been talking to somebody who seems incentivized to cast Raheem Morris as woefully inept. Check this out:

Talk of the Buccaneers giving head coach Raheem Morris another offseason to turn the team around is fading fast, as his latest bold decision was another admission of failure in a season marked with disappointment. Morris seized defensive coordinator duties from Jim Bates on Nov. 24 and demoted Bates to what is being described as an advisory role, although it's not clear just what kind of involvement or authority, if any, Bates will have for the rest of his time with the organization.

Morris made a couple of mistakes in hiring his staff, but they were the kind of mistakes a first-timer can make, especially one who gets a Head Coaching job a month after most of the movement was over. There's this persistent meme that relieving Jeff Jagodzinski and Jim Bates of their duties somehow shows Morris to be weak. I say it's the other way around. He realized that he had made mistakes, and he let sunk costs be sunk costs, and made the moves that he felt gave his team the best chance to win.

Morris's team is 1-10, but the Bucs have improved as the season has gone on, and it would be asinine to fire him after a season which was a declared rebuilding year, where a coach who they knew was probably hired a year too early learned the ropes.

There are a lot of haters in the world, and I relate pretty closely to Morris. I have always been an overachiever, who has consistently beaten out older, more experienced professional competition for promotions and recognition. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I have a pretty good deal of talent, and a strong work ethic. The majority of my critics have only been moderately talented people, with medium work ethics. Let's face it, there are a lot of people in the center of the bell curve. I am in the center of the bell curve in certain ways, and so is everybody. I am not, though, as an accountant, and Raheem Morris is not as a football coach.

So, some 25-year career assistant who has been hired and fired 15 times is jealous of Morris and his early success. He spouts off to Dan Parr at PFW, and Parr writes that article above. The same thing was going on with Josh McDaniels, with the questioning of his ability, and Josh only got clear of it by winning. Morris will, too.

Even a guy like Marshall Faulk was hating on Morris on Sunday morning, intimating that all the young coach knew how to call was Tampa-2. Well, for 7 end-of-game goal-to-go plays, he called press man-to-man, and his guys covered well. On 4th down, Roddy White made a great play, and won the game for the Falcons. Really, if Connor Barth had hit the 51-yard field goal he attempted, they would have only been playing for a tie. I saw somewhere Morris was criticized for kicking the field goal rather than punting. Really? The point is don't listen to these idiots. I'd be very surprised if the Glazer family is.

5. I have a couple of quick college thoughts.

a. The Head Coaching job at Notre Dame is not a good one. I could usually take or leave SI.com's Stewart Mandel, but he has it exactly right. The expectations there are entirely unreasonable, given the constraints they face. If I were Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, there is no way in hell I'd take that job. At Cincinnati, he has a program whose credibility is on the rise, and who will soon be taken more seriously in the National Championship picture. At Notre Dame, there's just faded mystique.

b. I am a Florida fan, and I think it is unlikely that Tim Tebow wins the Heisman Trophy. I am actually pretty excited for the prospect of the lesser Colt McCoy winning, because history will be repeating itself. I am projecting a win against Alabama, and a Texas win against Nebraska, neither of which is a foregone conclusion, but let's say it happens like that. Tebow will lead Florida into a National Championship game against a guy he lost the Heisman to. I would be really bullish for Florida's 3rd title in 4 years, even more than I already am.

c. Speaking of the Heisman, I think it's ridiculous how it's turned into nothing more than a tool for media conjecture. Frankly, it follows along the same line of thinking that dominates professional football writing, that all of the best players are QBs and RBs, joined by the occasional WR. It's a total farce.

That's all I have this week. I will be back next Tuesday for more of a full-figured ST&NO. Have a great week, and Go Broncos!

Eagles shuffle linebackers again

JasonB — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:14:56 -0000

Last week, due to even more injuries at the already injury plagued LB positions, the Eagles; fielded a corps of rookie Moise Fokou at SAM, Chris Gocong at MIKE, & Will WItherspoon at WILL.

That didn't exactly work out...

So this week they'll shuffle the deck once again with Akeem Jordan still out. Chris Gocong moves back to SAM, Joe Mays mans the middle, and Will Witherspoon stays at WILL. At least in this setup, each guy is in the position he's most familiar with.

Comcast/NFL Red Zone stat of the week

JasonB — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:52:28 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Browse more photos »

The Eagles "stat of the week" is brought to you by Comcast and the new NFL Red Zone channel

So far this year, I've been using this post to talk about the Eagles performance in the red zone from week to week. And week after week, they barely if ever get to the red zone. Whether they score from all big plays on a good day or can't get inside the 20 on a bad day, It's left me with little to write about.

So we're shifting gears. From here on out we'll be doing the "stat of the week" This week's stat comes from Andy Schwartz of CSN.com

(This week) Gocong becomes the seventh player to practice at middle linebacker for the Eagles, a domino effect that started in camp with the season-ending injury to Stewart Bradley.

He's referring to the fact that Chris Gocong will play middle linebacker this week against the Chargers. With Akeem Jordan out injured, Will Witherspoon will slide over to the WILL and Gocong will assume the middle linebacker role. Moises Fokou will start his second straight game at the strong side backer position.

So far this year Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaither, Joe Mays, Jeremiah Trotter, Moise Fokou, Will Witherspoon, and now Gocong will have taken practice reps at middle linebacker. It's a pretty damning representation of what injuries + your depth not being as good as you thought + the solutions you tried to bring in via FA not working + a trade + injuries at other positions can do to a team.

Comcast is carrying the new NFL Red Zone channel! NFL Red Zone lets you follow all the red zone action on NFL Sunday as it happens. When a team gets inside the twenty, the network cuts to that game. Not only is this cool for any big NFL fan, it would be awesome for out of market Eagles fans that can't watch the games. You're essentially getting the best parts of every Eagles game live for only a couple bucks a month as opposed to having to shell out the several hundred bucks for the NFL ticket.

They don't ever break for commercials and the action literally never stops. They don't just limit it to red zone trips either... I was watching last weekend and they would show any game live if no team happened to be in the red zone. This is probably the best thing ever invented for an NFL fan that's looking for something to flip to when the Eagles game goes to commercials...

State of the AFC West Week 9

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:15:45 -0000

Well well well, here we are after week 9, a week I'd been looking forward to for awhile. I had a crazy day on Sunday which of course had a perfect ending. Last night's game was the proverbial "icing on the cake". The Chargers are now 1 game back at the halfway point of the season with 8 games to go. The Broncos still have the advantage with the 1 game lead and a win over the Chargers as a potential tiebreaker. As far as the schedules, of the 8 games remaining, 3 are easy division games (2 KC 1 OAK), but 4 are against tough teams (SD, NYG, INDY, PHI) and their game this week at Washington. On the other hand, the Chargers get the Browns and Titans, don't have to play Indy, but they only play the Chiefs one more time. As far as momentum, it is clearly on the side of the Chargers who have capped their three game winning streak with an emotional win at the Meadowlands. The Broncos on the other hand are riding a two-game losing streak that included two disappointing second halves. Oakland and KC are still out of the picture.

Jump the break for individual teams.

AFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Denver	6	2	150	124
San Diego	5	3	206	179
Oakland	2	6	78	201
Kansas City	1	7	126	205

(updated 11.10.2009 at 1:30 AM PST)

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders had a quiet bye week getting healthy and trying not to lose any football games. Running back Darren McFadden, wide receiver Chaz Schilens, left guard Robert Gallery and right tackle Cornell Green returned to practice Monday and are expected to play against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. So that's good news. Although Tom Cable won't be charged criminally, the NFL is evaluating the situation and sending out people to determine if Cable should attend anger management classes. The National League of Women (NOW) and other women's rights groups are calling for Cable's job. The Raiders next division match-up is this week's pillow-fight of the week in Oakland. Let the battle to determine the most dysfunctional team begin, too bad nobody will see it because it will likely be blacked out.

Oakland Raiders Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cornell Green	calf	11/09/2009
Tony Stewart	chest	11/09/2009
Gerard Warren	toe	11/09/2009
Jon Alston	shoulder	11/09/2009
Ricky Brown	ankle	11/09/2009
Robert Gallery	fibula	11/09/2009
Tommy Kelly	elbow	11/09/2009
Chris Johnson	groin	11/09/2009
Chaz Schilens	foot	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
John Bowie	knee	09/30/2009
Oren O'Neal	ankle	10/14/2009

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs played a close game against the Jaguars which inevitably ended in another loss. As the Chiefs march toward another top 5 draft pick, the big story is still the rapid fall of Larry Johnson which ended in his release from the Chiefs. Although they will probably end up paying him a lot of money since I doubt anyone will pick him up, this gives Jamaal Charles more opportunity to play and gets rid of a clubhouse cancer. Chris Chambers seem to have rejuvenated their offense, at least for the moment, with two TD passes. The addition seems to have helped the Chiefs and the Chargers at the same time, and Chris will probably be happier too. As already mentioned, the Chiefs next division game is at Oakland which I'm sure will be terribly exciting.

Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jon McGraw	thigh	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Devard Darling	knee	09/01/2009
Jarrad Page	calf	11/04/2009
Jackie Battle	shoulder	10/14/2009
Colin Brown	undisclosed	09/05/2009

Denver Broncos: Will the real Broncos please stand up? Are they the 6-0 team or the 0-2 team? Are they the second-half juggernaut or the second-half duds? Is Kyle Orton the QB who threw one INT in 7 games or 3 INT's in one game? Are they a punishing opponents on the lines or the team that didn't get ONE rushing first-down against the Steelers? The answer is probably somewhere close to the middle. Teams are starting to key on the Broncos weakness and adjusting their game-plans as such. Kyle Orton looks nervous as opposed to the pillar of strength he looked like earlier in the season. Either way, the Broncos are much better than everyone thought but they still aren't an elite team. The Steelers were clearly the superior team last night, even at Mile High. The Broncos have lost some momentum going forward but they are still healthy and still have the advantage over the Chargers. Now is the time for Josh McDaniels to adjust to the adjustments that other teams are making. Going forward, we will see if the Broncos and McDaniels are studs or duds. The game at Washington this weekend may tell us a lot about the Broncos. Their next division match-up looks to be a huge game with playoff implications at Mile High against the Chargers.

Denver Broncos Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryan McBean	knee	11/10/2009
Peyton Hillis	other-excused	11/10/2009
David Bruton	groin	11/10/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Nick Greisen	knee	08/05/2009
J'Vonne Parker	knee	08/08/2009

San Diego Super Chargers: The Bolts are flying high after an emotional victory at the Meadowlands and gaining the momentum in the AFC West race if not the advantage. They are finally getting healthy, emotionally and physically, as well and it looks like All-Pro center Nick Hardwick will make his return to Qualcomm Stadium this weekend against the Eagles. The Chargers are still a little banged up at the linebacker position; SP95 was injured in the Giants game and Kevin Burnett and Tim Dobbins are still ailing. It looks like Phillips and Burnett will play this weekend while Dobbins will sit. LB Jyles Tucker is also most likely out this weekend. It looks like the Eagles are having the same problem the Chargers were earlier in the season: inability to keep anyone healthy. If Westbrook is out and the Eagles must depend on the passing game, the Chargers could win big with improved pass rush from Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. The Chargers are also only 2-2 this season and they need to improve their play at home. The game is already sold out so we know it will be loud this weekend. Our next division match-up is Week 11 at Mile High Stadium.

San Diego Chargers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tim Dobbins	knee	11/09/2009
Nick Hardwick	ankle	11/09/2009
Kevin Burnett	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryon Bingham	arm	09/05/2009
Jamal Williams	triceps	09/19/2009
Antwan Applewhite	hamstring	10/20/2009
Brandon Hughes	knee	09/02/2009

Philadelphia Eagles Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Max Jean-Gilles	shoulder	11/09/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Victor Abiamiri	knee	11/09/2009
Chris Gocong	other-excused	11/09/2009
Akeem Jordan	knee	11/10/2009
Brian Westbrook	ankle	11/09/2009
Quintin Demps	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shawn Andrews	back	09/15/2009
Stewart Bradley	knee	09/01/2009
Omar Gaither	foot	10/22/2009
Cornelius Ingram	knee	09/01/2009
Fenuki Tupou	chest	09/05/2009

The VRR: Cowboys (5-2) @ Eagles (5-2)

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:05:51 -0000

More photos » by Carolyn Kaster - AP

The Dallas secondary could try to bump DeSean Jackson out of Andy Reid's gameplan.

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How do you defend the hottest receiving threat in the NFC East? Both the Dallas and the Philadelphia defenses could be asking themselves this very question all the way up to the Cowboys @ Eagles matchup on Sunday Night Football.

It could be tough for us, fans, to relax and watch the day games without twiddling our thumbs in anxiety over such thoughts as, "will Miles Austin's touchdown streak continue?" or "can the secondary stop DeSean Jackson?" Certainly, there are many other stories to the game to focus on, but lately it has been the continued emergence of these two weapons that has greatly increased the threat of these teams' respective offenses.

When that first ball kicks off, though, we will forget this week's headlines and get caught up in the hard-hitting, well-balanced contest that this should turn out to be. Playing physically has helped put the Cowboys where they are today. Continuing to do so could help produce on the scoreboard, and better yet, lead to a 6-2 record come Monday.

Can the physical play of Mike Jenkins stop DeSean Jackson? Eagles' safety Quintin Demps says, "no".

"Just be physical," Jenkins said Wednesday. "Go out and hit them in the mouth."

If that means playing press coverage, Jenkins might want to re-think that stance, Philadelphia safety Quintin Demps suggested in a phone interview.

"I've never seen a guy that fast and quick at the same time," Demps, a Roosevelt graduate, said of Jackson. "And he's smart. He knows how to play off of leverage and get off press coverage."

More Cowboys @ Eagles after the jump.

If Miles Austin and DeSean Jackson get voted into the Pro Bowl, it would be the first time a WR from both teams make it to Hawaii since the early 90s.

Now our guy Adam Schefter has unearthed the interesting nugget that a Cowboys and Eagles wide receiver haven't gone to the Pro Bowl in the same season since Michael Irvin and the immortal Fred Barnett both made it in 1992. Before that, you have to go all the way back to Tony Hill and Mike Quick.

Former Dallas defensive coordinator, Brian Stewart, may have not have much insight to offer Andy Reid in regards to Wade Phillips' defense.

Philadelphia coach Andy Reid tried to downplay the importance of having former Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart on his staff. Reid said whatever insight Stewart offers in advance of Sunday's game would be offset by coach Wade Phillips' ability to be unpredictable with his defense.

"Wade is a pretty creative guy," Reid said. "We have talked to ... [Stewart], but at the same time I know they've made changes."

Since taking over the Cowboys, Phillips is 2-2 against Reid. For his career as a head coach and defensive coordinator, Phillips is 4-5 against Reid.

Roy Williams had two of his best games in Philadelphia.

Going to Philadelphia could rouse Roy Williams from his funk. With Detroit, he had nine catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns at Philadelphia in 2004 and nine catches for a career-high 204 yards and one touchdown in 2007.

S Brian Dawkins is a tough presence to replace in the Philly secondary.

The Eagles have used a three-man rotation his place: rookie Macho Harris, Sean Jones and Quintin Demps. Harris started the first six games, but Jones replaced him for last week's win over the New York Giants. The Eagles have not committed to a starter against the Cowboys.

LB Chris Gocong is doubtful, but Brian Westbrook will be ready.

In other injury news, running back Brian Westbrook was held out of practice on Friday after a strong two days of practice by Reid, but he is expected to play and contribute in a significant manner on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

Wide receiver Kevin Curtis is the only player listed as out.

Rookie seventh-round pick Moise Fokou will start as the strongside linebacker if Gocong is unable to go. Coach Reid said he had plenty of confidence in Fokou to get the job done.

"He's worked hard," Reid said of Fokou. "Even when Chris was healthy, he worked in there during practice."

Cowboys @ Eagles injury report, courtesy of philadelphiaeagles.com.

CuJo and K.O. to play against the Eagles?

Based on the special teams practices all week, it appears linebacker Curtis Johnson and wide receiver Kevin Ogletree will both be in uniform for Sunday’s game in Philadelphia.

Marion Barber's quad is inching closer to being at full strength.

It could take up to 10 weeks for Barber to be 100 percent, according to the Cowboys. But Wade Phillips said Barber is getting better every week and starting to show some of that old explosiveness.

"He’s got a little more juice," Phillips said. "It’s an injury that you lose strength. It’s not something where you’re going to get injured again. He lost some power in one leg. He could play, and I thought he had his best game last week. He looked good today. I think more and more we’ll see the Marion Barber that we know and love."

Barber blogged about getting ready for the Eagles on his website.

My left thumb is still a little bit jammed from our game in Kansas City. I jammed it pretty good during pass protection but it's alright now. It doesn't affect my ability to carry the ball or anything.

Miles Austin has been coming up big for us recently and it's no surprise to anyone on the team. He's been balling out there and he's gonna continue to do so. We have a lot of guys who can produce and it's a great feeling. We have three guys in the backfield who are all dangerous too. That's a big plus for us because we work really well together. Nobody worries about who gets the touches, we all just want to win. There's no jealousy.

Stephen Bowen's hard work and athleticism are really starting to show this season.

Bowen, who carries 306 pounds on a 6-foot-5 frame, started playing football when he was 7. He said his height was average until the ninth grade, when he had a growth spurt that continued until he was big enough to move from linebacker to defensive line at Hofstra.

Bowen also played running back in high school. As a senior, he amassed 565 yards of total offense and scored four touchdowns.

"A lot of guys think I have good feet, and it's because I wasn't always big," Bowen said.

Bowen's athleticism was on display when he batted down Hasselbeck's pass on third-and-10 from the Dallas 25-yard line during Seattle's opening possession. Had the ball found its way to running back Justin Forsett, he likely would have scored on a perfectly set up middle screen. Instead, the Seahawks had to settle for a field goal.

With his impressive leg strength, David Buehler will reassess what his touchback goals are for this season.

No other team has more than 13 touchbacks. Buehler, who came into the season, with the goal of leading the NFL in the category said it's time to revise his goal.

"Instead of leading the league in touchbacks," Buehler said, "I can try and push past everybody and be in a league of my own."

The series history between these two clubs:

The Cowboys hold a 53-43 advantage in their all-time regular season series with the Eagles, including a conventional split of last year's home-and-home. Dallas won a 41-37 home thriller when the teams met in Week 2 of last season, but as previously mentioned, were drilled by a 44-6 count with a playoff berth on the line at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 17. Dallas last won in Philly in 2007, coming up a 38-17 winner in a primetime game there.

In addition to their regular season advantage, the Cowboys have a 2-1 edge in the postseason series. The Eagles were 20-7 winners in the 1980 NFC Championship, while Dallas won NFC Divisional Playoff games over Philadelphia following the 1992 and 1995 seasons.

Eagles head coach Andy Reid has a career record of 14-6 against the Cowboys. Dallas' Wade Phillips is 3-2 all-time against both Philadelphia and Reid all- time, with the first of those wins coming in the form of a 26-0 rout for Phillips' Bills over the Eagles in 1999.

Raf breaks down the key matchups in his post here.

Here is the NFL Game Center for the Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles.

If you're away from the TV, but have access to a computer Sunday night, you can watch the game live here.

Vote for some Cowboys to make the 2010 Pro Bowl here.

You've got 21 days left to vote Emmitt Smith on Van Heusen Fan's Choice.

What they're saying - Eagles win over Panthers

JasonB — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:59:03 -0000

More photos » by Rick Havner - AP

3 months ago: Carolina Panthers' Jake Delhomme, bottom, is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles' Mike Patterson (98) and Omar Gaither (96) in the third quarter during an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009. (AP Photo/Rick Havner)

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Panther's QB Jake Delhomme on the pressure brought by the Eagles' defense

"That's what they (the Eagles) do," Delhomme said. "We knew they were going to bring pressure ... We need to respond to that. If you think there was a lot of pressure this week and we didn't do too well with it, we are going to see a lot of it next week."

Fullback Brad Hoover on the same

"They're a pressure defense, so it's not that we weren't expecting it. They just hit us on some things to which we weren't able to adjust," said fullback Brad Hoover. "They got us and bit us."

Might one of things they weren't expecting be Trent Cole rushing up the middle? Chris Gocong says "I told you so" about the surprises on defense.

"I've been telling you guys for a while now, but you wouldn't listen," said a chuckling Chris Gocong about the potential of the defense. "It's still Jim (Johnson)'s defense, but it's streamlined. It's real aggressive, very aggressive. We've known it for a while. We haven't shown too much of our blitzes in the preseason, and we know what we had going in, so we were kind of expecting things. But that was a great first performance for us, I'm really proud of the defense."

Much more after the jump

Omar Gaither attributed the success of the D to McDermott's playcalling

"A few of the things that (coach McDermott) did came up big for us," said middle linebacker Omar Gaither, "A lot of those big plays were things that he's changed. And obviously with our personnel ... it worked out well for us."

Victor Abiamiri on scoring the first TD of his career and the first of the Eagles' season.

"Trent made one heckuva play. I was just there to scoop and score. The ball was just sitting there, right there, I just picked it up," said Abiamiri, who made his second-career start. "It was a great start to my season. I'm hoping to build on it. I hope it's just one of many."

Omar Gaither talked about how the Eagles shut down one of the NFL's best rushing attacks.

"That first drive he was bouncing a lot. We know he likes to bounce outside, but we didn't know how much he wanted to get out there," Gaither said. "We came back and regrouped for the second drive and we were able to get him stopped."

Macho Harris on starting his first NFL game

"When I walked out there I was a little emotional because it was my first start in a professional league," Harris said. "I dreamed of playing this game on Sundays, so it was emotional for me in the beginning of the game, but other than that, it was great."

Desean Jackson on his 85 yard punt return for a TD.

"The punt-return team did a great job of setting me up," Jackson said. "I got a good crease and I hit the crease, and from there I saw the punter and I just made him miss."

Desean also talked about his future in the wildcat offense.

"The Wildcat is not going to go anywhere," Jackson said. "I'll be back there with Mike and without him."

Finally, Panthers' WR Steve Smith probably summed up his team's performance the best.

"Offensively, we just sucked. Let’s be honest," receiver Steve Smith said.

Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders talks Eagles

JasonB — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:38:57 -0000

Earlier this week, I had a chance to talk with Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders about their new Football Outsiders Almanac 2009. Football Outsiders focuses on advanced statistical analysis of the NFL. If you've never heard of them, here's a good primer.

If you're a hardcore football fan, I don't think there's a better reference than the Football Outsiders Almanac 2009.

We dissected a little bit of the Eagles 2008 season and looked ahead to 2009. I think you'll be surprised to hear an objective perspective on the Eagles' philosophy and some Eagle players.

Actually, until last night I thought this interview would be what Eagles fan were talking about this weekend...

The one stat in the book that really jumped out at me was that the Eagles only pass 5% more than the league average. What would your response be to the "Andy Reid needs to run the ball more" chorus that we hear so often as Eagles fans?

Well, I'd say that there are situations in which the Eagles would be better off running the ball more frequently, but on the whole, the team benefits from passing the ball. We take a very detailed look in Football Outsiders Almanac 2009 into the Eagles' playcalling tendencies, and compare them to the league average performance in each of those situations when running and passing the ball.

One situation that definitely stood out in 2008 was second-and-short (three yards or less). When Philly runs the ball in those situations, they pick up 4.1 yards per attempt; the league average is only 3.7 yards per attempt. When they throw the ball, though, despite the fact that they have the much-vaunted big play potential in those second-and-short situations, the Eagles averaged only 4.3 yards per attempt -- barely more than the running plays -- when the league average was 6.0 yards per attempt. They were also far less likely to pick up first downs in that situation when passing.

Stewart Bradley became the Eagles first major loss to injury this season. While he certainly played at a high level and was becoming very popular amongst fans, I always felt that he owed a lot to the play of Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley. Do you agree with that and how do you think the Eagles' defense will fare without Bradley?

I absolutely agree that Bradley's level of play had a lot to do with the performance of the two defensive tackles in front of him. Every middle linebacker's play, to an extent, is dictated by the players in front of him keeping blockers off him for as long as possible, but very few middle linebackers have such a great set of tackles in front of them. Philly had the second-best run defense in the league in the second half of 2008, and I felt like a lot of that had to do with Bunkley and Patterson beginning to just dominate opposing linemen as a combination.

Sticking with the linebackers... the book calls strong side LB Chris Gocong "probably the unit's best player." What is is that you guys saw in Gocong that made you feel that way?

Truthfully, the bar for Philly linebackers isn't that high. Gocong was great in pass coverage last year, as his pass defense metrics were superior to any of the other linebackers and ranked among the top linebackers in football. He was a sure tackler, and made his tackles closer to the line than any other one of the team's linebackers. Some of that is his role in the Eagles' scheme, but we've perceived him to be the most reliable of the team's starting linebackers.

We've had a lot of debate here on the blog and amongst all Eagles fans about TE Brent Celek. Some say he's a backup at best, some say the guy is a legit starting TE. Much of the optimism about Celek came from his incredibly strong end to the season and playoff run. Should Eagles fans take those last few games as a sign of what's to come, or should the team be looking to upgrade from Celek at some point?

Well, I think we can all agree on something: He can't be worse than L.J. Smith.

We've appreciated Celek for two years running now, placing him on the "Top 25 Prospects" list in our book. If the expectations for him are that he'll catch ten passes a game, well, he'll end up being a disappointment. A more reasonable expectation is that of a sure-handed receiver who isn't a great blocker, but offers a safety valve in the passing game and has no qualms about going over the middle or up the seam. If he had something like Chad Lewis' career from this point forward (although perhaps without the Pro Bowl selections), I think that might be a fair expectation.

The Eagles were at the top of your DVOA rankings for a good part of last season. Their struggles at certain points led a lot of people to question the rankings. Did you take the Eagles' postseason run as any kind of validation of your system? Piggybacking on that... you talk a lot about luck as it related to the Eagles last season. How much of a factor was luck on their actual record vs their DVOA rank?

I mean, yes and no. The line between success and failure in the NFL is remarkably slim. The Eagles' postseason run came, of course, after the Raiders beat the Buccaneers on the road in a 1:00 game without their best player, Nnamdi Asomugha, or anything to play for. If the Raiders lose that game, Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb probably aren't Eagles right now, and the team's rebuilding.

It's hard for me to justify saying that the Eagles were able to validate our system thanks to a playoff run that never really should have happened in the first place. On the other hand, 16 games isn't a huge sample. There was a really interesting study on pro-football-reference.com a couple of years ago that simulated the 2005 season 10,000 times based upon a set of win percentages that would be taken as each team's "true" talent level.

The idea was to figure out how often the true "best team" in the league -- as measured by that "true" win percentage -- actually goes on to win the Super Bowl. The answer was about 30 percent of the time.

The reality is that variance can play a huge role in the course of winning one game, let alone a few out of 16. If the referees throw a flag for pass interference on fourth down of the final drive in the Eagles-Cardinals game, and the Eagles go down the field and promptly score, were they the better team? Were they the worse team because the refs didn't?

Our methodology is simple: Go play-by-play and figure out how a team does against the league average. If they play really well and put up good numbers, but don't win, we know that DVOA -- our core metric -- is a better indicator of wins in the subsequent season than wins themselves. Philly's playoff run was nice, and made the act of writing the Eagles' chapter way easier, but it didn't prove anything with regards to our numbers for me.

Finally, we talked a lot this offseason about sentimentality vs actual production as it related to Brian Dawkins. Would you have matched the 5 year $17 million deal the Broncos gave him if you were running the Eagles?

It's hard to say. They can afford it, certainly, considering the amount of cap space they usually have available. But if they were planning on phasing him out of the starting lineup anyway, would Dawkins have wanted to stay? Probably not.

I would've told him after the season that we were moving in a different direction, and that we'd love to have him as a third safety and coach on the field, offering him a deal commensurate with that role. That might have hurt, and it wouldn't have been the $17 million deal, but it would have given Dawkins the option to finish his career in Philly.

This interview just scratches the surface of what football outsiders has in the book in regards to not just the Eagles, but the entire NFL. If you're interested in the book, Football Outsiders Almanac 2009, click the link for more details on how you can get it.

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Preview - Linebackers

JasonB — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:00:30 -0000

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This is the next installment in our series of 12 positions in 12 days previewing the upcoming Eagles training camp. Rookie and selected vets report to Lehigh July 26th and each day leading up to that date we will bring you a preview of a different position battle.

Another day, another legit battle. As I said yesterday, most of the starting jobs on this team are pretty much set. Linebacker is not one of them. Well, at WILL linebacker at least...

The Bodies

Stewart Bradley, Tank Daniels, Moise Fokou, Omar Gaither, Chris Gocong, Charleston Hughes, Akeem Jordan, Joe Mays, Tracy White.

Presumed Starters

Stewart Bradley opened some eyes last year both locally and nationally and will start at the MIKE LB position again this year. Sports Illustrated named Bradley as an all pro last year and I'm sure all Eagles fans are excited to see how he develops in year 3.

Chris Gocong, who transitioned from college DE to NFL LB, has gotten consistently better over his time here. A fact that our pals at Iggles Blog have chronicled over the past year... While Gocong is still a work in progress overall(especially in coverage), he's made himself into a very good run stopper. His ability to take on a fullback and stop him in his tracks is something we haven't seen from an Eagles' LB in some time. I don't really see anyone on this roster capable of mounting a serious threat for his job this year.

The WILL LB spot is another story. Akeem Jordan took the job from Omar Gaither last year and played well down the stretch, but it should be pretty much an open competition heading into Lehigh this year.

New Additions

Moise Fokou was drafted in the 7th round

Charleston Hughes was signed as a free agent from the CFL's Calgary Stampeders.

What to Watch For

The big battle should be at the WILL spot. Omar Gaither has bounced around the LB corps since he was drafted, but it was usually as a starter. He took over the starting WILL job inhis rookie year where he did a solid job, then he won the middle LB job the year Trotter was cut, and this past year he was moved back to WILL to make room for Stewart Bradley in the middle... Halfway through last year, after the Bengals disaster specifically, Gaither lost his job to Akeem Jordan. Jordan did a solid job and held onto the job, to his credit Gaither worked hard on special teams and stood out a few times on that unit. Frankly, I never really saw specifically what Gaither was or wasn't doing that caused him to get demoted... but I trust that Jim Johnson did.

It's a new year and Omar has a chance to get his job back, but he's got to contend with a guy in Akeem Jordan whose confidence and ability has grown after a half year stating himself. Also in the mix could be Joe Mays, who despite being drafted as middle linebacker, did see some snaps at WILL in the spring.

Mostly, the storyline to watch will simply be the development of this young LB corps. Bradley, Gaither, & Gocong are all 25 and Akeem Jordan is just 23. This is a very young crew that now has spent a good amount of time together starting in the NFL... The ceiling is high for these guys and I'm excited to see them continue to develop together.

Previous position previews

Interior Offensive Line

Offensive Tackles

Defensive Tackles

Defensive End

Eagles win over Giants: What they're saying

JasonB — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 16:00:09 -0000

The first question to nearly every defensive player was to ask for their thoughts on the two 4th and 1 stops.

"When you get put in that position, you have to feel like you can make the play," Quintin Mikell said. "You kind of sensed that maybe New York was, I wouldn't say desperate, but there was some reason they felt they needed to do that. We took it as a challenge. We took it as disrespectful to us. We showed what we're about on those two plays."

"We honestly don't have to say anything to each other (before those plays)," Brian Dawkins said. "Those days are kind of behind us. You know the situation. You know what you have to do. Everybody do your job. Dominate your gap and let's get off the field."

"That play was just confidence," Gocong said. "Just knowing you're going to stop them."

Andy Reid paid tribute to Jim Johnson

"People say every once in a while that I like to throw the ball around and coach on the offense side," said Reid, whose 10 postseason wins are 14th-most in NFL history. "I know that you win games on defense and if you don't play good defense, you're going to struggle. I'm partial, but I've got the best defensive coordinator in the National Football League (Jim Johnson). The guys believe in him."

Darren Howard had some nice things to say about Mike Patterson

"I think Mike Patterson has had a Pro Bowl year for the last 2 or 3 years," Howard said. "I think if you look at players' quotes, he probably gets a lot [of credit]. But he's not a guy who's going to get up and do a [bleeping] dance after a great play.

"He just lines up and does it again."

You know we always like to hear what Sheldon Brown has to say

"Isn't it funny that early in the season we couldn't get an inch on fourth down?" Brown said. "And today, we didn't give up an inch on fourth down?"

Yesterday was extra special for Asante Samuel, who had been waiting to pay back the Giants for the superbowl

"This feeling is indescribable,'' Samuel said. "Being a free agent coming from the Patriots everybody doubted me, hated on me, told me I couldn't play man, I need help in coverage. To come out and prove everybody wrong and show them what I'm worth what was given to me is a definite blessing.''

"I'm always trying to get in the end zone, but Eli made a good tackle,'' Samuel said. "I tried to run him over but Eli had his big boy pads on and he kind of stopped me from getting in the end zone. The next time I'll try to jump over his head.''

Donovan McNabb was asked about his infamous "phone call" incident

"It was just me coming out and having a great time,” McNabb said. "It’s something that as a veteran I shouldn’t have done. I kind of got caught up in the moment a little bit. We were talking on the sideline and just having fun. But you know what? It’s just something I can’t do. And I apologized to the team and the coaches for that.”

Tra Thomas, who has been here 11 years, says this defense is the best we've ever had.

"This is by far the best defense that we've ever had," said offensive tackle Tra Thomas, who has been here for 11 seasons. "Just looking back in the past. Especially our front four - those guys out there are just relentless. They get out there and get after the quarterback and allow our corners and safeties to go out there and make big plays."

Giants' guard Shaun O'Hara sounded despondent.

"After this," center Shaun O'Hara confessed, inside the funeral-parlor still of the Giants locker room, "you almost wonder if it isn't better to not make the playoffs than to play the way we did out there today."