SB Nation - Juqua Parker

San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:00:18 -0000

vs.

The 49ers remain on the periphery of the playoff race (I will most definitely NOT say in the thick of it at this point for karma purposes). They find themselves heading into Philadelphia badly in a need of a win in a game that most people don't give them much of a chance in. We've moved past moral victories, so while I won't be stunned by a loss, keeping it close in Philly won't exactly make me happy as a clam.

The 49ers travel to Philadelphia in what will be the 29th meeting between the two teams, with San Francisco holding a 17-10-1 advantage in the series. The 49ers and Eagles have matched up six times this decade, but this week’s game will mark the first in Philadelphia since 2005.

San Francisco enters the upcoming game following a 24-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. In that game, the 49ers defense created 7 turnovers, while RB Frank Gore rushed for 167 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown. TE Vernon Davis leads all NFL receivers with 11 touchdown receptions after registering a 5-yard score from QB Alex Smith against Arizona and is only the 9th tight end in NFL history to record at least 11 touchdown receptions in a season. The NFL record is 13, held by TE Antonio Gates (2004).

Last week’s contest marked the third week in a row that the 49ers defense had posted at least 4 sacks in a game. San Francisco now ranks tied for 7th in the NFL with 34 sacks and a +6 turnover ratio. The 49ers 18 forced fumbles rank tied for 1st in the NFL in 2009 and are tied for the most by the team in a single season (1996 - 18), dating back to 1992.

49ers-Eagles Connections
Coaching Connections
• Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhingweg was the 49ers offensive coordinator and QBs coach from 1997-2000. In 1998, the 49ers became the first team since the 1941 Chicago Bears to lead the league in gross passing and rushing yards thanks in large part to Mornhinweg’s guidance. Mornhinweg attended Oak Grove HS in San Jose, where he was the Northern California POY and an all-state performer.
• 49ers secondary coach Johnnie Lynn and Eagles WRs coach David Culley coached together with the Tampa Bay Bucs from 1994-95.

FORMER EAGLES - Offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye was on the Eagles roster in 1969 ... Pass rush specialist coach Al Harris played with the Eagles for two seasons (1989-90) ... SS Michael Lewis was drafted by the Eagles in the 2nd round in 2002 and played in Philadelphia for 5 years. He earned a Pro Bowl invitation in 2004 ... LB Takeo Spikes spent the 2007 season with the Eagles, starting 14 games ... Strength and conditioning coach Duane Carlisle served as the Philadelphia Eagles speed development consultant from 2000-04. Carlisle also coached at
Penn State from 1989-92 ... Director of pro personnel Tom Gamble entered the NFL as an assistant for the Eagles player personnel department in 1996. He is the son of former Eagles president Harry Gamble and was born in Cherry Hill, NJ ... Area scout Todd Brunner first joined the Eagles as a scouting intern in 1992 and worked as a scouting assistant in 1993.

FORMER 49ERS - CB Joselio Hanson, a native of Playa del Rey, CA, was originally signed by the 49ers as a rookie free agent in 2003 and appeared in 13 games for the 49ers.

49ERS PENNSYLVANIA CONNECTIONS - RB Michael Robinson played collegiate football at Penn State ... CB Shawntae Spencer is from Rankin, PA ... Rookie LB Scott McKillop hails from Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

EAGLES NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONNECTIONS - Head Coach Andy Reid spent time as the offensive coordinator at San Francisco State from 1983-85 ...TE coach Tom Melvin is a native of Redwood City, CA, and began his coaching career at San Francisco State from 1982-85 and attended Cubberley HS in Palo Alto ... Special assistant/defense Brian Stewart served as defensive backs coach at San Jose State (1997-98) ... WR DeSean Jackson played at Cal and is a native of Long Beach, CA ... TE Alex Smith lettered at Stanford from 2001-04.

PLAYER CONNECTIONS
• 49ers DT Justin Smith and Eagles G/T Stacy Andrews were teammates with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2004-07.
• 49ers DT Demetric Evans was a teammate of Eagles DE Chris Clemons and LB Jeremiah Trotter for the Redskins (2004-05).
• 49ers LB Parys Haralson and Eagles LB Omar Gaither were teammates at Tennessee from 2002-05.
• 49ers G Chilo Rachal played at USC with Eagles DT Mike Patterson and T Winston Justice.

Series Highlights
Matchups: 28
Series Record: 49ers lead series 17-10-1
49ers Away Record vs. Eagles: 49ers Lead Series 9-3-1
First Meeting: 10/6/51, Eagles win, 21-14, at Philadelphia
Last Meeting: 10/12/08, Eagles win, 40-26, at San Francisco
Current Streak: Lost 3
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 5 (9/23/84 - 11/29/92)
Longest Eagles Win Streak: 3 (9/18/05 - Present)
Most 49ers Points: 38 (Two Times), Last: 38-28, at San Francisco
Most Eagles Points: 42 (9/18/05), 42-3, at San Francisco
49ers Shutouts: 1 (12/29/96), 49ers win 14-0, at San Francisco
Eagles Shutouts: None

PHILADELPHIA 40, SAN FRANCISCO 26
At Glendale, AZ, October 20, 2008

The Philadelphia Eagles forced 3 turnovers during a 23-point 4th quarter of a 40-26 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. CB Donald Strickland returned a blocked FG 41 yards for aTD on the final play of the 1st half and the momentum carried into the 3rd quarter when the 49ers scored 10 points to take a 26-17 lead.

After the Eagles rallied back to take a 27-26 lead with 7:38 left to play, the 49ers next three drives ended in turnovers that set up scores for Philadelphia. S Quintin Mikell intercepted a QB J.T. O’Sullivan pass and returned it to the San Francisco 7-yard line to set up a short FG. On the next series, Eagles DE Trent Cole forced a fumble on a sack of O’Sullivan, allowing Philadelphia to recover at the San Francisco 20-yard line to set up another short FG for a 33-26 lead with 1:10 left. San Francisco got past midfield on the next drive when O’Sullivan connected with WR Josh Morgan on a 25-yard gain, but two plays later with 48 seconds to play, O’Sullivan was picked off by DE Juqua Parker, who returned it 55 yards for a score to seal the 40-26 win.

Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb threw for 280 yards and 2 TDs while RB Correll Buckhalter, playing in place of an injured Brian Westbrook, had 93 yards rushing and 85 yards receiving. Philadelphia took a 7-6 1st quarter lead and then added 10 points in the 2nd quarter for a 17-6 lead. PK Joe Nedney hit a 53-yard FG with 34 seconds to play, but Philadelphia moved to the San Francisco 36-yard line with one second remaining on the clock before halftime. The Eagles sent PK David Akers on to the field to attempt a 54-yard FG DE Ray McDonald blocked the kick, and Strickland scooped up the loose ball and ran 41 yards for the score to make it a 17-16 game at the half. RB Frank Gore had his second 100-yard game of the year with 101 yards on 19 attempts.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		EAGLES (rank)
6-7 (2nd NFCW)	Record	9-4 (1st NFCE)
20.7 (18th)	Points per game	28.6 (3rd)
288.6 (27th)	Total Offense	360.2 (11th)
98.8 (24th)	Rushing Offense	106.1 (19th)
189.8 (22nd)	Passing Offense	254.1 (10th)
29:31 (16th)	Possession Avg	28:30 (25th)
18.6 (8th)	Points allowed/gm	21.0 (t-16th)
338.6 (18th)	Total Defense	320.1 (10th)
95.0 (5th)	Rushing Defense	101.5 (10th)
243.6 (27th)	Passing Defense	218.6 (18th)
34 (t-7th)	Sacks	36 (t-4th)
47.8 (2nd)	Punting Avg (Gross)	41.7 (27th)
+6 (t-7th)	Turnover Differential	+15 (3rd)

Philadelphia Eagles 53 man roster by the numbers

JasonB — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:35:19 -0000

More photos » by Matt Rourke - AP

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The Eagles have made their cuts and whittled their roster down to 53 men. However, just because those guys survived cut day, doesn't mean they'll actually be on the team come September 13th. Let's look at some positions where changes are still likely to be made.

Wide Receiver - The Eagles currently have 7 WRs on their roster and are only likely to start the season with 6. Desean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, & Jeremy Maclin are all locks. The guys not guaranteed a spot are rookie Brandon Gibson, Reggie Brown, and Hank Baskett. Since Gibson wasn't cut with the first round and wouldn't be valuable trade bait, it may actually be safe to assume that he made the team. It's likely that the Eagles held onto Reggie and Hank(esp the former) since those guys may have some trade value to fill another spot.

Tight End - The Eagles currently have just two TEs on the roster. That will not be the case for very long as the Eagles will carry a 3rd TE on their roster. Whether it's through trade or free agency, I'm guessing we'll find out who that guy is before the weekend is out. Considering that Tony Curtis was signed just before the preseason game against Jacksonville, the Eagles will go into this season with just one TE(Celek) that was on the roster at least 3 weeks before the season.

Defensive Tackle - After cutting loose Dan Klecko, the Eagles DTs are Broderick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, & Trevor Laws. Two starters and one backup. That said, there's a decent chance that they may not add another DT. The Eagles love rotate DEs inside to DTs on passing downs. Darren Howard, Victor Abiamiri, & Juqua Parker have all done it in the past. Those guys, especially Howard and Abiamiri, could be defacto backup DTs. Last year, it seemed that Darren Howard played more inside than he did outside... I'd look for the Eagles to add a couple DTs to their practice squad just in case.

Quarterback - The Eagles currently have 4 QBs on their roster, but due to an exemption Michael Vick does not count against the 53 man roster. While Vick is on the exempt list he can't practice with the team, so obviously the Eagles will be looking to take him off as soon as possible. I'm sure that over the next day or so they'll be trying to trade A.J. Feeley to make room for Vick. If they can't swing a deal, they'll probably just outright release him.

The Linc - Runyan's health, More on Matt Nagy, & McNabb under the radar

JasonB — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:00:18 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

4 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid directs his team during their NFL football training camp, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009, in Bethlehem, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Former Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jon Runyan cleared to work out - ESPN
Former Philadelphia Eagles right tackle Jon Runyan began running for the first time on his surgically repaired right knee after his surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, medically cleared him to begin putting repetitive pressure on his leg -- with the goal of working out for an NFL team soon. "I'm cleared to do everything," said Runyan, "except hit people. And I'll be able to do that in about two weeks."

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Matt Nagy, a study in contracts "
Nagy’s deal was negated because he already was under contract to an Arena Football League team. And even with the AFL, by various accounts folding/folded, it was a violation of league procedures. The Eagles could try to work out the situation and resubmit the contract, but the team now says it will go "in a different direction."

Somehow McNabb Is Flying Under the Radar
So much has happened at Training Camp 2009 that Donovan McNabb has been overshadowed. That’s how hectic the last 15 days have been.

Didinger’s Top Five Offensive Tackles

Each Tuesday until the start of the regular season, Ray Diddy will give his rankings of the top five players in Eagles history, position by position. Today, the top five offensive tackles.

Eagles' Nagy Has a Memorable Morning
"Cup of coffee," offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "But he’s valuable for what he does for us right now."

Camp Confidential: Eagles limping home - NFC East - ESPN
ESPN's Matt Mosely sits down with Andy Reid

Philadelphia Eagles playoff standout Brent Celek consumed only with taking final step - lehighvalleylive.com
"A successful season would be winning the Super Bowl," Celek said. "That's all I care about. I don't care about any individual stats. I want to win a Super Bowl. And if I can help the team do that, that's successful."

Philadelphia Player Juqua Parker Waives Preliminary Hearing On Pot Charge - cbs3.com
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Juqua Parker has waived his preliminary hearing in a marijuana possession charge.

Eagles were in on Burgess?

JasonB — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:51:35 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

4 months ago: FILE - In this Dec. 23, 2006, file photo, Kansas City Chiefs' Larry Johnson, left, runs past Oakland Raiders' Derrick Burgess during an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif. The New England Patriots have obtained two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Burgess. Burgess had held out of training camp with the Raiders in hopes of being traded. On Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009, they obtained undisclosed draft considerations for him. The Patriots released offensive lineman Al Johnson. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

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Yesterday the Raiders traded former Eagle DE Derrick Burgess to the Patriots. According to Adam Schefter, the Pats beat out the Eagles to his services...

The two teams in on Burgess all along were the Eagles and Pats. Eagles were offering a 3rd-round pick and a player. Pats offer trumped it.

Burgess had been holding out of Raiders camp in an attempt to force a trade. The Patriots reportedly shipped a 3rd and conditional 4th round pick in next year's draft. If they Patriots don't currently have a 5th round pick, but if they are able to acquire a 5th round pick in next year's draft the Raiders will get that instead of the 4th. In other words, the Raiders will get the 5th... [Note by JasonB, 08/07/09 1:57 AM EDT ] There's a number of conflicting reports as to what the actual package was, but it's something like a 3rd and 5th.

New England seems to be a popular landing place for disgruntled Raiders...

With Juqua Parker's recent arrest(and general mediocrity) and Victor Abiamiri's inability to stay healthy, it's no surprise the Eagles were looking to bring in insurance. A 3rd round pick and a player is a strong offer, especially from the Eagles... Makes you think they're really looking hard for more help at DE.

Burgess showed flashes of serious pass rushing ability when he was with the Eagles, but could never stay healthy. When he left for Oakland in 05/06 he had a breakout year with 16 sacks, then followed it up with an 11 sack effort the following year. Since then, injuries have again crept up and Burgess has been in a steady decline. Last yera he managed just 3.5 sacks in 10 games.

Frankly, I don't think the solution to our thin-ness at LDE was to bring in yet another guy who can't stay healthy...

Juqua Parker arrested for possession

JasonB — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:31:11 -0000

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The hits keep on coming from what is turning into a rather tumultuous Eagles' training camp. The latest problem is DE Juqua Parker, who was arrested late last night after police found a small amount of marijuana on him.

Juqua Parker, whose birth name is Juqua Demail Thomas, was taken into custody during a traffic stop around 12:30 a.m. on N. Mountain Drive at Route 378, which is near the Eagles training camp on Lehigh's Mountaintop Campus.

Lower Saucon Township police said Parker was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for a traffic violation, and he had a small amount of marijuana in his possession.

With Victor Abiamiri injured, Parker is almost unchallenged for the starting LDE job which it makes it hard to either get rid of him or deal with him being suspended. Either way, it's another hassle that the team simply didn't need.

After this arrest and the aforementioned Abiamiri injury, I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that the Eagles are shopping around for another DE.

Let's take Parker to task after the jump.

The stupidity of Parker in regards to this incident really does astound me. Not only is he out and about after midnight in the middle of a week full of two a day practices... he's out with weed on him. This is guy supposed to be fighting for his job. I can only presume he was smoking the pot or planning on doing so, since I can't really think of any other reason you'd drive around with a small amount of pot on you.

Plus, it's Bethlehem, PA. Where on earth are you going in the middle of the night? There's nothing there, which is probably the reason the team has camp at Lehigh.

It's simply inexcusable. Not just because of the little weed he had on him, because of the complete stupidity and total lack of judgment. This is a 31 year old man, he really has no excuses.

Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Preview - Defensive End

JasonB — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:07:59 -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.

Here we are on our 9th position preview and we've finally got ourselves a starting job that is truly up for grabs. While the right defensive end spot is locked down, the left defensive end spot should be an entertaining battle at Lehigh.

The Bodies

Victor Abiamiri, Chris Clemons, Trent Cole, Darren Howard, Juqua Parker, Bryan Smith.

Presumed Starters

At this point, I think we can say that Cole is the only guy who can be safely assumed as a starter. While Juqua Parker has started at left end for a couple of years now, young guys like Victor Abiamiri and Bryan Smith will be making serious pushes for playing time. In fact, I think if you ask Eagles management who they'd like to see win the starting LDE job... they'd tell you it was Abiamiri.

Back to Trent Cole... The Hunter has been a model of consistency over the past 3 years averaging just about 10 sacks per season and playing nearly every defensive snap over that time. He's also developed into nearly as good a run stopper as he is as a pass rusher. That 2 way DE is becoming more and more of a rare breed in the NFL with so many teams playing the 3-4 or employing smaller/faster pass rush specialists. Cole is certainly one of a handful of guys in the NFL that excels at both.

New additions

None.

What to watch for

The big thing to watch at this camp will be the battle for the starting left defensive end job. While Chris Clemons & 2nd year man Bryan Smith will be in the mix, the battle should really come down to incumbent starter Juqua Parker and 3rd year man Victor Abiamiri. The start of VA's career was plauged by various injuries, most recently his wrist which kept him out of the first half of last season. When he did get the chance to play however, he was pretty impressive playing both inside and out and displaying power and a knack for getting into the backfield. At 6'4 and around 270 Abiamiri has the size to be a run stopper while still having the speed to get to the QB. Plus, with speedy pass rush specialists like Clemons and Smith backing him up, VA has the ability to move inside on passing downs and rush from the inside.

Parker has been a solid and relatively productive member of the Eagles for several years now. The concern with him is that he seems to wear down as the season goes on, which would lead us to believe he might be better served as a backup where he doesn't play as many snaps. Last year 4.5 of his 5 sacks came in the first half of the year. 2007 was the same story with all 5 of his sacks coming in the first 8 games he played.

The table is certainly set for Abiamiri to make that LDE spot his own, will he finally be healty enough to do it?

Some other quick things to watch. The development of second year man Bryan Smith, who finished last preseason with a very impressive game against the Jets but rarely made the active roster during the season. Also Chris Clemons, who after he got healthy last year actually became one of the team's best defensive playmakers down the stretch.

Previous position previews

Interior Offensive Line

Offensive Tackles

Defensive Tackles

The Linc - Desean Jackson reflects, Baskett wants a boy, & Bradley the best in the East?

JasonB — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:11:43 -0000

Desean Jackson & his father Joe on draft day.

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In spirit, father of Eagles WR DeSean Jackson continues to inspire
Offseason is a time to renew and rebuild. But for DeSean Jackson, it's been a time to reflect. And grieve. Only a month has passed since he lost his dad, Bill, to pancreatic cancer. In losing his dad, he also lost his lifelong coach and No. 1 fan.

Birds' Parker in a precarious position
Juqua Parker, a guy who has rejuvenated his career in Philadelphia, is not looking back. Because he knows all too well that somebody is gaining on him.

Hank Baskett Hoping For a Boy This Christmas | Baby Chums
Hank Baskett told E! that he hopes that the little baby on the way for him and his fiancee Kendra is a boy, so that he can look out for the baby girl that is coming next. Hank and Kendra have made it known that they want several children and this baby-to-be is only going to the first of many for their family.

Fan-Demonium: Tight End Revolution - Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are undergoing serious change at the tight end position. From 1999-2004, Chad Lewis was the main guy. He gave Donovan McNabb a reliable target over the middle. L.J. Smith came along in 2003, but really became "the guy" in 2005 when he caught 61 passes, tying him for the team lead. Lewis is long since gone and now Smith has traveled down I-95 to Charm City.

Ray Didinger's Mail Bag for June 18
"I said this in one of my Monday chats, but I’ll repeat it: I think Bradley will be the best middle linebacker in the NFC East this season. Antonio Pierce (Giants) and London Fletcher (Redskins) are both on the down side. It will be hard for Bradley to make a Pro Bowl team – the NFC is loaded at the position with Brian Urlacher (Bears), Lofa Tatupu (Seahawks) and Patrick Willis (49ers) – but I really believe Bradley will be in the discussion with those players by the end of the year. "

Browns WR Stallworth suspended indefinitely by NFL | AP | 06/18/2009
"The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to Donte Stallworth. "While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL," Goodell said.

Primer: Eagles (5-4) @ Bengals (1-8). Game #10

Kirkendall — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:27:05 -0000

Game: Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-8)
Series Leader: Bengals lead, 7-3
Streak: Eagles have won two out of three.
Coaches vs. Opponent: Lewis: 1-0. Reid: 1-1
Broadcast: FOX (1:00 PM ET): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 144 (Phi.), 123 (Cin.). XM: 107 (Cin.). Direct TV: 710
SB Nation: Bleeding Green Nation
NFL.com: Game Center
Weather: 41 degrees and partly cloudy at kickoff [Weather Ground ]
Uniform: Black
Television Coverage: Very regional [the 506 TV distribution maps]
Site: We plan on being here.

Bengals

Bengals are 15-7 under head coach Marvin Lewis in November -- including five of their past six games against AFC teams.
In his past two home games, Ryan Fitzpatrick has completed 42 of 66 passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and a pick (84.5 passer rating). In the past two games played, Fitzpatrick has 94 yards rushing.
When Cedric Benson rushes 20 times or more in a game, he's averaging 85.3 yards rushing per game.
With six receptions, T.J. Houshmandzadeh will have caught six or more passes in eight straight games.
Since 2007, Houshmandzadeh ranks second with 173 receptions (Wes Welker, 178).
The Bengals are 22-6 when the defense records two interceptions in a game.
Dhani Jones leads the team with 89 tackles -- last week was his first interception since playing for the Eagles on September 18, 2005.
In his last game, Robert Geathers took a pick-six for 36 yards.
Glenn Holt is second in the AFC with 860 kickoff return yards.

Eagles

Donovan McNabb is 13-4 in his last 17 starts against AFC teams.
Including the playoffs, the Eagles are 37-1 when McNabb records a passer rating of 100 or better (editor's note: JESUS!)
Since the start of 2004, Brian Westbrook has 7,423 yards from scrimmage (4,427 yards rushing, 2,996 yards receiving); second most in the NFL and only player during that span with 4,000 yards rushing, 2,500 yards receiving.
Westbrook is one of seven players in NFL history with 25-plug (33) career rushing touchdowns and 25 career receiving touchdowns.
DeSean Jackson leads all NFC rookies with 38 receptions and 586 yards receiving.
Of Reggie Brown's 17 career touchdowns, 10 have been 20-plus yards.
Hank Baskett leads the team with three receiving touchdowns.
SInce 2006, Asante Samuel has 19 interceptions -- most in the NFL.
Trent Cole, who's coming home this weekend, has 16.5 sacks in his past 25.
Juqua Parker has five sacks in his past seven games.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The Bengals lead the all-time series 7-3. The series has only been played in Cincinnati three times and the Bengals are undefeated.

DATE	SITE	RESULT
1.2.2005	Philadelphia	W, 38-10*
12.24.2000	Philadelphia	L, 7-16
11.30.1997	Philadelphia	L, 42-44
12.24.1994	Cincinnati	W, 33-30
11.17.1991	Philadelphia	L, 10-17
9.11.1988	Philadelphia	W, 28-24
11.21.1982	Philadelphia	W, 18-14
10.28.1979	Cincinnati	W, 37-13
12.7.1975	Philadelphia	W, 31-0
9.19.1971	Cincinnati	W, 37-14

* Philadelphia didn't start their starters, resting week 17 for the playoffs.

The Bengals 38-10 win over the Eagles in 2005 (the 2004 season) was the last (and only) time they've played with the existing players on roster. Carson Palmer never played; he was hurt late in 2004 and missed the final three games. Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Kenny Watson played in that game.

Player	Rush	Yards	Rec.	Yards	TDs
Chad Johnson	1	18	5	67	0
T.J. Houshmandzadeh	0	0	6	71	1
Kenny Watson	3	20	1	9	0

Cedric Benson did play an additional game against the Eagles while with the Chicago Bears. He rushed 17 times for 46 yards rushing (including one reception for 19 yards receiving). The Bears won that game 19-16.

Team Rankings

Offense	Bengals	Eagles
Total	238.2 (32nd)	360.8 (7th)
Passing	151.4 (30th)	262.4 (5th)
Passing TDs	7 (t-28th)	13 (t-10th)
Rushing	86.8 (30th)	98.3 (22nd)
Rushing TDs	4 (t-29th)	11 (t-5th)
Scoring	13.9 (31st)	27.9 (4th)

Defense	Bengals	Eagles
Total	331.8 (20th)	293.9 (9th)
Passing	193.7 (10th)	190.4 (6th)
Passing TDs	13 (t-21st)	12 (t-14th)
Rushing	138.1 (25th)	103.4 (14th)
Rushing TDs	12 (t-26th)	5 (t-7th)
Scoring	26.2 (26th)	20 (10th)
Sacks	9 (31st)	28 (4th)
QB Rating	92.6 (25th)	76.2 (10th)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	18 (t-3rd)	27 (t-23rd)
Interceptions	5 (t-5th)	9 (t-10th)

Special Teams	Bengals	Eagles
Kickoff Return	24.6 (t-9th)	23.5 (16th)
Punt Return	8.1 (22nd)	10.5 (12th)
Punting (Net)	33.3 (31st)	40.0 (5th)

Who is the Eagles biggest first half surprise?

JasonB — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:22:45 -0000

The Eagles have completed 8 regular season games and therefore have hit the mid point of their season... So I figured it would be a good time to take a little poll on who we think has been the biggest surprise of the first here. Here are the nominees.

Darren Howard - This is a guy whose place on the team was in serious doubt coming into training camp. Many fans wanted to keep Jerome McDougle over him... Fast forward to right now and Darren Howard is leading the team in sacks with 6.5. That's the 5th most in the NFC. Howard's versatility rushing the passer from both the inside and outside is exactly what the Eagles expected to get when they signed him to a big free agent contract in 2006.

Desean Jackson - A second round pick that's leading the team in recieving has to be considered a suprise. Jackson leads all NFL rookies in recieving yards and he's second in receptions. He also leads all rookies in return TDs and punt returns over 40 yards. Halfway through the season, Jackson is a legit rookie of the year candidate and a major weapon on this offense.

Sav Rocca - Last year we saw some promise from the Austrailian but we also saw quite a bit of inconsistency. Not this year... Rocca is in the top 5 in the NFC in punting average and punts inside the 20. He leads the NFC and is second in the NFL in punts placed inside the 10. Rocca has always had the big leg, but his directional punting and ability to place punts have improved by leaps and bounds this year.

Juqua Parker - Most of us were happy to have Juqua around as a backup or situational type defensive end... but how many of us can say we were comfortable with him as a starter? 9 weeks ago not all of us, but right now we all are. Juqua is having a career year with 4.5 sacks plus and INT for a TD. Aside from just the sacks, Juqua has brought constant pressure and has really become that threat opposite Trent Cole that we all wanted last year. Teams can no longer double team or pay attention only to Cole. Parker has become a legit threat on the other side of the line.

Those are my nominations for the biggest surprise of the first half. Did I miss anyone? Feel free to write in someone in the comments.

Poll

Who is the biggest surprise of the first half of the 2008 season?

Darren Howard

219 votes

Sav Rocca

71 votes

Juqua Parker

94 votes

Desean Jackson

258 votes

642 votes | Poll has closed

Eagles at Seahawks: What they're saying

JasonB — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:29:17 -0000

Todd Herremans talked about his unlikely touchdown catch.

Linemates were more anxious than Herremans, who teammates said was told bluntly in the huddle by McNabb, "There’s a possibility you might get the ball.”

"I didn’t think they’d call it, especially after I dislocated my finger,” Herremans said of the injury that occurred on the second series. "What were my thoughts? Don’t drop it. Actually it never crossed my mind.”

As usual, Sheldon Brown was taking things in context.

"That's cool," said the Eagles' right cornerback, after a win in which they forced Seattle to punt 11 consecutive times at one point.

"But they're beat up. They're banged up. They're kind of in a tough situation - they were rallying the troops, trying to find and figure their way. They're searching.

"We'll really see where we're at this week," Brown said.

When he says "this week" he's referring to the upcoming matchup with the Giants this weekend. Brown wasn't the only Eagle to turn his attention to NY when the game ended. Juqua Parker

"We knew what we needed to do," defensive end Juqua Parker said. "We stopped the run. They got their one big play on us. After that, we just played aggressive football . . . By far, I would say this was our best game. But we've got to continue this next week when we play the Giants. We've got to continue bringing the pressure."

Andy Reid talked about the mental toughness the team showed to get over the poor first 2 series of the game.

"Nobody panicked on the sideline," Eagles coach Andy Reid said after a 26-7 victory. "Everybody just kind of did their thing and settled down. I've been around teams that get a little nervous when things aren't going well. This crew is always encouraging each other, and they did the same thing today."

Brent Celek had a career day against the Seahawks, some of which he credited to McNabb but some he credited to the Seahawks' game plan.

"With the coverage they were giving us, I wasn't very surprised," Celek said when asked if he expected to be one of McNabb's favorite targets. "They were in man-to-man and you just have to beat your guy off the line, and Don was throwing a good ball. He threw a great ball today. He was on target, and I can't give him enough credit for what he did. On a few of them, I was a little surprised by the way they were covering: If you beat your guy off the line, there's a good chance you're going to get the ball," he said. "Just the way the coverage was, I was able to get the ball a little bit."

Reggie Brown also paid tribute to his QB

"Being down a touchdown on the road is nothing," Brown said. "Not when you got a veteran like Donovan. He's a calm guy. He doesn't get rattled."

Finally, McNabb also left the opposition impressed. Julian Peterson

"He is unbelievable," Peterson said. "Everybody forgets about him because he has been hurt the last couple of years, but he is still one of the best quarterbacks in the game."