I think its fair to say that when Howie Roseman became the Eagles' GM last year, most of us were slightly concerned because he was such an unknown commodity. Most people weren't sure how a guy from a "number crunching" background would fare as the youngest GM in the NFL, especially when it came to football matters. I believe that this past weekend has given us the strongest indication yet that Roseman knows what he's doing.

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Now that my euphoria has settled just a bit, I find myself deeply concerned about the ability of this Eagles team to get over the hump this season and allow Sunday's game to be the signature moment of a Championship season. After the jump I share my main concerns.

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I believe that we learned more about the 2010 Eagles (the Michael Vick version, not the Kevin Kolb one) from this game than from any previous one. Here are my thoughts.

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Things have been kinda slow lately, so I thought this would be a good time for an off-topic post. As many of you know, the 2010 Soccer World Cup will be hosted here in South Africa.

I am thinking about setting up a pretty sweet setup at my flat, where you'll be able to stay there (room for about 4 people), and I will be available as your personal taxi (I'll be staying 5 minutes away). The apartment is located in Stellenbosch, a University town about 20 minutes from Cape Town. Stellenbosch will also host one of the teams (yet to be announced), and practices will be held at the nearby Coetzenburg stadium. The Green Point stadium in Cape Town is the venue for 5 First Round matches, a Second Round match, a quarter-final and a semi-final. The apartment has sattelite, so you'll be able to watch all of the other matches as well.

I'm giving you guys the first opportunity here, as I at least know you guys (a little bit anyway). And it would also be really cool to rock out with some other Eagles fans, especially since the World Cup is taking place during the off-season, when I'm bored out of my mind without football. Like I said, the setup will be pretty sweet, but I'll discuss the details later if anyone is interested. If anyone is merely thinking about coming over, hit me up in the comments!

via www.architecturelist.com: The Green Point Stadium in Cape Town.

via upload.wikimedia.org: Stellenbosch

The recent debacle ragarding Sheldon Brown and his contract may not lead to any real impact on the play of our defense per se, but it might have another effect.

I know that a lot of us were rooting for Sheldon to become the leader of this defense and perhaps the team, a Dawk v2.0. Eventhough that might be taking it a bit too far, it was realistic to suggest that Sheldon has the experience, steady track-record and character to lead this team. Well I believe his character has been tarnished by his behaviour.

Even though poor character doesn't automatically rule a player out of becoming a "leader" on a team (like the criminal Ray Lewis, someone that I hate with a passion), I have to believe that it has an impact on the perception that your teammates have of you.

Other names that were mentioned include Stewart Bradley (my personal favourite candidate), Trent Cole and Asante Samuel. What do you guys think? Is Sheldon eliminated from the competition? And who do you see as the leader-in-waiting, about a month after our initial debate on the subject?

On profootballtalk.com, Mike Florio has a report up that a 'seasonal' Eagles employee was recently fired because he displayed outrage on his facebook page at the release of Dawkins. It seems as if the Eagles are piling up the PR crises. This will enrage many fans even more. What do you guys think? This kind of gets me a bit heated again, as it just continues to show an amazing amount of arrogance.

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And I really do mean everyone...as in the entire US of A!

I really should have written this a week or so ago already, but things have been crazy. I have been back in South Africa for about a week now, and have had to catch up on a lot of things. I know that I have not commented a lot on BGN either, but I assure you that it has been read every single day.

I'll start off by recounting our trip (eventhough it feels like it was ages ago!). A most of you know, we met a great family who stay in Philadelphia, and they invited us to spend Thanksgiving with them. We then headed off to the Linc to join my boys NorthPhillyKidd an 700 Level for tailgating and what turned out to be an Eagles game for the ages. I am still stunned by the passion of the fans, I just couldn't believe the amount of effort that went into decorating vans and cars with the Midnight Green! It was amazing. I like to watch the videos and photos we took at the game, and remember just how gracious everyone in Philly was. Even on our tour in Center City, people would reach out and help us when we were lost.

The next day we took the train to Vermont, and after scrambling to find a place to stay, we started job hunting. One thing was clear to me from the strat: we had chosen a very bad time to look for a job in the US! We eventually found jobs as ski-lift operators at Killington, and the experience of skiing and seeing that much snow for the first time was awesome. We had an absolute blast, eventhough there worked really hard. I mean brutally. The town of Rutland is a bit dissapointing to be honest, and I don't think Vermont is the most "forward" State in the US (no offense to anyone). But we were glad the we went to a rural area, instead of flocking to Aspen, CO with the rest of the "sheep". The drive back on the train to NYC was also amazing, as we followed the Hudson River all the way through upstate New York. It was beautiful. The subway in NYC was a nightmare. I don't think I have ever been that confused in my life. We had to get to JFK and ended up going in the wrong direction! At least we had a lot of time, so we were on time for our flight. We flew back to Dubai to catch a connecting flight to Cape Town, and we spent the night in an amazing Hotel, compliments of Emirates. Our flights were really enjoyable (well they had to be, because we spent 2 days flying!). In the end we didn't make as much money as we had hoped, but we learned an amazing amount of things, and the experience was truly priceless.

Seeing the Eagles make a playoff run while we were in the US was incredible, and one of those things that we couldn't have planned. It was great to follow BGN in the daytime for once lol, and you guys really helped to make the experience even greater. Thanks BGN! I left the US with about $300 worth of Eagles gear as well. I also met so many Eagles fans there, including a random family that started chanting EAGLES as soon as they was we were Eagles fans. The little children were going crazy!

I just want to send a shoutout to my friend Whodie...I was unable to meet up with you as planned at Killington because our bosses decided to not give us off on those days. i sent you a text, but you must not have got it. But the next time I'm in the neighbourhood, your first on the list of people to meet. A final shoutout to everyone, especially NorthPhillyKidd and 700 Level. You guys helped make memories that will be treasured forever.

The Eagles really took off in Philly. We would never have been able to imagine how amazing it would be at Lincoln Financial Field.

After having an amazing Thanksgiving Dinner with some friendly people that we met on the previous day, we got a ride to the Linc. We were dropped and walked to the corner of Derian and Pattison, where I reached for my cellphone. "Hey 700? It's Leon". After looking for each other for a few minutes, we met up and headed into the parking lot where we found the ever-entertaining NorthPhillyKidd. We immediately started talking (some of which would could be classified as lovely nonsense). We met a few other people who were really friendly and allowed us to settle in very nicely. Then we headed to the stadium; I could feel my heart beating in my throat while 700 kept looking around at me and telling me how amazing this all is. He truly didn't need to tell me that - I was close to tears! We paused at the entrance and took a deep breath...then we walked over the threshold and suddenly it all became a reality: I was looking at the hallowed turf that is the home of our Eagles. I had traveled 15 thousand miles to see it. And it was worth every dollar, second and bead of sweat. Wow.

The day would only continue to get better. I had the honor of listening to the National Anthem - and wishing that it was my anthem - and then we sang our first ever Fight Song (well, at least with other people, its a bit embarresing when I do it on my own). We were covered in goosebumps. And then the real fun started. The game started off so well. Within a few minutes I was celebrating my first TD in the Linc.  But the moment that really shook me was when BDawk came crawling out of the tunnel: I died!

The game itself was amazing, and it was first time this season that the entire team played well for 4 quarters. I'm still shook by the brilliance.

After the game we met up again with 700 and NorthPhilly to get our bags and we said our goodbyes. I'd like to thank both of these awesome guys for everything that they did for us (NorthPhilly even gave me his gloves and beanie...and froze his ass off the entire evening!) as well as the amazing hospitality that we received from them. You guys are the best.

We are now in Rutland, Vt after an awful trip. We applied for work today and will probably start working next Wednesday. We're staying in a nice little Inn, and if any of you guys are headed this way, let me know! We'll be in the US until the 28th of January 2009. Hopefully our luck will carry the Birds to the Superbowl!

All I can really say about our whole experience in the City of Brotherly Love is: Fly Eagles Fly, on the Road to Victory! E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!!!

Well, it has been a long journey. We have been planning our trip to the City of Brotherly Love for a good few months, and two days ago we boarded the Emirates plane at Cape Town International. We took a connecting flight in Dubai and after another 14 hours, we landed at JFK. At this stage we were getting a little nervous because we needed to find the Greyhound station in NYC. However, we had an incredible stroke of luck...

Seated close to us was a guy who started talking to us after seeing our SA flag and hearing our Afrikaans accent. He said that he's originally from Kenya, but has been living in PHILADELPHIA for the last 20 years! It was truly a godsend. He offered us a lift to Philly and soon we were driving down I95. Our initial impressions of the US of A was absolutely incredible.Our newest friend was incredibly friendly and even invited us to Thanksgiving lunch! He was very impressed when he heard about our love for da Birds and our knowledge of Footy.

After a long drive through traffic, we finally found our hotel. It must have been quite a picture, because I was walking around in shorts that I had worn in SA, while it was freezing at night here in Philadelphia! Truly South African. We are now getting pumped up for tonight's game and we're really looking forward to meeting up with the one and only 700 Level! 

All of this is still very surreal. I really can't believe that we are in this great city. I'm looking forward to seeing the sights as well, and we'll be off to center city soon. So guys I have finally made it to the city of my dreams, and in a few hours I will be joining my fellow Eagles fans at the field of dreams - Lincoln Financial, home of the Philadelphia Eagles: E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

Donovan McNabb posted his latest blog today on Yardbarker.com and I have to tell you, I have been following all of his activity on the site, but nothing he has written before comes close to this.

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This "Pint Glass" moron that posted yesterday about the Eagles not having WR's is a clown. There was a poll held on Blogging the Boys where they decided to ignore him. This punk thinks because his gaymen won the SB, he can go around the East and talk crap about all the other teams. He has never posted ANYTHING on his supposed team's blog, Big Blue View. All he has done is post bogus articles on the Cowboys' page, and guess what...After they decided to ignore him, he joined BGN...YESTERDAY!

So it's quite clear that he has now moved on to start posting nonsense about the Eagles. In a case of showing the world how unified we are, I present all Birds fans on this site with a challenge:

Ignore this idiot from the start. Do not post ONE single comment on any of his posts. Just leave him to wallow in his own dirt. Ignore him, he doesn't exist. Instead, go ahead and reply to the great articles being posted daily by our fellow Bleed Greeners. Show this guy what we're made of.  

American football and rugby are the two most popular team contact sports in the world. But how do the sports differ? Not when looking at the rules, but when examining the characteristics of the games? There are many different ways to compare the game of rugby to football. This is an issue I have dealt with quite extensively as an NFL fan in the rugby-crazed South Africa. Obviously the sentiment over here is usually that rugby is much more tough, and basically the harder game of the two. I’m not quite sure if one can come to that conclusion either way, but I am going to try and compare them as objectively as possible. I have very good rugby knowledge, and I also understand the nuances of football as well as anyone that has never played the game possibly can.

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[Note by cavortingEagle, 07/04/08 8:52 AM MDT Promoted from Fanposts]
May and June certainly isn't the time to read too much into the state of an NFL football team. But we are in July now, and perhaps this time just before training camp is the perfect time to look at what the prospects for the upcoming season are, especially when compared to previous years. 

There are a few very important things that stand out to me at this point. I remember an article by Dave Spadaro about the same time last year, where he posed the question: "Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the biggest position battle is between the punters?" This is a good point to start from. He went on to say that time will tell. Obviously that is in the history books now, and time has indeed told. It was not good for this team. During training camp last year the biggest question marks involved the punter and the development of Broderick Bunkley. That was it. Looking back, this may have been a factor involved in the release of Jeremiah Trotter. A year on, it is clear that the linebackers that have replaced him and Takeo Spikes is a source of good competition. And eventhough I still yearn to have Trot on the field in green on Sundays, I must admit that the prospect of the current linebacking corps gets me very excited. This could be an example of where increased competition has improved the team.

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I'm really making progress on my USA trip. This is the time where I am asking you guys for a favour...

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Okay guys, it seems the mayhem has passed. I posted a comment on the article "Single-game tickets on sale tomorrow", explaining what I did. I ordered tickets from ticketsnow.com for the Cardinals game. Section 223, row 18, seats 21-23 for $102 a piece. Eventhough vividseats were cheaper, the shipping and handling costs are much cheaper here. I ended up paying 392 bucks, which is still a lot of money, but its the cheapest when considering that they have to come to SA. 700...There are still 4 tickets available on www.ticketsnow.com for $102, I advise you to buy them before they go. I would absolutely love tailgating with u before the game as well! Everyone else should also check this out, it is the best tix you will be able to find now. Anyone else going to the Cards game, let me know here.

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The Eagles have moved Dan Klecko back to DT. This seems to finally prove that his FB experiment is over. It is quite possible that Klecko could now be released after training camp and some people might be tempted to call this whole mess a disaster now. So where does this leave the Eagles at FB? The answer is that the Birds are no better off than with Thomas Tapeh and Jason Davis on the roster and quite possibly in worse shape. It seems we will have to bank on Davis, Luke Lawton and rookie Jed Collins to surprise us. I don't see that happening. Eventhough FB isn't the most important position in the Eagles' system, the coaches have certainly tried to upgrade it, which means that they weren't comfortable with it. But I don't see anyone being comfortable with this situation. The Klecko situation has blown up in our faces, let's hope it can be salvaged. Check out www.philadelphiaeagles.com for the source.

According to Allthingsphillysports, the Eagles are looking at playing Lito at WR. I don't know what to think about this. If Sheppard gets injured while playing only defense, the logical assumption is that he would be even more injury prone when playing both sides of the ball. He has good hands and is very good with the ball in his hands, no doubt about that. He certainly would be no red zone threat, and would simply be another speedy 5 foot 10 wideout. The positive side is that there would certainly be a lot of speed and explosiveness with Curtis, Jackson, Sheppard, Booker and Westbrook. Let's wait and see if the Eagles actually decide to do this. Pretty interesting. Check out http://allthingsphillysports.blogspot.com/2008/05/lito-sheppard-could-play-reciever.html

The draft passed in a flurry of trades for Eagles fans. We have all analyzed the picks, and graded the draft in our minds. But I want to share with the you the way in which I experienced the draft.

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Hey guys. I want to start this post by stating that this has nothing to do with the NFL, or even our WR obsession. I realize and understand that this is an Eagles blog page, but I am sure that this wil interest someone out there.

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I was really impressed by the response given to the recent article on Yardbarker.com by 'J' titled 'Open Letter to Donovan McNabb'. The topic of fan critisism really got me thinking about the perceptions that surround the fans of the Philadelphia Eagles.

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The recent history of the Eagles has been one filled with surprises. When looking at the time that Andy Reid has been in control, there have been a lot of highs and lows, as well as many surprises, good and bad. Since as recently as three years ago, a lot has happened in Philly. The 2004 season saw the Eagles reaching the Superbowl, 2005 featured the meltdown between Owens and McNabb and the season 2006 saw the resurrection of Jeff Garcia and the Eagles. But 2007 had even more in store in the form of surprises, and it's not over yet.

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