NFL WILDCARD WEEKEND – EAGLES vs. COWBOYS
Wade Phillips needs one more win to keep his job as HC of the DC, and no one is rooting for him more than owner Jerry Jones.
It’s an uncomplicated relationship between Phillips and Jones.
Wade Phillips needs one more win to keep his job as HC of the DC, and no one is rooting for him more than owner Jerry Jones.
It’s an uncomplicated relationship between Phillips and Jones.
Let’s see now.
The best receiver just tore up every ligament in his left knee. The starting running back has a tendency to fumble the ball every time he touches it inside the opposing 5 yard line. The deep-threat receiver pouts when things don’t go exactly the way he wants them.
We all understand about playing the no-respect card. The Patriots used the tactic to motivate themselves to three Super Bowls.
The Ravens have employed a slightly different tack, complaining that the referees are always out to get them.
In a mega-game that everyone feels will be dominated by playmakers for both teams on both sides of the ball, will the outcome of the NFC East be determined by a substitute center?
Maybe.
Philadelphia’s offensive line has teetered between work in progress and absolute mess since the start of training camp, and now the Eagles will be forced to finish out with season without the one stabilizing force on the front five – center Jamaal Jackson, who suffered torn knee ligaments in the victory over Denver last Sunday.
Maybe Eric mangini isn’t happy unless he is being hated.
Mangini ticked off Bill Belichick by abruptly leaving the Patriots coaching staff a few years back, reportedly breaking an agreement the two had when Belichick made Mangini the defensive coordinator.
For the second time in three years the cranky old 1974 Dolphins are sweating bullets. Mercury Morris and his boys had part of their legacy chipped away when the 2007 Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season (before faltering in the Super Bowl). Now, less than two years later, the Colts are taking dead aim.
With the possible exception of Bernie Madoff, has there been a fall from grace more dramatic than that suffered by the Denver Broncos? From that blistering 6-0 start that included victories over the Bengals, Patriots, Cowboys and Chargers (who are now a combined 38-18), Denver enters Week 16 without a playoff spot yet locked down.
They’re circling the wagons on Foxboro, where the Holy Trinity of Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft is defending Randy Moss in an obvious desperate attempt to keep the wide receiver from completely checking out in the final three games of the season.
Much has been made of the Cincinnati Bengals’ conversion from a team dominated by hoodlums to a group that stays home on Friday and Saturday nights, which greatly enhances the team’s chances of winning on Sunday afternoons. But a more subtle metamorphosis has taken place, and it will be evident Sunday when Cincy travels to San Diego in an important Week 15 game.
One cannot understate how big Miami’s 22-21 win against New England was last Sunday. Not only was a big win against a divisional opponent, but it put Miami right back in the thick of things in the AFC East Division. The win allowed the Dolphins to completely absolve themselves after their ugly loss to Buffalo the week before.
So what’s the trick to beating the Indianapolis Colts?
Control the ball for large chunks of time? A lot of good that did the Dolphins.
Put a ton of points on the board? That helps, but the Patriots did that and still took an L.
Never, ever it is a good sign when an NFL owner talks on or off the record about the status of his head coach, but it’s Wade Phillips’s lot in life that Jerry Jones has never met a microphone that he didn’t like.
For those of us concerned that the undefeated Colts would just kick back for the rest of the season and make wagering on them the mother of all uncertain sciences, rest assured that Indy will keep the pedal to the meal for at least the next few weeks.
Here is what the 6-5 Giants will be sending out onto the field Sunday against the Cowboys in what is basically a playoff elimination game:
Where the Broncos went wrong this season is a serious topic of conversation in Colorado, even as the team uses its short week to get ready to play the equally dysfunctional Giants on Thanksgiving Day.
It’s about time to start protecting the good women and children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It’s nearly December, and watching the Dallas Cowboys play in December has forced hundreds of thousands of football fans to avert their eyes.