Late Game Coma Proves Fatal For Eagles

It was the same old story Sunday afternoon in Nashville. The only twist was a depressing, unhappy ending, leaving a rotten taste in the mouths of the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans. The schizophrenic personality of this team once again flipped on a dime as the Eagles dropped a seemingly winnable contest, 37-19, to the Tennessee Titans.

The theme was much the same as in previous weeks where the Birds appeared to be in complete control in the first half of play. Similar to the games against the 49ers and Lions, the Eagles kept the Titans off balance with a steady dose of Lesean McCoy on the ground and catching the ball out of the backfield. All the while, featuring an efficient, ball control passing attack with Kevin Kolb, who was operating without premier deep threat Desean Jackson. But unlike the standard script, the defensive second half nap caused a nauseating collapse.

The Eagles defensive unit did an admirable job of containing the leagues most dangerous weapon, Chris Johnson. They stacked the line of scrimmage with extra muscle in the box and provided little running room for Johnson, who managed only 66 yards from 24 carries. On most weeks, playing against an average corps of receivers and an aging QB in Kerry Collins, it would have been more than enough to secure a victory. But, today, with the mere flip of a switch, the Titans smash mouth, vanilla offense began to systematically derail the Eagle's young secondary with an aerial assault.

Kerry Collins appeared to magically turn back the clock and second year receiver, Kenny Britt, looked every bit the role of a pro bowl receiver. That is just how awful this Eagles defense was in the second half of play. Britt torched them in horrific fashion for a career high 225 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns. Safeties Nate Allen and Quintin  Mikell took turns demonstrating their inadequacies in coverage. Both allowed Britt to easily step behind them on multiple occasions and lacked the recovery speed to make plays on the deep ball.

This display was particularly disturbing as we look toward a game against the Indianapolis Colts after the bye week. If this defense struggled with the deadly attack of Collins to Britt, how will they respond when faced with Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne? The high powered Colts offense not only features multiple options at wide receiver but also has a fuctional running attack .

As we move to the comfort of a much needed bye week, Eagles fans look for some type of encouraging reassurance. Maybe it comes from the theory that most NFC teams are sailing in the same boat of mediocrity. Most of your division leaders are in a struggle to stay over .500 and only the Atlanta Falcons have reached 5 wins, prior to the Sunday late games. And this is the same Falcons team that the Eagles exposed to have plenty of defensive flaws of their own.

I have never been one to hang my hat on the look how bad the rest of the league is card. History has shown that certain teams will pull their act together and take shape as legitimate playoff contenders. If the Eagles have any aspirations of reaching this goal, they will need to consistently play two complete halves of football. Anything less will only strive to improve their position in next years NFL draft.

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Vick Goes Hero To Goat With Sunday Flop

You can almost feel the euphoria and feelings of adoration for Michael Vick in the city of brotherly love. Three straight dynamite performances, including one near flawless clinic last week, have the boisterous locals ready to hand over the keys to the city. Vick has looked every part of a  complete, polished version of his younger Pro Bowl self. But just how far will the bandwagon support travel, if he fails miserably on Sunday?

While both starting quarterbacks have done their absolute best to downplay any hype for Sunday's divisional rivalry, not a soul is buying the company line. They know very well just how much is at stake when they square off and would relish nothing more than to outperform the other while leading their team to victory. It is a game of vindication, a long awaited time for both stars to prove the exact reason that the are or should have been the right man for the job. For McNabb this is the big stage opportunity to prove to Philadelphia fans and Eagle's management that he always was the proper captain of the ship and that Andy Reid's pass happy system failed him in the end. While Vick looks to reward the organization for taking an enormous risk on him and his badly damaged reputation, by proving that moving McNabb was just the first order of business in building a championship team.

It almost seems unfair to place such an unreasonable amount of pressure on Vick for one built up showdown. By all rights he should not have to bear the burden of a decade of festering  and misplaced anger toward McNabb. He was not a part of the organization when Donovan was viciously jeered when drafted by Philadelphia. Vick was never a part of those NFC Championship losses and surely never was in the Super Bowl huddle when McNabb vomited from exhaustion or nerves. So why would a man who shares none of the history nor pain be forced to bear that burden? Why would a quarterback who was firmly in place as a backup up until a week ago be expected to overshadow a potential Hall of Fame quarterback? Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Philadelphia sports in a nutshell. The field general could be Joe Montana himself and these fans would talk about this game 20 years for now if he fell on his face and was out dueled by McNabb.

Don't believe me? Can't imagine that emotions could sway so quickly and intensely from month to month, game to game and day to day there? Just ask Jolly ole Saint Nick and his sack full of presents and mouthful of snowballs, how it feels to get a warm Philadelphia welcome. Or perhaps survey Michael Irvin as to how he felt to hear obnoxious cheers as he was embedded in the Vet turf wondering if he would ever walk again. Look, I'm a passionate Philadelphia sports fan and my intention is not to stereotype all of us as unsupportive or cold hearted human beings. But what I will guarantee you is that this city does not permit lame excuses for failure in its sports teams. And if you want any shot to survive the storm, you better have skin thicker than your standard swamp alligator.

For further proof of volatility, consider the fact that many merchandising shops and fans refused to sell or buy Michael Vick jerseys after his initial signing in Philadelphia. There was a somewhat ignorant NFL fan subculture that would isolate you for buying and wearing one of the Eagle green number 7 jerseys. The brave souls would be forced to deal with harsh dog pound comments and even be pressured to look over their shoulders for signs of PETA supporters hiding in the crowd. But success and winning are always the ultimate equalizer in this sport. Those same sports gift shops are now making a precious mint on Vick merchandise and have even run the real risk of having demand outweigh supply for his jersey. And it has even been predicted that it could slide it's way, by seasons end, into the NFL's top ten wanted list.

Through all of the plot lines and anticipation, the truth remains that both quarterbacks will likely play very well come 4:15 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday. In all likelihood the game will be decided on defense, by the turnover battle, or logically, who protects their signal caller the best. But the inevitable truth is  that one of these competitors in this early season sideshow will walk away with a highly coveted victory for their team , their fans and their egos. And if either one of them answered in an honest, candid fashion, they would tell you that this game means damn near as much as any one they have participated in outside of playoff competition. For Vick this is the ultimate opportunity to provide another belt notch for what could be seen as one of the best sports comebacks of our generation. But let he not look too far ahead, for he is expected to first fulfill a hefty obligation to this city. Any failure to do so could leave him feeling like Santa Claus with no sleigh to escape.