Wellness

[gardenman]

Hey, I'm rooting for the Redskins to sweep the Cowboys next week too! That's the only chance the Eagles have of getting in the playoffs now. We need the Cowboys to lose their last two games and the Redskins are their last game. I need the Colts to come through today with a win and then the Redskins next week. God willing we'll have Nick Foles back at quarterback instead of Mark (Oops, I did it again) Sanchez. With Nick back under center we'd have a shot at doing something. Despite playing behind the worst offensive line imaginable he was able to cobble together 6 wins in eight games before getting hurt, so now with a solid line in front of him, we'd have a chance to do some damage in the playoffs.

[Spurt]

On 12/21/2014 gardenman said:

Yeah, the Eagles played an undisciplined game and it came back to bite them. Even then we were driving to take the lead and win the game late in the fourth quarter when Mark Sanchez made one of his classic bone-headed throws that was picked off. Assuming the Cowboys don't lose out (and they shouldn't, but who knows) the season is over for the Eagles.) On to next season.

Many in Philly want the Eagles to get a new starting QB this off-season, but I'm still happy with Foles. He was 6-2 as a starter despite playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in football for the first half of the season. We used twelve different offensive linemen during those games and only used the same starters twice, we had essentially no real running game and little pass protection during that stretch, yet Foles found a way to win six of the eight games he started before finally succumbing to injuries.

Quarterback only became an issue when media favorite Mark Sanchez took over. Many in the press wanted Sanchez as the starter after his preseason performance, and then when he performed reasonably well in his first start they anointed him the next Marino, They aren't nearly as fond of him now and neither's the team. It was telling how many players were looking forward to the possibility of Nick Foles coming back last week until the x-rays showed his shoulder wasn't healed enough.

Mark Sanchez just hates to throw the ball down the field. He loves those five to ten yard passes in the middle of the field and defenses know it. They'll give him those all day long knowing that sooner or later he'll end up throwing even one of those short passes right to a defender instead of one of his guys. Chip Kelly's offense spreads the field sideline to sideline and shallow to deep. Mark Sanchez voluntarily gives most of that back to the defense by not throwing the ball deep or wide and sticking to short passes over the middle. The Eagles need to stick to quarterbacks who can/will use the whole field to make defenses defend the whole field. That opens up running lanes for the backs and gives receivers more space in which to work.

At least now the stress of trying to make the playoffs is largely gone. Barring a complete and utter collapse by the Cowboys we're done. I wouldn't be shocked to see Matt Barkley get the start next week if the Eagles are eliminated from the playoff hunt. Give him a chance to see what he can do with a week of practice with the starters. We know what Sanchez can do and it's not pretty. Give Barkley a chance and get a feel for how he'll respond given the opportunity.

Hey GARDENMAN....may I offer my condolences and just say I was SHOCKED...really SHOCKED at the results of this game....But I think it was more of the Eagles beating themselves, than Washington playing especially well. .....the missed field goals, penalties, and problems in the secondary. Robert did not play especially well, just a couple of lucky throws and key penalties helped him, and a determined DeSean Jackson. It was great of Trent Williams to come back into the game and play hurt to help protect Robert and my team did make an effort instead of packing it in and starting the off season a little early.

Sanchez certainly lost himself not only the Eagles backup job, but any job in the NFL with his interceptions and mistakes in this game.

If I were the Eagles I'd stick with Foles and see what you got in Barkley.

Griffin he is at best a backup QB....even though he did improve he still gave away who he was throwing too.....he's trying, but not showing me enough to put Washington's future in his hands....

If I could have a QB not named Rodgers, Brady, Peyton Manning or Luck it would be Philip Rivers....he may make mistakes, but then he brings his game and got his team a win, he has a fire in him....and the team believes in him!!!I know he's not available, but I like his style!

Now Gardenman.....you still have hope....if the Colts beat the Cowboys, and if a miracle happens and we sweep the Boyz you may get a Christmas gift....

[gardenman]

What the heck happened to the Saints this year??? That's a team that's likely to undergo a fairly radical off-season purge. They've had control of their own destiny and have completely blown it. They're now eliminated from the playoff hunt. I'm betting Rob Ryan will be looking for work in the very near future and most of his staff will likely join him. There's a pretty good chance that Rob and Rex Ryan both will be out of jobs in the very near future.

Atlanta and Carolina play a winner take all game next week for the NFC South. That could be an interesting game.

[gardenman]

That was an ugly first half for the Colts. They caught the Cowboys forgetting to cover a gunner on their first punt and made a perfect pass to the guy for an easy first down only to have him drop the ball. Then pretty much every Colt receiver dropped passes while their defense did the same thing the Eagles did and tried to cover Dez Bryant man to man with no safety help. (Hint: It doesn't work!)

Barring a miraculous comeback by the Colts or an epic collapse by the Cowboys, the Cowboys have got the NFC East this year. Kudos to them as nearly no one had any realistic expectations of the Cowboys even being competitive this year.

[teganslaw]

I missed the Colts game yesterday. We were short at work, so I ended up working a double shift. (I work at a hospital, so shifts have to be covered). Whenever I had a chance I went into the break room and checked the score, as the game was on the TV. I was taping the game at home, but I probably won't watch it. Turned out for the better that I didn't see it.

I saw highlights online, and am not giving any excuses: the Colts were bad. Dallas had more to play for, but 42 points? T Y Hilton was out, but that wasn't the only problem. Dropped passes, couldn't stop the run, bad o-line, what didn't go wrong? At least they avoided a shutout. But Indy did not look like a playoff team; they are going to be one and done if they don't straighten up. Then there is New England, Denver, Pittsburgh and possible San Diego waiting in the wings. We're doomed!

Congrats to the Cowboys. Everyone expected them to fold in December like in the past, but this is a different team. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go all the way. They did beat Seattle earlier this year, so that might not even stop them.

I'm almost afraid the check the Colts forums; they probably exploded by now.

[sunshine45]

sigh............absolutely HATED that game yesterday! although i am going to miss football i am almost glad for my RAVENS to have a break! that was one lousy game for us and they kept saying it was one of flaccos worst games in his entire career. it will take a miracle for us to be able to make it into the playoffs at this point, but it would help to get a bengal loss tonight! i am not even sure at this point what has to happen to get us in.

this is what happens when everyone says we have an "easy" schedule for our last three games and everyone else in our division had more difficult schedules. i have to say though we were a tough division all year long!

there were some crazy scores and crazy games yesterday!

[gardenman]

The Colts had opportunities, but things spiraled out of control pretty quickly. Had they completed that fourth down pass to the gunner when the Cowboys forgot to cover him, the momentum would have gone the Colts way and chances are the outcome in that game would have been different. When the gunner dropped it, the Cowboys gained the momentum and never let it go.

Baltimore has been a weird team for the last few years. They'll look great for a few games and then just disappear for a few games. Houston's not a bad team. If they can fix their quarterback situation they'll be a big time contender. If Jadeveon Clowney comes back at anything resembling his old self after his knee surgery and teams up opposite JJ Watt, that Houston defense will be terrifying.

I'm thrilled to report that a few of the local media who have been Nick Foles haters have now taken a longer look at the stats and discovered that Foles really wasn't a bad quarterback this year. He compiled a 6-2 record, going against pretty good defenses behind a patchwork offensive line with no running game to complement the passing game. As they look more and more at what he did, you're hearing fewer complaints about how Nick played. (If you take out Nick's really bad game against the Niners his numbers are very close to the best quarterback's in the league.) Mark Sanchez on the other hand played against some of the poorest defenses in the league and performed pretty miserably. The old saying is the most popular quarterback on a team is the backup. Foles now has the advantage of being out and Sanchez is under the microscope and Nick Foles is looking a lot better in comparison.

The local media will still be upset that the Eagles don't do whatever it takes to get Marcus Mariota, but trading up that high to get him would cripple the team for years to come. If the team holding the first pick loved Nick Foles you could include him in the trade and maybe get away with only trading two or three first round picks for Mariota, but even that price is too high in my opinion. I still like Foles over anyone else out there.

[Sheltie Mom]

Well, I sure missed my opportunity last week to stop by and jump up and down after the Bills beat the Packers, shoot... Now I'm back in the way too familiar territory of total team collapse that's almost inexplicable... Except that it's the Bills. Sigh.... and this week comes Tom Terrific... This looks do able! Go Bills!

[gardenman]

If the Bills' defense plays against Brady like they did against Rodgers, then they could win. I think the Packers are a better team than the Patriots (at least on offense) so if the Bills can do that to the Packers they could do it to the Pats too.

What the heck happened to Peyton Manning last night??? Four interceptions? That's not like him. I think I'll root for the Bengals to win at least one playoff game this year since they've had such a miserable playoff run in recent years. If they lose again in the first round they may just kill themselves. They need to win a playoff game.

I'm not sure there is a dominant team in the playoffs this year. Pretty much any of the teams could get hot and go on a bit of a roll. It promises to be an entertaining post season.

[teganslaw]

That was not the same Cincinnati team the Colts faced earlier this season. I have no idea how they were shutout before; they really took it to Denver. Some of Manning's interceptions were just bad decisions. He and his receivers weren't on the same page. There was a hint of the usual Peyton at the beginning of the third quarter, but things then fell apart.

The Colts are # 4 seed no matter what happens next week against Tennessee. Pagano says that he is not resting starters. I don't know if they'll play the whole game, though. It probably depends on how things go. The Colts will play the loser of the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game. The winner will head the AFC North. I would like Cincinnati to win a playoff game, since they've had such bad luck. But Pittsburgh will be a challenge, although I don't think the score will be quite as bad as last time. This Cincinnati team will not be a pushover, either. The playoffs are going to be interesting. Everything is going through New England (again!). It must be fate.