Eagles - Post Game Report

FINAL SCORE: Jets - 27 Eagles - 20

INDIVIDUAL STATS: RUSHING--N.Y. Jets, Chapman 29-93, Raymond 1-21, Ratliff 1-5, Caulcrick 2-2, Ainge 2-(minus 1). Philadelphia, Booker 11-36, Buckhalter 3-18, Feeley 4-15, Hunt 3-4, Davis 1-4, Kolb 1-4.

PASSING--N.Y. Jets, Ainge 10-16-0-131, Ratliff 3-4-0-48, Clemens 3-8-0-18. Philadelphia, Feeley 13-25-2-143, Kolb 13-21-0-138.

RECEIVING--N.Y. Jets, Chatman 6-87, Raymond 3-36, Henry 2-40, Ball 2-15, Keller 2-11, Pociask 1-8. Philadelphia, Booker 7-57, Childress 4-37, Gasperson 3-80, Celek 3-29, Baskett 2-41, Wilson 2-16, Hunt 2-6, McBride 1-8, Schobel 1-4, Davis 1-3.

MISSED FIELD GOALS-- None

TEAM STATS: NYJ Phi
First Downs: 20 20
Toal Net Yards: 286 362
Rushes-yards: 35-120 23-81
Passing: 166 281
Punt Returns: 1-1 3-22
Kickoff Returns: 4-110 4-137
Interceptions Ret.: 2-35 0-0
Comp-Att-Int: 16-28-0 26-46-2
Sacked-Yards Lost: 4-31 0-0
Punts: 4-49.8 2-36.5
Fumbles-Lost:1-0 1-1
Penalties-Yards: 2-20 4-35
Time Of Possesion: 31:22 28-38


SCORING SUMMARY:

N.Y. Jets 0 10 7 10 -- 27
Philadelphia 10 3 0 7 -- 20

First Quarter
Phi--FG Akers 40, 10:44
Phi--Booker 3 run (Akers kick), 4:36

Second Quarter
NYJ--FG Nugent 22, 11:30
Phi--FG Akers 28, 6:10
NYJ--Raymond 11 pass from Ratliff (Nugent kick) 2:25

Third Quarter
NYJ--Ball 6 pass from Ainge (Nugent kick), 8:36

Fourth Quarter
NYJ--FG Nugent 34, 11:25
Phi--Childress 3 pass from Feeley (Akers kick), 9:30
NYJ--Chatman 2 run (Nugent kick), 6:26

ATTENDANCE: 67, 594

Eagles Gameday

Who: Philadelphia Eagles (2-1) vs New York Jets (2-1)

What: NFL Football

Where: Lincoln Financial Field - Home Of The Eagles in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
When: Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 6:30 PM

Coverage: TV - ETN/6ABC
Radio - 94.1 WYSP

Eagles Post-Game Report

FINAL SCORE: Eagles - 27 Patriots - 17

INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING - Philadelphia, Westbrook 9-39, Moats 9-27, Hunt 6-16, Buckhalter 4 -14, Booker 1-8, J. Davis 1-6.
New England, Morris 5-24, Cassel 1-22, Maroney 5-18, Green-Ellis 5-6, Gutierrez 2-4, Faulk 1-(minus 4), Moss 1-(minus 5).

PASSING - Philadelphia, McNabb 13-17-0-180, Kolb 9-14-0-106.
New England, Cassel 8-14-0-60, Gutierrez 14-20-0-207.

RECEIVING - Philadelphia, D. Jackson 4-67, L. Smith 3-44, Gasperson 2-57, Avant 2-19, Baskett 2-15, McBride 2-14, Childress 2-13, Westbrook 1-19, Lewis 1-16, Celek 1-12, Wilson 1-7, Booker 1-3.
New England, Ventrone 4-49, C. Jones 3-70, Evans 3-34, Gaffney 3-12, D. Thomas 2-28, C. Jackson 2-17, Devree 1-31, Green-Ellis 1-18, Washington 1-8, Moss 1-6, Faulk 1-4.

MISSED FIELD GOALS - None

TEAM STATS Phi NE
First Downs 20 18
Total Net Yards 390 319
Rushes-yards 30-110 20-65
Passing 280 254
Punt Returns 2-76 2-0
Kickoff Returns 4-160 5-139
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 22-31-0 22-34-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 1-6 4-23
Punts 4-48.5 5-44.8
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 8-121 10-81
Time of Possesion 31:53 28:07

SCORING SUMMARY

Philadelphia 3 21 3 0 -- 27
New England 0 3 0 14 -- 17

First Quarter
Phi--FG Akers 24, 8:17

Second Quarter
Phi--Avant 7 pass from McNabb (Akers kick), 9:36
NE--FG Gostkowski 35, 1:48
Phi--Demps 101 kickoff return (Akers kick), 1:35
Phi--D.Jackson 76 Punt Return (Akers kick), :00

Third Quarter
Phi--FG Akers 24, 4:09

Fourth Quarter
NE--C.Jackson 1 pass from Gutierrez (Gostkowski kick), 13:49
NE--C.Jones 9 pass from Gutierrez (Gostkowski kick), :41

ATTENDANCE--68,756

Kevin Curtis Injury

Bad News - Kevin Curtis has a sports hernia. He underwent surgery the other day and will be out for an undetermined amount of time. Therefore, rookie Desean Jackson will start tonight with Greg Lewis and Hank Baskett rotaing on the other side.

Eagles Gameday: Eagles vs Patriots

Who: Philadelphia Eagles(1-1) vs New England Patriots(0-2)

What: NFL Football Game

Where: Gillette Stadium - Home Of The Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts

When: Friday, August 22, 2008 at 7:30 PM


Coverage: TV Channels - Eagles Televison Network (ETN)/6ABC
Radio Channels - FM: 94 WYSP AM: 610 WIP

Eagles Playlist

Hey guys - how do you like the Eagles playlist? Pretty cool, huh? Haha.

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 8 (1999-Present)

Resurgence would come under the leadership of new head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb, the first player Reid ever drafted. As Reid was a virtual unknown at the time of his selection as head coach, his appointment was met with considerable skepticism in Philadelphia. McNabb was also not considered a good choice to draft by Eagles fans. When he was drafted, many Eagles fans booed the selection, believing that the Eagles should draft Ricky Williams. The choices proved wise, however: with Reid leading the way and McNabb emerging as one of the game's great players, the Eagles won their first Eastern Division title since 1988 in 2001, a title that they did not relinquish until 2005. Following the 2001 season, the team also reached the first of four consecutive NFC title games.

The 2003 team lost its first two games, both at their new home. In the opening game of the 2003 season, the Eagles were shut out 17-0 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first regular-season game ever played at Lincoln Financial Field; by reaching the conference championship game in the same year as this defeat, they became the first team in modern history to get that far in the postseason after having been shut out at home in its first game. They achieved that distinction despite getting only five touchdown catches all year from their wide receivers, which tied the league low since the regular-season schedule was lengthened to its present 16 games in 1978 (this record would be broken in 2004 when the New York Giants' wide receivers caught only two touchdown passes). The Eagle receivers even went through both September and October without a TD catch — the last time an NFL team had done that was in 1945.

No doubt with the latter two facts in mind, the Eagles actively pursued premier wide receiver Terrell Owens, and acquired him in a controversial three-way deal with the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers, on March 16, 2004.

Super Bowl Run

The 2004 season began with a bang as Owens caught three touchdown passes from McNabb in their season opener against the New York Giants. Owens would end up with exactly 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdown receptions, although his season ended prematurely with an ankle injury on December 19, 2004 against the Dallas Cowboys. Their 12-7 victory in this game gave them home field advantage throughout the conference playoffs for the third year in a row. [This distinction also includes a "bye" in the first round (also known as the Wild Card Round) of the playoffs, which the top two teams in each conference receive.] The Eagles tied a record by clinching the NFC East division crown (their fourth straight such title) after only their eleventh game of the season, matching the mark set by the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 1997 San Francisco 49ers. Their final two regular-season games thus rendered meaningless, the Eagles sat out most of their first-string players in these games and lost them both, yet still finished with a 13-3 record, their best 16-game season ever. McNabb had his finest season to date, passing for 3,875 yards and 31 touchdowns, throwing only eight interceptions. This made him the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 30 or more TD passes and fewer than 10 interceptions in a single regular season. They then began their playoff run with the Divisional round at home against the sixth-seeded Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles led from the get-go and never looked back, as Donovan McNabb led a very efficient passing attack (21 of 33 for 286 yards and 2 TD's), Brian Westbrook dominated on the ground with 70 rushing yards, and Freddie Mitchell performed very well on the receiving corps (5 receptions for 65 yards and a TD), as Philadelphia won 27-14, setting up their fourth-straight NFC Championship appearance.

The Eagles' futility in Conference Championship games had become notorious. In 2001, the Eagles had fallen in the NFC Championship Game against the Rams in St. Louis, 29-24. In 2002, the Eagles hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Veterans Stadium and were widely viewed as the overwhelming favorites - this view no doubt accentuated by the expected emotional boost that many anticipated would power the team, given that the game was to be the last at "the Vet." After a promising start, however, the game slipped away, and the ensuing 27-10 loss devastated a fan base that had already become too accustomed to disappointment. In 2003, a banged-up Eagles squad managed to overcome numerous injuries, particularly to its defense, to reach the NFC Championship once more, only to lose to the visiting Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field by a score of 14-3.

On January 23, 2005, the Eagles reached an unprecedented (in the salary cap era of the NFL) fourth consecutive conference championship game. At long last, the Eagles justified the hopes of their long-suffering fan base, defeating Michael Vick's much-hyped Atlanta Falcons, 27-10, sending them to their first Super Bowl in 24 years. The victory sent the city of Philadelphia into wild celebrations. Alas, as has often been the case in Philadelphia sports, this ecstasy was short-lived. Two weeks later, the New England Patriots were victorious against the Eagles, 24-21, in Super Bowl XXXIX.

2005-Present

The 2005 season began in a strange and erratic fashion with a 14-10 road loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, a game in which Donovan McNabb suffered a chest bruise. In addition, Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was ejected prior to kick-off for getting involved in an altercation with Falcons cornerback Kevin Mathis. In the Week 2 home opener in Philadelphia, the Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers in a rout 42-3; however, Donovan McNabb was diagnosed with a sports hernia following the game. Weeks 3 and 4 saw the Eagles struggle somewhat but still manage to defeat the Oakland Raiders (23-20) and mount a stunning comeback from an 18-point deficit to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium (37-31). In week 5, the Eagles were manhandled by the Dallas Cowboys in Dallas, losing by 23 points (33-10). Following a bye week, the Eagles pulled off a miraculous 20-17 win against the San Diego Chargers when cornerback Matt Ware returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Fans hoped the play would “wake up” the Eagles and save the season similar to Brian Westbrook's fourth quarter punt return against the New York Giants in 2003. However, in week 8, the Eagles were unable to stop the running and passing attack of the Denver Broncos. The Eagles gained only 4 yards in the first quarter and allowed themselves to fall behind 28-0.

Wow. What A Game!

What a game! There are TONS of things I could post about last night's Eagles - Panthers pre-season game. First of all, I don't know about anyone else, but I've never had to wait for a game delay before. And what a 4th quarter! Awesome run by Tony Hunt for the score and then the tipped interception return by the rookie Justin Roland. That was great. Can't wait till next game!

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 7 (1991-1998)

With Ryan's firing by Norman Braman, Ryan's former Offensive Coordinator, Rich Kotite, took the helm of the franchise. Kotite would lead the Eagles to a 10-6 record in 1991 but, due to a particularly strong NFC, missed the playoffs (the team's cause was not helped by the season-ending injury incurred by Cunningham in the season's first game). In 1992, Kotite led the Eagles back into the postseason with an 11-5 record. In the Wild Card Round, the Eagles soundly beat the New Orleans Saints by a final score of 36-20. Dallas eliminated the Eagles in the next round (34-10). At the end of the season, DE Reggie White would leave the team through free agency. In 1993 and 1994, Kotite's Eagles would fall apart after initially promising starts, and missed the playoffs in each season. New owner Jeffrey Lurie proceeded to fire Kotite, who was almost immediately hired to coach the New York Jets, where he was by all accounts a miserable failure.

Lurie's choice to replace Kotite was San Francisco 49ers Defensive Coordinator Ray Rhodes, who successfully lobbied 49ers star Ricky Watters to join the team as a free agent. In 1995, Rhodes's first season, the Eagles got off to a slow start by losing 3 out their first 4 games: they subsequently rebounded, finishing with a 10-6 record and a playoff spot. In the Wild Card Round, the Eagles played at home and overwhelmed the Detroit Lions 58-37, with 31 of Philadelphia's points coming in the second quarter alone. Despite this dominating performance, yet again, the Eagles were eliminated in the next round by the Dallas Cowboys (30-11). Ironically, this would be Randall Cunningham's last game as an Eagle. Cunningham would score the only touchdown of the game and the last Eagles post-season touchdown until the Eagles defeated Tampa in the 2000-2001 playoffs.

1995 was perhaps most notable in that it signaled the end of Randall Cunningham's tenure as starting quarterbacking. Rhodes benched Cunningham in favor of the Rodney Peete. Before the benching, news reports circulated that owner Jeffrey Lurie and Head Coach Ray Rhodes tried to trade Cunningham to the Arizona Cardinals.

In 1996, the Eagles got off to a good start, winning three of their first four games. However, a week-5 Monday night game at Veterans Stadium against the hated Cowboys would witness a season-ending knee injury to Peete and the loss of the team's momentum, and the transition to an offense led by Ty Detmer and Watters. While Watters would have a wonderful season, running for 1,411 yards, the season followed an all-too-familiar pattern: 10-6 record, and early elimination (14-0 to the 49ers) in the playoffs. In 1997 and 1998, Rhodes deteriorated under the stress of the job, and the team spiraled to the bottom of the standings. A quarterback controversy began under Rhodes and was never resolved. Left with little choice after a 3-13 campaign, fan revolt and sagging team morale, Lurie fired Rhodes.

Game Tomorrow Night

Well, the Eagles play their second pre-season game tomorrow night, against the Carolina Panthers. Asante Samuel is expected to play a good amount of the game, so that's a plus. Hopefully, they can pull out their first win of the season, including pre-season.

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 6 (1980-1990)

In 1980, the team, led by coach Dick Vermeil, quarterback Ron Jaworski, running back Wilbert Montgomery, wide receiver Harold Carmichael, and linebacker Bill Bergey, dominated the NFC, facing its chief nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys, in the NFC Championship. The game was played in cold conditions in front of the Birds' faithful fans at Veterans Stadium. Led by an incredible rushing performance from Montgomery, whose long cutback TD run in the first half is surely one of the most memorable plays in Eagles history, and a gutsy performance from fullback Leroy Harris, who scored the Eagles' only other TD that day, the Birds earned a berth in Super Bowl XV with a 20-7 victory.

The Eagles traveled to New Orleans for Super Bowl XV and were heavy favorites to knock off the upstart Oakland Raiders. Things did not go the Eagles' way, beginning with the disastrous decision by Tose to bring comedian Don Rickles into the pregame locker room to lighten the mood. Rod Martin, setting up an Oakland touchdown, intercepted Jaworski’s first pass of the game. Later in the first quarter, a potential game-tying 40-yard touchdown pass to Rodney Parker was nullified by an illegal motion penalty. Veteran journeyman quarterback Jim Plunkett was named the game's MVP. In a bizarre coincidence, Joe Kuharich died on the same day.

The Eagles got off to a great start in the 1981 season, winning their first six games. They eventually ended up 10-6 and earned a wild card berth. However, they were unable to repeat as NFC champs when they got knocked out in the wild card round by the New York Giants, 27-21. After the Eagles finished 3-6 in 1982, Vermeil quit the team, citing "burnout." Defensive coordinator Marion Campbell, aka “the Swamp Fox”, replaced him. Campbell had helped to popularize the "bend-don't-break" defensive strategy in the 1970s. Under Campbell, however, the team struggled, although his stweardship was notable in that it saw the arrival of all-time football greats Reggie White and Randall Cunningham.

Campbell's reign of error ended in 1986, when Buddy Ryan was named head coach. Immediately infusing the team with his tough, hard-as-nails attitude, the Eagles quickly became known for their tough defense and tougher personalities. Under Ryan, the Eagles made the first of three straight playoff appearances in 1988, although the team did not win a postseason game in any of those years. This failure was greatly frustrating to many Eagles fans, as the team was commonly acknowledged as among the most talented in the NFL. On offense, quarterback Cunningham, one of the most exciting players of his generation; tight end Keith Jackson; and running back Keith Byars led the Eagles. The defense is commonly acknowledged as among the greatest in league history, and as the best never to win a championship. In 1991, the Eagles became the first NFL team since 1975 to rank first in the league in both rushing and passing yardage allowed, but were unable to reach the playoffs despite a 10-6 record. Along with White, notable defensive stars included Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner, Eric Allen, Wes Hopkins, and Andre Waters.

Perhaps most reflective of this era was a playoff loss to the Chicago Bears on December 31, 1988, in the infamous "Fog Bowl" at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Eagles were poised that season to make a run toward the Super Bowl, but in a turn of bad luck, a thick fog clouded Soldier Field that day, keeping the Eagles from playing their usual style and leading to a devastating loss, 20-12.

On November 12, 1990, during a Monday Night Football game at the Vet, the Eagles crushed the Washington Redskins by a score of 28-14, with the defense scoring three of the team's four touchdowns. More lopsided than its score would indicate, the game quickly acquired the sobriquet "the Body Bag Game," attesting to the physical damage inflicted by the tougher Eagles squad. The Eagles knocked out the starting Washington quarterback, and then seriously injured his replacement as well. Running back Brian Mitchell, who would later be signed by the Eagles, was forced to play quarterback for the Redskins. Unfortunately, the Redskins returned to Veterans stadium in the first round of the playoffs and defeated the Eagles 20-6, ending their season.

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 5 (1970-1979)

In 1971, the Eagles moved from Franklin Field to brand-new Veterans Stadium. In its first season, the “Vet” was widely acclaimed as a triumph of ultra-modern sports engineering, a consensus that would be short-lived. Equally short-lived was Williams’s tenure as head coach: after a 3-10-1 record in 1970 and three consecutive blowout losses to open the 1971 season, Williams was fired and replaced by assistant coach Ed Khayat. Khayat proved little better, and was released after another dismal season in 1972. Offensive guru Mike McCormick, who, aided by the skills of Roman Gabriel and towering young receiver Harold Carmichael, managed to infuse a bit of vitality into a previously moribund offense, replaced Khayat. New general manager Jim Murray also began to add talent on the defensive side of the line, most notably through the addition of future Pro Bowl linebacker Bill Bergey. Overall, however, the team was still mired in mediocrity. McCormick was fired after a 4-10 1975 season, and replaced by a college coach unknown to most Philadelphians. That coach would become one of the most beloved names in Philadelphia sports history: Dick Vermeil.

Vermeil faced numerous obstacles as he attempted to rejuvenate a franchise that had not seriously contended in well over a decade. Despite the team’s young talent and Gabriel’s occasional flashes of brilliance, the Eagles finished 1976 with the same result – a 4-10 record – as in 1975. 1977, however, saw the first seeds of hope begin to sprout. Trade obtained rifle-armed quarterback Ron Jaworski with the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for popular tight end Charlie Young. The defense, led by Bergey and defensive coordinator Marion Campbell, began earning a reputation as one of the hardest hitting in the league. By the next year, the Eagles had fully taken Vermeil’s enthusiastic attitude, and made the playoffs for the first time since 1960. Young running back Wilbert Montgomery became the first Eagle since Steve Van Buren to exceed 1,000 yards in a single season. (1978 also bore witness to one of the greatest, and unquestionably most surreal moment in Eagles history: "The Miracle at the Meadowlands," when Herman Edwards returned a late-game fumble by Giants' quarterback Joe Pisarcik for a touchdown with 20 seconds left, resulting in a 19-17 Eagles victory) By 1979, in which the Eagles tied for first place with an 11-5 record and Wilbert Montgomery shattered club-rushing records with a total of 1,512 yards, the Eagles were poised to join the NFL elite.

Check Out The Top Video

Just wanted to let everyone know, the first video on the video bar is an excellent clip. It has the perfect song for Eagles football, and if you watch it, you'll see why. I strongly reccomend.

Asante Samuel Feeling Better

Asante Samuel is actually expected to take a few snaps in the game Thursday against Carolina. He was looking good at camp Sunday, so let's just hope it stays that way. Samuel did not play in the Eagles pre-season opener against the Steelers last Friday night as he was bothered by a hamstring injury he suffered during the Eagles first day of camp in pads.

Shawn Andrews Reports

Shawn Andrews has finally reported to camp. If we could only gethim to play yet. Andrews reported to the Sunday afternoon practice, but he did not participate in camp. Andy Reid said he wants a face - to - face talk Andrews before he finalizes anything.

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 4 (1960-1969)

1960 remains the most celebrated year in Eagle history. Shaw, Van Brocklin and Bednarik (each in his last season before retirement) led a team more notable for its grit than its talent (one observer later quipped that the team had "nothing but a championship") to its first division title since 1949. On December 26, 1960, one of the coldest days in recorded Philadelphia history, the Eagles faced Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers in the NFL title game and dealt the mighty Lombardi the sole championship game loss of his storied career. Bednarik was the last NFL player to play an entire game without leaving the field in that game, lining up at center on offense and at linebacker on defense. Fittingly, the game ended as Bednarik tackled a struggling Jim Taylor and refused to allow him to stand until the last seconds had ticked away.

Flush with excitement from the 17-13 victory, with the talented Jurgensen poised to take the reins of the offense, the future looked promising indeed.

That promise, however, proved illusory.

In 1961, the Eagles finished just a half-game behind the New York Giants for first place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 10-4 record. Despite the on-the-field success, however, the franchise was in turmoil. Van Brocklin had come to Philadelphia and agreed to play through 1960 with the tacit understanding that, upon his retirement as a player, he would assume the mantle of Head Coach. Ownership, however, opted to hire Nick Skorich upon Buck Shaw’s retirement, and Van Brocklin quit the organization in a fit of pique. In 1962, the bottom dropped out as the team was decimated by injury and managed only three wins. The off-field chaos would continue through 1963, as the remaining 65 shareholders out of the original Happy Hundred sold the team to Jerry Wolman, a 36-year-old Washington developer who outbid local bidders for the team, paying an unprecedented $5,505,000 for control of the club. In 1964, Wolman hired former Cardinals and Washington Redskins coach Joe Kuharich to a 15 year contract.

Kuharich would prove utterly unworthy of the honor, wasting top-tier talent such as Timmy Brown, Ollie Matson, Ben Hawkins and Jurgensen and effectively running the franchise into the ground. At Kuharich’s insistence, Jurgensen was traded to the Redskins for Norm Snead in 1964: Jurgensen would go on to a Hall of Fame career while Snead, although serviceable, lacked the talent to lift the team out of mediocrity. By 1968, fans were in full revolt. Chants of “Joe must go” echoed through the increasingly empty bleachers of Franklin Field. Adding insult to injury, the Eagles managed to eke out meaningless wins in two of the last three games of the season, costing the franchise the first pick in the draft, and with it the opportunity to add O.J. Simpson to the roster. (With the second pick, the Eagles chose Leroy Keyes, who played only four years in an Eagles uniform.) The last game of 1968 helped cement the rowdy reputation of Philadelphia fans when they booed and threw snowballs at depiction of Santa Claus. By 1969, Wolman, a former millionaire, was bankrupt and the franchise under the administration of a federal bankruptcy court. At the end of the bankruptcy proceedings, the Eagles were sold to Leonard Tose, the self-made trucking millionaire and original member of the Happy Hundred. Tose's first official act was to fire Kuharich.

With an earned reputation as a fast-living high-flier, Tose infused the organization with some much-needed panache. Initially, however, he ran the team with more enthusiasm than ability, as was exemplified by his choice to replace Kuharich, the hapless Jerry Williams. Tose also selected former Eagles great Pete Retzlaff as General Manager.

I Got Another Glove

At the end of the game, I was able to catch another glove that one of the players used in the game. Chris Clemons threw his up while he ran into the tunnel to go to the locker room after the game. I was standing next to the tunnel to see if I would be lucky enough to get another glove from a player, and I was. Back in 2002 or 2003, I was at the Eagles - Steelers pre-season game and I got a glove from a player at the end there, too. I'm not positive who's it was, but if I remember correctly, I think it was Brandon Whiting's. He was cut or released a few years back. I'm very happy to be this lucky.

Tough Loss, But Looked Good

Well, I got back from Pittsburgh today. McNabb and the starters played great. They looked really good. Defense played pretty well, too. The team started to give up some points though when they put Kevin Kolb in. And then when they put in A.J. Feeley in, they gave up more points! I mean seriously!? When are they gonna get rid of him? I thought they had a chance to win when they were in the red zone at the end but Feeley being Feeley overthrew his receiver on third down and then was totally clueless that he had a receiver open on fourth down while he passes to a covered receiver and the Steelers deflect the pass. I am happy about the way McNabb is looking, though. I'm feeling pretty good about this year. And better yet, Westbrook got a new contract! They finally came to a contract agreement that allows him to receive as much as $24 Million over the next three seasons, which would more than double his previous contract, so I'll get a chance to see how the team looks after their first game.  

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 3 (1950-1959)

With the turn of the decade came another turn in team fortunes. After a whipping by the AAFC champion Cleveland Browns, who had just (with the other AAFC franchises) joined the NFL, the Eagles stumbled in the standings. 1950 proved Greasy Neale's last as head coach, and in 1951, Neale was replaced by Alvin "Bo" McMillan. McMillan, in turn, would get seriously ill the night before the season opener, and was replaced by Wayne Millner, who would last for all of one year before being replaced by Jim Trimble. While the remnants of the great 1940's teams managed to stay competitive for the first few years of the decade, and while younger players like Bobby Walston and Sonny Jurgensen occasionally provided infusions of talent, the team lacked the stuff of true greatness for most of the 1950s. In 1958, however, the franchise took key steps to improve, hiring Buck Shaw as Head Coach and acquiring Norm Van Brocklin in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. That year also saw the team move from Connie Mack Stadium (formerly Shibe Park) to Franklin Field, and attendance doubled. The 1959 squad showed real flashes of talent, and finished in second place in the Eastern Division.

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 2 (1940-1949)

The 1940s would prove a turbulent and ultimately triumphant decade for the young team. In 1940, the team moved from Philadelphia Municipal Stadium to Shibe Park. Lud Wray's half-interest in the team was purchased by Art Rooney, who had just sold the Pittsburgh Steelers to Alexis Thompson. Soon after, Rooney and Thompson swapped franchises, but not teams. Rooney's entire Eagles' corporate organization, including most of the players, moved to Pittsburgh (The Steelers' corporate name remained "Philadelphia Football Club, Inc." until 1945) and Thompson's Steelers moved to Philadelphia, leaving only the team nicknames in their original cities. Since NFL franchises are territorial rights distinct from individual corporate entities, the NFL does not consider this a franchise move and considers the current Philadelphia Eagles as a single unbroken entity from 1933. After assuming ownership, Thompson promptly hired Greasy Neale as the team's head coach. In its first years under Neale, the team continued to struggle. In 1943, when manpower shortages stemming from World War II made it impossible to fill the roster, the team temporarily merged with the Steelers to form a team popularly known as the "Steagles." The merger, never intended as a permanent arrangement, was dissolved at the end of the 1943 season. This season saw the team's first winning season in its 11-year history, with a finish of 5-4-1. In 1944, however, the Eagles finally experienced good fortune, as they made their finest draft pick to date: running back Steve Van Buren. At last, the team's fortunes were about to change.

Led by Van Buren and Neale, the Eagles became a serious competitor for the first time. They had their first winning season as a separate team in 1944. After two more second-place finishes (1945 and 1946), the Eagles reached the NFL title game for the first time in 1947. Van Buren, end Pete Pihos and Bosh Pritchard fought valiantly, but the young team fell to the Chicago Cardinals, 28-21, at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Undeterred, the young squad rebounded and returned to face the Cardinals once more in the 1948 championship. With home-field advantage (and a blinding snowstorm) on their side, the Eagles won their first NFL Championship, 7-0. Due to the severity of the weather, few fans were on hand to witness the joyous occasion. That would not be the case the following season, however, when the Eagles returned to the NFL championship game for the third consecutive year and won in dominating fashion in front of a large crowd in Los Angeles, beating the Los Angeles Rams, 14-0.

1949 also saw the sale of the team by Thompson to a syndicate of 100 buyers, each of who paid a fee of $3,000 for their share of the team. While the leader of the "Happy Hundred" was noted Philadelphia businessman James P. Clark, one unsung investor was Leonard Tose, a name that would eventually become very familiar to Eagles fans. The new regime's first draft pick was Chuck Bednarik, an All-American lineman/linebacker from the University of Pennsylvania. Bednarik would go on to become one of the greatest and most beloved players in Eagles history.

Last Post for A Couple Days

Well, this'll be my last post for a couple days 'cause I'll be out of town for a couple days in Pittsburgh for the game. Go Eagles!!!

More On Shawn Andrews

More on the Shawn Andrews Situation - The team says they expect Andrews to come to camp this week, so that's definitely a good sign. Although Andrews is the best starting lineman on the team, 3-year Eagles Max Jean-Gilles is looking real good playing in Andrews place. "Offensive Coordinator Marty Mornhinweg  wouldn't say if Jean-Gilles is the starter at right guard, but praised the third-year pro from Georgia for his performance." 

The History of The Philideldia Eagles; Part 1 (1933-1939)

In 1931, Philadelphia's representative in the National Football League, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, went bankrupt and ceased operations midway through the season. After more than a year searching for a suitable replacement, the NFL awarded its dormant Philadelphia franchise to a syndicate headed by former University of Pennsylvania teammates Lud Wray and Bert Bell, in exchange for an entry fee of $2,500. Drawing inspiration from the insignia of the centerpiece of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the National Recovery Act, Bell and Wray named the new franchise the Philadelphia Eagles.

The new team played its first game on October 15, 1933, against the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds in New York City. They lost the game 56-0. The Eagles struggled over the course of their first decade, enduring repeated losing seasons.

For the most part, the Eagles' rosters were composed of former Penn, Temple and Villanova players who put in a few years before going on to other things.

In 1935, Bell, by that point the team's General Manager, proposed an annual college draft to equalize talent across the league. The draft was a revolutionary concept in professional sports. Having teams select players in inverse order of their finish in the standings, a practice still followed today, strove to increase fan interest by guaranteeing that even the worst teams would have the opportunity for annual infusions of the best college talent. Having finished last in the standings, the Eagles were "honored" with the first pick, an opportunity they squandered by selecting the University of Chicago's Heisman Trophy-winning back, Jay Berwanger. Berwanger, who had no interest in playing professional football, elected to go to medical school instead. Fortunately for the Eagles, they had managed by then to trade his rights to the Chicago Bears.

The Eagles' first major recruiting success would come in 1939, with the signing of Texas Christian's All-America quarterback, Davey O'Brien; O'Brien proceeded to shatter numerous existing single-season NFL passing records in his rookie season. That year, the Eagles participated in the first televised football game, against the Brooklyn Dodgers, at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn (as was to be expected of the 1930s Eagles, they lost the game, 23-14).

Pre-Season Opener

Well, the Eagles' Pre-Season Opener is this upcoming Friday, which I will be going to as a matter of fact out in Pittsburgh, and Shawn Andrews hasn't reported yet. He says he is dealing with personal issues, such as depression, but yet his absence has not been excused yet by Coach Reid. The media says Shawn has been fighting this depression for at least more than a year, so we're all hoping he can get through this and focus on football and report to camp. If anyone has any comments about this post or any other post, feel free to comment on them.

Training Camp

Well, training camp is a little more than half way through, and there are still many unanswered questions. Hopefully Andy Reid and his team can figure these problems out and work out the kinks.