This is the type of Sunday I’ve been expecting all year. Both the Eagles and the Steelers won in good football games. That is, they beat good football teams. Pulled out an improbable victory against Dallas and the Eagles pretty much pwned the Giants. See, this is why the Eagles frustrate me so much, because I know what type of ball they’re capable of playing. With any consistency on defense, they’d have 10 wins and be in a much better position in the division. To even have a shot at the ‘offs, they’re gonna hafta run the table, which is gonna be difficult, but if they play well, they can do it. The Cowboys, on the other hand, after kinda righting the ship against mediocre opposition, they ran into team they couldn’t bully. But they still should’ve won that game.

Stillers, on the other hand, had no business winning. None. In a way, they’re like the opposite of the Eagles. The Eagles offense is averaging better than 24 points a game; I think they’re somewhere in the range of 26 per, but the defense is inconsistent. With the Steelers, you know good and well that the D is gonna ball out. Doesn’t mean they’re gonna throw shutouts, but you know that scoring opportunities are gonna be few and far between. I actually thought the Cowboys did a good job of taking advantage of the Steelers’ missed tackles. But there are only gonna be so many of those. Like, seriously…has Pittsburgh ever had a wack linebacker? It’s like every guy they get at linebacker is a hoss; like they have a factory somewhere in their practice facilities.

My dream of an Eagles-Stillers Super Bowl doesn’t look possible, but at least one of the squads is looking good.

I didn’t watch the Eagles on Thursday night, but I worried about them a little bit. I shouldn’t have. They crushed the Cardinals. But that’s a big part of what frustrates me about them. They’re totally schizophrenic. If the offense shows up, the defense stinks. When the defense plays well, there’s no offense. If you look at all their losses, with the exception of the Ravens game, the offense played well enough to win. Well, maybe not against the R*s, but the rest of those games? Definitely. It was the defense that gave up farrrr too many points. I mean, with Donovan being the lightning rod for controversy that he is, it’s understandable that nobody’s talking about it, but I’m here to tell you: the primary reason the Eagles are where they are is that the defense is stinking. It’s mediocre, at best. Except for that game when they served Pittsburgh, they’re just not very good. They give up way too many big plays, and they can’t control a game when they need to. Everybody, including me, talks about the Eagles inability to convert a 3rd-1 (and I’ve been talkin about that for years), but this year, their inability to STOP a 3rd and 1 has just as much to do with their record. One stop in those Cowboys, Giants, and Bears games, and we’d be talkin about a whole nother season. Even with the tie.

But it is what it is.

Lookin at the Giants – Cowboys game, the Cowboys look really bad. Horrible. Some of it — okay, a lot of it — is the fact that they’re missing their starting quarterback, but gaaaa-lee!! These jokers don’t really even look competitive. A few weeks ago, everybody thought they were gonna be the toast of the league, but now they’re just lookin’ like toast. The bye can’t come at a better time for them. They need to get healthy both physically AND mentally. I ain’t gon’ lie, I severely underestimated the Giants and I WAAAAAYYYY overestimated the Cowboys. To the extent that I’m almost embarrassed by it. And I don’t even fool with the Cowboys like that.

Even better than that, the Eagles are beating the Seahawks (but not scoring touchdowns!!), which means that they’ll be out of the basement in the NFCE. That’s crazy. 5-3 would be enough to be the division leader in some divisions, and they’re in 3rd. This is tough football. But what it really means is that if the Eagles are gonna make a move, they’re gonna hafta play better in the 2nd half of the season. Historically, they’ve been better after the bye than before it, but I’m still not seeing them doing too much if they can’t do a better job of getting touchdowns. Field golas ain’t gonna do it against the Giants.

As a total side note, I’m kinda trippin that the Bears’ corporate sponsor is Cadillac. So on their press conferences, you have a Black man standin in front of a Cadillac sign. I’m crackin’ up. Reminds me of the old Flip Wilson joke: “95% of Cadillac owners say, ‘Them white people can sho make some shaaarp cars.’”

I’m really interested in the R*s game tomorrow. The Stillers will be good test for them. If they’re as good as they seem, they’ll win. If they’re not quite the upper-echelon team they seem to be, that’ll show too. The Steelers are actually a known quantity. They’re gonna play defense. You know that. The difference in whether they win or lose is on the offensive line. If Ben gets some protection, they’ll win. If they don’t, then the Stillers will be 0-fer against the NFCE.

With the Titans being 8-0, but not getting anything significant from the quarterback, the commentators are lauding Kerry Collins. I wonder whether they’d be saying the same thing if Vince Young were putting up similar numbers with the same results. We can discount Merril Hoge, cuz if VY won 19 games, got regular season, Super Bowl, AND Pro Bowl MVP, and cured AIDS, cancer, AND diabetes, Hoge would still have somethin’ negative to say. Aside from that unadulterated, 98-octane hate, I’m curious what it would sound like.

Jared’s Broncos and Brotherbrown’s Chargers…well, uhhh…like I told my bol, who’s a veteran (read: jaded) Eagles fan like myself, you never know what can happen in the 2nd half of the season. All you really gotta do is MAKE the playoffs. Once you get there, whatever happens happens. The Giants last year should give hope to everybody. Cuz if you remember this time last year, the question wasn’t whether Tom Coughlin would be fired, it was how many playoff games he’d hafta win to save his job. Super Bowl wasn’t even in question. So anything can happen. To quote a famous country preacher, Keep hope alive!

Well I started it, so I might as well finish out the thought. The more I think about it, the more I think Terrell Owens may be near the top of a fairly distinguished crop of wide receivers. While I think it’s inarguable that he wasn’t a particularly good locker room influence, I think it’s also just as inarguable that he’s a player that you’d rather have on your team than face. He’s a game breaker. But I don’t know that he’s the best of his generation. Here are some names to throw in the discussion:

Terrell Owens
Hines Ward
Randy Moss
Marvin Harrison
Torry Holt
Jimmy Smith
Rod Smith
Steve Smith
Plaxico Burress
Reggie Wayne

There’s probably some other guys whose careers intersected Terrell Owens’, but I would consider them to be his contemporaries moreso than players of his generation. In that respect, I’m thinkin somebody like Cris Carter, who would definitely be around in an all-time discussion, but not necessarily in this generation. But of this group up here, I’m thinkin the top 5 are:

1. Moss
2. Harrison
3. Owens
4. Holt
5. Steve Smith

Maybe. Not even lookin strictly at numbers, just impact on the game, route running, hands, and all that. Steve Smith actually throws a wrench in the discussion, because without the advantage of height, he can still take over a game.

What say y’all?

Oh. And by the way, Irvin > TO.

Y’all know that I try to be impartial and call it like I see it, but I don’t even fool with the Cowboys like that. But after watching them this season, I got a couple things I gotta confess.

1. Marion Barber is that dude. I don’t think it’s possible to like football and NOT like to watch Marion Barber run the ball. Straight up, that dude is a manimal. Don’t get me wrong, I dig Westbrook and everything he brings to the table, but Marion Barber? He makes me feel sorry for the dudes who try to tackle him. I don’t even like the Cowboys, but I’d watch them fools every week just to see him punish defenders.

2. Number 81 is a straight-up hoss. I still don’t know where I’d put him all-time, but I’m willing to admit that some of that is just residual hate. The rest is because I don’t know that he’s better than #84. But I do know that if Terrell Owens ain’t the best wide receiver of his generation, he definitely got a legitimate claim to the title. I don’t care what you say, you cannot front on that dude. He’s the truth. I’ll say that as many touchdowns as he and Romo have, he’d probably have 1.5 times that had he stayed playing with Donovan, but dude is just a stone-cold football player, and I hate it when jive sportscasters try to deny him.

Their hate is gon’ turn me into a defender, if not an outright fan.

Still can’t stand the team they play for, but them dudes right there? They sho’ nuff.

I hate their name, and I really can’t root for them because they’re in the same division as the Eagles, but I can’t really root against the Redskins. I like Jason Campbell, and not just because he’s a Black quarterback. Okay, okay, that has something to do with it, but even bigger than that, I think he has the tools to be successful. Clinton Portis is another R*s player that I really like. So today, they looked pretty good. It was easy to see what their strengths and weaknesses are. They came out with the ‘W,’ and I’m sure people are gonna be talking big mess all week, but I don’t know what of substance you can take away from it. Campbell looked as good this week as he did bad last week. That’s gonna happen as he learns the offense.

It’s gonna be really interesting to see what the Patriots do now that Brady is out. I can see them looking pretty good some games, especially Cassels’ first, but in a few weeks, one of two things is going to happen: either he’s gonna get better or teams will start noticing his tendencies and they’ll start lockin him down.

UPDATE

Broncos-Chargers. Are you serious? The whole 4th quarter was wild. I know a lotta people talk about the bad games that get shown nationally, but I’m SO glad CBS cut to this game. This joint had everything. Actually, still has. The game isn’t over yet. But that botched call on the fumble? The touchdown? The unconscionably ballsy call for the two-point conversion? Are you serious? This is why I absolutely love football, and easily why the NFL is the most popular spectator sport. (Don’t even mention NASCAR. Not around here.) I can easily see Chargers fans being livid, cuz I know if that was the Eagles and the Cowboys, I’d be beside myself. I’d almost be ready to write the NFL my own self. But that doesn’t change the fact that if the Chargers had actually either the touchdown pass or the two-point conversion — shoot, even just the conversion — it would’ve been a moot point. Bammas gotta play D. That’s the bottom line.

As my two or three long-time readers know, I’m pretty prejudiced. That means as long as it doesn’t conflict with one of my main rooting interests, the Eagles and the Steelers, I pretty much ride for any team that has a Black coach and/or starting quarterback. Because of that, the Vikings were one of my unofficial squads for years. Yesterday, their quarterback for much of that time, Daunte Culpepper, retired because he couldn’t get a job. (If you can’t get a job, does that mean you’re really retired? If the Bears, for instance, come calling in week 3, I don’t think he’ll sit there and be like, ‘I ain’t goin.’) While we can point to several scrubby white quarterbacks who have had nowhere near the level of success that Culpepper has had, I don’t know that the racial angle is quite the right one here. Daunte had a chance to get picked up as a backup for Green Bay a long time ago, but he chose not to. There’s an argument to be made, I suppose, but maybe he just ain’t good enough to be a starting QB in the League any more. What I’m really wondering, though, is whether the age of the Black quarterback is over. That is, have we passed the critical mass point, where Black QBs are just regular players who can fail or succeed on their own merits?

Really, I don’t think the answer to this question can be answered by starters, though. It’s the backups. That’s what makes Pep’s case so interesting. He thinks he’s still a starter. No other team in the League agrees. They ain’t gon’ sign him (or pay him) like a starter, but they’ll let him come in as a backup. I don’t think that’s quite the same thing as him being denied an opportunity to play. So if washed-up Black quarterbacks are getting chances to sign as backups, then I’d say we’re pretty much there. The high bar is fairly well set. Even without a second Super Bowl win, Black quarterbacks have had enough collective success to dead any question of whether they’re good enough to play the position. What we’re waiting on is the low bar. When you can have a Black game-manager quarterback, who’s only expected to not make turnovers, we’ll be just about there. When there’s a cadre of Black scrubs who can bounce from team to team without having really accomplished anything, then we’ll really be there. Aaron Brooks was almost that dude, but he’s out of the League too. (Meanwhile, look at the quarterback situation in Chicago. Come on. Culpepper can’t be worse than any of those dudes.)

What Culpepper’s retirement also does is cement the fact that Donovan was the class of the class. Not that there was any doubt, but I’m sayin’. As pretty as the numbers were that Culpepper put up, a certain number 84 had a lot to do with those. So in retrospect, I can’t tell if Culpepper was that dude and Moss was that dude, or if Moss was that dude and made Culpepper look better. Cuz we know Donovan was that dude with certified SCRUBS at the X and Z. (If anything’s a conspiracy, it’s Andy Reid’s refusal to keep a real, live #1 receiver on the roster.)

The season starts tomorrow. Huzzah! The Eagles have not substantially upgraded their squad. Uh-oh. So, getting this in juuuuuust before the deadline, let’s talk about some numbers.

Starting with the best division in the game:

NFC East
Brokebacks – 13-3
Birds – 10-6*
Blue Shirts 9-7
R*s – 8-8

As i look at that list, it looks a lot like last year’s actual standings, only with the teams interpolated. Here’s the thing about the ‘backs: one day, they’re gonna win a playoff game, and when they do, they might run straight through to the Bowl. Of course, they can always fall off just like they have every year this decade. That can only keep workin’ so long, though. But then again, Peter King picked em to go to the Bowl, so that’s pretty much a wrap for them.

The NFC North is some cut. Somebody’s gotta win. I can’t even guess on their numbers. Some people are calling for the Vikings and the Packers to have spectacular seasons, but I don’t see it. If you told me that 8-8 would win the division, I wouldn’t even blink.

NFC South –

New Orleans – 11-5
Carolina – 10-6*
Tampa 9-7
Atlanta 4-12

Maybe I go with New Orleans for sympathetic/nostalgic reasons, or maybe it’s because Carolina seems like they might implode. As much as some people talk about Terrell Owens, he ain’t HALF as crazy as Steve Smith

NFC West

Seattle – 11-5
the rest of em…who cares?

Another cut division, with the exception of Seattle. Although at some point, one of the other teams out there is gonna raise up and make a race of it. Not this year, though.

AFC East

New England – 14-2
Bills – 9-7
Jets – 9-7
Dolphins – 5-11

Pats probably don’t flirt with going 19-0 this year, but they’re still gonna be really good.

AFC North

Stillers – 11-5
Browns – 10-6*
Bengals – 10-6
Ravens – 7-9

I don’t see any team really running away with the division, but with three Black coaches, it would be hard for me to be disappointed with the outcome.

AFC South

Jacksonville – 11-5
Indianapolis – 10-6*
Tennessee – 9-7
Houston – 8-8

I think the AFC South is gonna be solid from top to bottom. All of their conference games will be decided by one or two plays. Like, the fact that I have Jacksonville pulling it out over Indy…that’s the difference of a couple 3rd and 2 conversions.

AFC West

Not as bad as its NFC counterpart, but it’s still pretty much a one-horse race. Broncos might get hot for a stretch, but it’s all about the Chargers. I’m not even sure they’ll be tested within the division, record-wise. They might be the only squad to pull down double-digit wins.

Wild Card

Eagles > NFC N winner
Panthers > Seahawks

Stillers > Browns
Jax > Bengals

Division
Backs > Panthers
Birds > Saints

Bolts > Stillers
Pats > Jax

Conference Championship
Birds > Girls
Pats > Bolts

Bowl
Birds > Pats
…and then I wake up.

Division
Backs > Panthers
Saints > Birds

Bolts > Stillers
Pats > Wires

Conference
Saints > Backs
Pats > Bolts

Super Bowl
Pats > Saints

Am I really callin it for the Saints? I’m declarin my own picks to be ineligible, except that the Eagles will make it to the divisional round, at least.

Goodness gracious!

If Andy Reid isn’t bluffing about not going after another receiver now that the 2A receiver (cuz the Eagles have only had one real X receiver since Donovan’s been there) has gone down, I’ma be real upset.

With a healthy Donovan and Westbrook, I liked them for 10-11 wins. A stud receiver might help validate those numbers a little bit.

I’m not getting the 20th anniversary edition of Madden. It’s not being released for PC. So that basically means I’m just gonna get 2008-09 rosters for my 2007 edition and keep it movin.

While I think it was definitely a good idea for the Sixers to keep Andre Iguodala, I don’t know about that 6 year, 80M deal. Putting aside the fact that professional athletes are so grossly overpaid it’s almost pointless to talk about it, that’s a little better than market value for where Iggy is right now. Granted, I think a lot of the number is based on the idea that he’s still improving and that he’ll eventually play his way into his salary, if not above it (with a deep playoff run or a championship). However, while I think AI2 is nice, I don’t know if he’s that nice.

I’m not really fooling with the Olympics this year, but there are a couple interesting stories that have people talking. Number one, of course, is how men’s basketball is gonna turn out. Some are calling them the Redeem Team, which is supposed to re-exert our dominance over the world. I think if they stay focused on defense like they did against Greece, they should be fine. Even though the style of ball is a little different, the principle is the same: run-n-gun is fun to watch, but if you want that belt, you hafta cinch it up with D.

Are the Chinese gymnasts underage or what? If the girl really is 13, then what happens? Do we get the gold medals? Or is it just one’a those ‘Oh. My bad.’ moments on the parts of the Chinese team and the IOC?

Are the womens’ volleyball uniforms too skimpy? Some folks think so. Personally, I don’t think it’s that big a deal, and that’s before we consider that the athletes are playing their sport at the highest level. I don’t think they’re really that concerned with whether they look cute.

Speaking of athletes whose outfits don’t look cute (and I can say that because I used to wear one), a Swedish wrestler left his bronze medal on the mat in protest of what he thought was shady officiating. I can’t front. I don’t know if I’d go that far.