Philadelphia Eagles Blog

Philadelphia and Trolleys

Trolleys or streetcars played of course a big role in intercity transportation and to suburban areas. They were fun to ride and I felt a loss when lines converted to buses. Buses smell badly.  If there is any waste to power them,  at least it was in a plant several miles away.  Streetcars accelerate and stop much easier. There were three lines in particular I liked.  Buses now on the lines lack charm.

23  Bigler.  This line went clear from South Philadelphia to the Northwestern part of the city.  It went north on 11th, crossed Broad Street at Ridge, then went on Germantown Avenue to Germantown, Chesnut Hill, and Mount Airy.  It gave a total view of the entire city.  The whole trip took about two hours.  It was a delightful way to spend a Sunday afternoon when things weren’t quite so crowded.  This when I looked last it was a bus.

–Not knowing the number, this trolley went from Rising Sun Avenue South on Fourth Street.  If memory serves, it made the circle on Lombard Street; then went north on Fifth Street.  This trolley really looked natural for the historic area. 

15 Girard. This trolley traveled on right in the center of Girard Avenue.   The nicest part of the line was the view from bridge over the Schuylkill River.  This of course was the line that took us to the Fairmont Park Zoo.   SEPTA was supposed to return a trolley on this route.

President Lincoln and the Cowboy

Two interesting pieces of bronze sculpture in Fairmount Park are near each other and well placed.

Abraham Lincoln

All of us know that Abraham Lincoln became President when our country was badly divided.  Making matters worse were the sharp divisions within the North and South about going to war and terms of peace.  Draft riots occurred in New York City since young men understandably did not want to serve in the military.  Prominent figures, such as William Lloyd Garrison and Horace Greely, thought Lincoln was not pressing enough for the emancipation of slaves.  Members of President’s Cabinet tried to pull him in different directions like wad of bubblegum.  As late as April of 1864, it seemed likely that the Republicans would not renominate him.  In August of 1964, it looked like the Democrats would win the general election in November.  Union victories helped Lincoln in both cases.

And so in today’s Philadelphia, Abraham Lincoln stands at one of East River Drives worst intersections. Crossing it to view the statue close is a mad dash; actually people can see him much better across the the highway.  Abraham Lincoln is brooding with his depression and the problems of a divided country.  The traffic there today is a modest depiction of the disorder he faced.  Lincoln’s expression appropriately evokes the spirit of times rather than sentiment or sorrow.

The Cowboy

This Remington sculpture has a counterpart in painting.  I had an inexpensive reproduction of the painting that I gave away.  The Cowboy seems really alive cantering at a good speed on the east side of the drive.  When first seeing it as a kid, I was looking for the cowboy driving the cattle across the Schuylkill River.  It a reminiscent of the two movies; Red River starring John Wayne or The Tall Men starring Clark Gable.  The traffic destroys some of the romance of the work itself.  With the speed the cars go, it seems like drivers are trying to pass the Cowboy.

Long cattle drives lasted only about five years until the railroad made them unnecessary. The  trail herd passed through some beautiful country; but of course the drive itself was a miserable experience not really conducive to enjoying the scenery.   Philadelphia has a beautiful skyline; but commuting on the three expressways is anything but pleasant.

Bullies and Their Victims

Last week a grammar school boy nearby committed suicide from being bullied.  This has been ongoing problem that is getting some well deserved attention.  Victims of bullies are afraid to go to school; spend time away from school in fear over what’s coming up the next day; and often have health problems.  Be it boy or girl, they should come to parents and faculty members.  Especially parents must be careful and not automatically brand their victim/children as a coward, sissy, or weakling.  Being assertive is not the same thing confronting a bully.

Concerning ourselves only with harassed students is like a opening the window and turning up the heat.  We have to address the bullies themselves.  They may have mental problems; be abused or neglected at home; have learning disabilities; or perhaps are just afraid.  Before resorting to extreme measures, I think school officials should look into the background of each person constantly bullying.  Faculty and staff have stated they do not have time or staff for this.  For that I say, use this as a example in your budget requests.

Most importantly, bullying involves all parents, faculty, and students. Parents have to be firm in telling their kids not befriend the bully in any way.  Don’t regard being in their circle as a sort of status symbol.  One day that bully will no doubt turn on them.  Don’t lecture bullies on their conduct and the damage they are doing.   They are well aware of both.  This preaching approach only gives them the attention they crave.  Hopefully, some students will  befriend the  victim and all students should ignore the bully.  If all students isolate them, the bully will feel the rejection and disgust.

Finally, remember all of have been bullies at one time or another.

Past History with New England

The Patriots have defeated the Philadelphia Eagles three consecutive times.  The 31 to 28 loss at Foxboro in 07 hurt more than the Super Bowl loss three years earlier.  Some is some mystic about the number three.

2004-The Eagles lost to New England in the Super Bowl by three 24 to 21;
Three years later;
2007-The Eagles lost to New England at Foxboro by three 31 to 28.

The 07 loss dropped the Eagles to 5-6  and virtually ended any Post Season hopes.  Should the Eagles win today, they will rise to 5-6.  Life support for the Post Season remains.

The 07 loss stemmed from three interceptions, two by Asante Samuel.  Samuel opened the game in Eagles territory returning an interception  for a touchdown.  He closed the game with an interception in Patriots territory ending the Eagles’ hopes.   The Eagles got no turnovers but there was one critical series that swung momentum to the other side .  Philadelphia stopped the Patriots on downs at the own 34;  but they failed to get a first down and punted the ball away; big series.

In 03, the Patriots won at Philadelphia 31 to 10.  Philadelphia had  six turnovers and yielded eight sacks.  Nevertheless one point brought Donovan McNabb and the Eagles some respect.  The Eagles had the ball at their own ten with two minutes left and behind 24 to 10.   The New England defense cut off the sidelines and long passes. Donovan could have completed a series of short passes that would have boosted his completion percentage, gotten additional yardage, and perhaps even a meaningless touchdown.

Instead he chose  the difficult route and threw a long pass. Teddy Bruschi intercepted it and ran  for a touchdown. Donovan McNabb stood low on actual figures but high in esteem.

Cardinals 21 Eagles 17 Outrage

There is no way the the Cardinals can match the Eagles in pure talent .  I pictured yesterday’s game as easy and was really let down.  Philadelphia was sluggish at the start and Asante Samuel’s great interception gave them some spark.   Still there were too many missed open receivers and dropped on-target passes.  Let’s remember this before pointing fingers at the defense.  There were three plays and one five yard penalty that turned the game around.

I am not sure if the first of the three incidents was in the fourth quarter but I think it was.

{1} The Eagles were third and one at the Cardinal’s 16 and a 14 to 7 lead.  The officials ruled during the count that the Philadelphia Eagles jumped offside but the replay clearly showed encroachment from Arizona.  The two announcers agreed that the Arizona was at fault.  The Eagles lost five yards and Vick threw an interception on the next play.

{2} Juilo Hanson just missed interception from a deflection on the tying touchdown down drive. If Hanson makes that play, it would have been  coast to coast interception.  The Cardinals caught the ball and  tied the game.

{3} In spite of the last two bullets,  the really big play was the fourth and two completion from the Arizona 28.  If that ball goes incomplete, the Philadelphia Eagles take over, burn the clock, or Arizona takes  timeouts.  A field goal or touchdown changes the game.  Just this stand alone play was the big rock.

The game is all the more disgraceful  facing a second year quarterback on a subpar team.  Had Philadelphia won going down to the final seconds,  I would have been relieved more than happy.  So now they lose and look very bad.

There is only a small spark of hope and it does not concern post season activity.   No one can believe that will happen.  Two years ago, in at least four games, the Eagles were playing dangerous football.  The team was winning close games in the last minute that should have been much easier.  They survived  missed sacks,  dropped possible interceptions, and turnovers yet still won.

I thought this type of play would catch up with them and it did.  Dallas defeated them easily on successive weekends.   Right now, I believe the Eagles are losing games and the other side is winning by default.  Maybe they can turn this around.

Eagles Defeat Dallas 34 to 7

Last night was a great game with the Eagles really playing to their full potential.

–holding a team’s leading rusher to under 100 yards often is a measure of success; Philadelphia did that De Marco Murray, who gained  74 yards.  He still averaged  4.3 yards per carry; but the Eagles by scoring and a whopping 42 minutes of offense removed him as a threat,

–the Eagles ran for 239 yards against the NFL’s number one team against the rush; Dallas had previously average yielding  74 yards per game,

– the Eagles did have a key Red Zone failure and settled for just a field goal near the end of the first half,

–Nnamdi Asomuga was really alert getting the interception after the deflected pass; players can never let up in a game,

–Tony Romo’s 70 yard touchdown pass to Laurent Robinson was a well executed play; it prevented Andy Reid from getting his first shutout;

–the announcers made that same dumb statement about a running back, in this case Shady McCoy,  getting stronger as the game goes on; not true; the offense just consumes less energy than the defense for any given period of time,

–DeMarcus Ware continues to be  an Eagles nemesis getting four sacks for 23 yards.

–Stopping the Cowboys on downs inside the Eagles five with five minutes left in the game  was also big. Even though the score was 34 to 7,  I was not comfortable until then.

Defeating Washington 20 to 13

The victory at  Washington yesterday was a relief  and raised  hopes  that the team can turn this season around.    The defensive improvement in Buffalo in the second  half carried over into the game yesterday.  The Philadelphia defense came in 31st against the run and gave up only 42 yards.  They will of course rise on the shelves  when the statistics come out.  This was an amazing show against any team in the NFL.

This is what  happened.  Philadelphia had a 20 to 0 lead and forced the Redskins to pass and rely less, but not abandon, the ground game.  It is tough for any quarterback to come back from 20 points behind. Rex Grossman is not a good quarterback as the four interception indicated.

Some good points:

–The tackling was sharp and crisp and the Skins broke only a few tackles.  The Eagles seemed to be using their entire body.  In some prior situations they looked  like they were grabbing a greased pig;

–There was really only one bad offensive play that prevented Philadelphia from breaking the game  wide open.  That  was the interception  Micheal Vick threw at the Redskins six early in the third quarter.   The score was 20 to 3 at the time.

–Mike Shanahan put  in John Beck at QB late in the game.   The fans at Fed Ex field were booing Rex Grossman and rightly so. I never saw Beck  before and the announcer said that he had not played in the NFL for three years.  He sure was able to burn the secondary on an 80 yards touchdown drive .  I don’t know if the Eagles used a prevent defense, Beck had a great series, or we could not adjust to him.  I was glad the Eagles could run the clock after that.  The defensive line for the Redskins was tired.

–This league, especially Dallas next, is not composed of guys like Rex Grossman.  No overconfidence please.   The Eagles in nature  have great eye sight, being able to  spot its prey from high in the sky.  The Eagles from Philadelphia should be near sighted and not see beyond Dallas in two weeks.

–If the Eagles are fortunate enough to have blow out win sometime this season,  Andy Reid should insert Vince Young at quarterback ASAP and let him throw even if it’s only for one play.  Extreme  example.  The Eagles are leading 20 to 10, five second to go, and have the ball.  Put Young in and let him pass.

–Kurt Coleman was great.

The Last Two Games With Buffalo

The first meeting with the Buffalo Bills under Andy Reid was a 26 to 0 loss away in 1999.  We of course can forget this since it was Andy’s first year of coaching. The last have been meaningful victories

2003 at Buffalo

This scenario of this game bares a striking similarity to what’s on the grill for this Sunday.  The Buffalo Bill’s were 2-1 with an open day 31 to 0 win over the New England Patriots.  The Eagles, coming off a BYE week, were 0-2.  The losses were blowouts and at home-17 to 0 to Tampa Bay and 31 to 10 to New England. David Ackers kept the Eagles in the game with three field goals and Brian Westbrook ran 63 yards for a touchdown. The defense held Buffalo to 21 yards rushing.  The Eagles won 23 to 13.

2007 At Philadelphia

Both clubs were 7-8 seeking to avoid a losing season.  I personally was very angry over 07.  Five of the eight losses were well within reach with one or two plays in each game making the difference.  To keep from digressing, the Eagles won 17 to 9.  Kevin Curtis was a game saver recovering Donovan McNabb’s fumble in the Bills End Zone. McNabb was 29 for 41 for 345 yards and a touchdown.

Losing 24 to 23 to the 49ers

For the third week in a row, we heard of weaknesses in the opponents that the Philadelphia Eagles would exploit and win the game.  The defensive secondary has been far below NFL standards.   When a team has a big lead it’s said to be a defensive halfback’s delight.  The other guys will abandon the ground game, they will have to pass, and there are big chances for interceptions.  Not so today.  The 49ers moved right down the field scoring three touchdowns.  Alex Henery has to rethink his style and mentality.  His two missed field goals really deflated the Eagles.   

Nevertheless the biggest dud was failing to score after a first and goal (less than a yard) for a touchdown.  It was in the second quarter I do not know what was going through Ron Brown’s mind when he threw the ball backward. Jeremy Maclin’s fumble at the end of the game was the final blow. 

Let’s discount 1999, which was Andy Reid’s field year as Head Coach.  Since 2000, there have been the usual patterns;  easy wins, close wins, close wins, close losses, and being blown away.  But Philadelphia only twice has squandered big leads late in the game.  Both were at home.  In 2005 the 21 to 20 loss to Dallas and in 2006 the 30 to 24 loss to the New York Giants.  Now it has happened three weeks in a row.

The 35 to 31 loss to Atlanta

Losing the game Sunday night was a real downer since the victory was within reach.   The media said Shady McCoy and Jeremy Maclin had really good games but that is no consolation.  Here are the sore spots: 

–The defense, though good at times, was inconsistent.  This was especially true of the run defense.
–There was the continued horrible play of the Eagles defense in the Red Zone.   Five times the Atlanta was inside Philadelphia’s 20 yard line and they  put up 35 points.  Once again, the run defense was a major factor. 
–The Eagles got only a  22 field goal on a fourth and one at the Atlanta six.  This was a big Red Zone failure.
–Of course the Micheal Vick fumble inside the Falcons 10 and subsequent return really deflated the team. 
–The two points previously mentioned cost the Eagles 11 points.  A really good team would have had two touchdowns not just a field goal.
–I urge fans, players, and media to put anything but the next game out of their minds.  This really deflects attention from the immediate issue.