All the signs are there

By Tim McManus

Every fan knew, even if they had buried it deep down, that this season was in a fragile state.

After the Birds failed to emerge from the first half of the schedule with a pile of wins, it was clear that the playoffs could elude the home boys for a second straight season.

There was optimism, but it was against better judgment.

And to dive even further into the delicate psyche of a Philly fan, there was also a part of you -- kept in a dark corner in the shadow of denial -- that realized such a failure could mean much more than being "just one of those years."

That part of you knew that this regime was teetering, just like the season, on a ledge that offers no elevator back up.

And fittingly, just a soft bump sent both the year and the era in its intended direction.

So now that we have absorbed and survived the fall, let's examine the Eagles for what they really are.

First, a brief homage to Bill Belichick: The man is not just responsible for much of the success that New England has had this decade, but often factors into the outcome of games that he is not a part of. Namely, he sets up a blueprint to pound on the deficiencies of another team, and the rest of the organizations around of the league copy it.

The Eagles have not changed their philosophies and in large part their schemes since the 24-21 Super Bowl loss, keeping the diagram for disarmament still very much relevant nearly two years later. Is it any surprise that Philadelphia has gone 11-15 since that game? And if you want to throw the Donovan McNabb was hurt for much of that argument at me, know the Birds are just 9-10 when No. 5 started during that stretch.

Speaking of McNabb...Truth No. 2 is that the star quarterback has suffered three crippling injuries over the last few years. This is a trend that may cut into his twilight years, and this club's chances at winning.

Truth No. 3 is that this defense is not good. Many of the key pieces are gone since the Eagles regularly attended the NFC Championship game, and most of the replacements have not filled in as seamlessly as first thought. Couple that fact with the reality that the two leaders that anchor the "D" -- Brian Dawkins and Jeremiah Trotter -- are slowing down, and it becomes clear that this is a defense on the decline.

To recap: The schemes and playcalling are outdated, the quarterback is injury-prone and the defense is pedestrian. In their prime, the schemes and playcalling were innovative; the quarterback was young and healthy; and the defense was tops in the league.

Cut the personal ties and step back for a moment. Doesn't this look like the inevitable fall from grace?

Maybe there was hope still lingering in this season, a chance to make one last improbable push toward the top of the conference. But with one light bump, the fate of this era was sealed.

Upcoming Show - Sunday, November 19

Pat and Tim will give thanks for all that is right in the NFL, and take a look at some things that may be heading in a terribly wrong direction (Everyone ready for NFL pay-per-view?).

Scheduled Guests:

Chris Harris, fantasy expert, Yahoo

Seth Joyner, former Eagle great

Sal Paolantonio, NFL analyst, ESPN

What's Up is Down

By Pat Callahan


Random thoughts from a former football genius...

- This is by far Tim and my worst year for making picks. How do you prognosticate when the Steelers have one less win than the 49ers? When the Pats lose two straight at home for the first time in the Belichik era? When Miami loses at home to Green Bay , then goes to Chicago and easily beats the Bears?

- The Birds are still in good shape, playoff-wise. Even with a daunting schedule ahead, the Giants have come back to the pack and are racked with injuries; Minnesota and St. Louis are pretenders; and Atlanta is way too inconsistent. If the Giants hold on in the East, Philly realistically will only be battling Dallas and Carolina for one of the two wild card spots.

- Peyton Manning is the NFL’s best quarterback; sorry, Timmy Mac...from the NFL Coaches handbook: never take points off the board. Rams Coach Scott Linehan did (a Jeff Wilkins FG) and ended up losing to Seattle by two….fantasy players: how many of you drafted Shaun Alexander instead of LT?...ESPN has got to cut it out with these in-game interviews. It is really an insult to true football fans who just want to watch the game. ESPN knows you are gonna watch, regardless – so shut up and watch. It’s a disgrace – what, three guys aren’t enough to tell me what’s going on, not including the two (females, of course) sideline reporters? You need to bring someone else in? Oh, for the old school days of Ray Scott and Paul Christman.

Keep listening.

Upcoming Show - Sunday, November 12

Pat and Tim will preview the second half of the Eagles' season, and will tackle the issue of perceived racism toward African American quarterbacks, in response to the comments by Ray Lewis and Steve McNair.

Guests:

Chris Harris, fantasy expert, Yahoo

John McMullen, NFL insider, RealGM.com

Sal Paolantonio, NFL analyst, ESPN

Don't forget to join us this Sunday morning from 10 a.m.-noon!

Tim's Top 10

After nine weeks, the NFL has taught us a couple things: 8 5 is ocho cinco in espanol...It's Andy Reid's fault...The Bears are who we thought they were...And the Colts are the team to beat. That's why they lead off the first-ever Tim's Top 10:

1. Indianapolis Colts
Yes, I realize the wrath of Callahan is about to come down on me this Sunday. Tough to argue the mastery that Peyton Manning has over his position right now. And with two straight wins at Gillette Stadium, he and the Colts may be ready to take that next step.

2. Chicago Bears
A lot of questions surrounding this team right now, especially when it comes to signal-caller Rex Grossman. Two of the last three weeks he has wandered completely off the plantation, and if he comes close to mirroring that kind of play in the postseason, the run will be over before it begins.

3. New England
Even with a four-pick performance by Tom Brady, the Patriots were within striking distance of the Colts late Sunday night.

4. San Diego
Maybe the most complete team in football. Stingy defense, sensational running game, effective passing attack. The only major question is how Philip Rivers responds to heightened intensity and bigger stakes as we push toward the playoffs.

5. Baltimore Ravens
Super Bowl is not out of the question for this team. It's important to monitor the health of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, however, and it's imperative that the run game shows up consistently.

6. New York Giants
May prove to be the class of the NFC if the current injury bug doesn't derail them. Can't rely on the return of Michael Strahan; it's conceivable that he will miss the rest of the year, or be completely ineffective if he does get back.

7. Denver Broncos
Great defense, ever-solid run game, but still have Jake Plummer calling the shots. It's hard to get fully behind them.

8. New Orleans Saints
Obviously I'm one of the many remaining doubters when it comes to this team. Who do they have on defense again? I say the magic dust wears off in the second half, but they'll still slip into the playoffs.

9. Jacksonville Jaguars
With a ground game and defense like that, this Florida team might actually be more suited for the playoffs than a lot of cold-weather clubs.

10. Kansas City Chiefs
Trent Green gets hurt. No-name QB steps in and has improbable season. Sound familiar?
This couldn't have the same ending, could it?

Andy's done; Whether you know it or not...

By John McMullen

"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem."

-Abraham Lincoln

Philadelphia, PA - Who knew Abraham Lincoln was talking about football?

Terrell Owens may be about 1,500 miles away and doing his best to destroy his third franchise but the effects of his presence are still reverberating in the City of Brotherly Love.

Notice I said "destroy his third franchise," because make no mistake, he has already taken down your beloved Birds.

Not to toot my own horn -- but that's exactly what I wrote on August 18 of last year. In a column titled "The Gold Standard becomes the Double Standard"I mused about Andy Reid's pathetic handling of the Owens situation:

"The one true hypocrite at NovaCare is the head coach. Reid often talked about the type of players he brought into his "system." Good, hard working, character guys but when the time came, he sold his NFL soul to bring in the league’s worst teammate.

Well, Andy..... it almost worked but now that is a distant memory. When Reid let Owens back on his practice field on Wednesday, August 17, he sealed his fate; the Eagles run is over and his time in Philadelphia is nearing an end.

It will not be a quick slide but forget about any Super Bowl dreams. Reid and his leader (Donavan McNabb) have let a cancer eat through their team without much of a fight."

By acting like a 300-plus pound doormat and not taking on T.O. -- Reid created the double standard I was talking about and forfeited the confidence of his own citizenry -- his players.

In short, they lost respect for their boss and stopped listening to the rotund one. And, once you lose your players' respect -- there is no way to get it back.

So we can all talk about an inconsistent quarterback, the lack of a running game, overrated defensive tackles and all the dumb mistakes you want.

But, the problem with the Eagles is Reid -- He's lost his players and he's not getting them back.

Upcoming Show - Sunday, November 5

Pat and Tim will be handing out their midseason report cards, and will dive into what they think is ailing the Eagles.

Guests:

Chris Harris, fantasy expert, Yahoo.com

Mike Sielski, columnist, Bucks County Courier Times

Sal Paolantonio, NFL analyst, ESPN

Don't forget to join us 10 a.m.-noon on Sunday!

Call us at (877) 990 - WNTP

Give it up, Andy

By Tim McManus

The City Championships Forgot is getting squeezed right now when it comes to their Birds and Andy Reid.

Half of you sees coach Reid's continued missteps in his offensive play-calling, knows that 75 percent of the coaches in the NFL are superior at game management. This part of you wants to scream out for his head.

The other half realizes, though, that there have been far darker days than these. The memory of four straight NFC Championship appearances and one recent ticket to the Big Show remind you that this has been the most successful tenure in Eagles history. One thought of Rich Kotite or Joe Kuharich and you quickly fall back in line.

So we know a couple things: That it's borderline impossible for this team to win it all while making poor in-game decisions and setting up the pass with the pass. And that Reid is one of the more valued commodities in the league and the single biggest reason that this franchise has thrived for as long as it has.

So what do we do?

There is one solution: Pry the play-calling from Reid's tight grip. It can still be his offense -- his plays, his input, his ingenuity -- only someone else (read: Marty Morningweg) would control which play goes where in-game. T

his solves numerous problems:

1) Reid, no matter how much he vows to run the ball in the offseason or midweek, simply cannot help but go right back to his baby; this takes away that option.

2) The chain loses a link. No Morningweg (suggestion) to Reid (decision) to McNabb (execution). Morningweg calls it in, McNabb calls it out, the offense gets to the line with plenty of time to spare (imagine that).

3) Reid's attention can be directed solely on managing the game, therby reducing the amount of timeouts, personnel miscues and poor overall decisions.

The Eagles are not that far off. The offense is the best (statistically) in the league, it just needs more balance and less turnovers. The defense simply needs less time on the field and more green behind them once they get on it.

Super Bowl this year? Why not. Top-flight QB, top-notch coaching staff, serviceable defense, immensely dangerous running back, less-than spectacular conference... It's all there for the taking.

Reid just needs to learn that sometimes you need to give certain things up to get something back.