Trade talk heats up after McNabb spotted playing for 49ers
The buzz surrounding a possible trade of Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb should heat up after the Pro Bowler was seen being introduced as the San Francisco 49ers new quarterback.
The press conference almost certainly means that McNabb has played his last game as an Eagle, but head coach Andy Reid is still downplaying the situation, saying that McNabb will stay with the Eagles as his quarterback.
“I haven’t changed my opinion at all,” Reid said while watching McNabb clean out his locker with a 49ers hat on. “Donovan will be with the Eagles as our starting quarterback. Period. I don’t know when signing a contract with another team became a signal that you had left your team, but that means nothing to me. People will always speculate about this stuff, but the only thing that matters is that I say Donovan is an Eagle, even if I’m literally the only one still saying that.”
Brian Westbrook released to make room for Andy Reid
The Eagles have released longtime running back Brian Westbrook to free up some space for head coach Andy Reid.
“Brian is one of the greatest Eagles of all time and he is an even better person and leader,” Reid said on Tuesday. “But mobility was a major issue last year, and with Westbrook gone, I won’t have to suck in the gut to get around.”
Westbrook battled multiple concussions in 2009 and saw action in only eight games, finishing with just two touchdowns and 274 rushing yards for the Eagles.
“Coach Reid always talked about how hard it was for him to get around, so I knew it was a matter of time before something like this happened,” said Westbrook. “I never thought it would be me, but I guess it makes sense that he would get rid of a running back first.”
D-Jax via Twitter: Cowboys shall inherit a sound thumping
DeSean Jackson of the Portsmouth Jacksons took to Twitter on Sunday and had quite a few biting words for the division rival Cowboys.
“Our rival American footballing club ought to keep a lively eye to their hind parts,” Jackson tweeted of the Cowboys. “My colleagues and I are prepared to issue a sound thumping until the bandits have met their defeat.”
After Jackson’s negative comments garnered national attention, the first-time Pro-Bowler issued an apology on Tuesday via Twitter.
“It appears my ballyhoo from Sunday’s eve has caused quite an unwelcome rumpus,” said the follow-up Jackson tweet. “I know the Cowboys to be a fine band of fellows and hope they will accept my forthright apology. It’s such a silly thing to gibe another through an electronic device to begin with. I don’t know what came over me.”
Clearly not ready, Eagles call ‘do-over’ against Cowboys
The Eagles took the field on Sunday but were completely caught off guard when the Cowboys started playing the football game before the Eagles were even ready.
“I mean, can we even get set first?” Donovan McNabb asked the Cowboys during the third quarter of the game. “I just don’t think this is fair at all. I call do-over on this. We need a re-do.”
NFL rules dictate that if a team gets shutout by a division rival on the final week of the regular season and is able to actually show their face in public again, then said team is allowed a ‘do-over’. Had the Cowboys called ‘no do-overs’ prior to the game, the Eagles would have had to accept the loss without a ‘re-do’.
“The Cowboys started the game and we clearly weren’t ready,” said Andy Reid on Monday. “It’s against the rules and everybody knows it. I think it’s cheap. I’m just glad Donovan called ‘do-over’. Hopefully they’ll let us get ready this time.”
Reid stands by decision to sit Kolb for remainder of career
Eagles head coach Andy Reid will not second guess his decision to bench Kevin Kolb for the rest of his life.
After the Eagles capped off a close, 30-27 victory over the Broncos on Sunday, Reid had to answer for his decision to never allow his backup quarterback to see the light of day again.
“We’re one of the hottest teams in the league right now, and Kevin’s bench play has been huge for us,” Reid said. “We need him well rested so he can give us some quality rest from the bench in the playoffs.”
Kolb took the news surprisingly well and even agreed with Reid’s decision to play McNabb and occasionally mix in Michael Vick for some ridiculous reason.
“Coach Reid said I’m a valuable asset to the team and he needs me on the bench so I won’t get any ouchies or boo-boos,” Kolb said on Monday. “I totally respect his decision and I just want to make sure I’m ready if the time ever comes for me to touch or possibly throw a football again.”
Vick recognized for courageous journey back to humanity
Michael Vick won the Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates, after the former barbarian defied all odds by courageously returning to life as a regular human being.
“It means a great deal to me,” Vick said Wednesday. “I was voted unanimously by my teammates. They know what I’ve been through. I’ve been through a lot. I had to learn how to hold a fork, tie my shoes, pay my bills, brush my teeth, not kill dogs, speak English and most importantly, not kill dogs. I’ve overcome a lot, more than probably one single individual can handle or bear.”
Though other teams voted in players that give back to the community (and the world) without a team mandate and fought through debilitating injuries to stay on the field, they were all no match for Vick’s drive and determination to become a regular human being like the rest of us that don’t drown dogs for fun.
“Michael has really turned his life around, and despite what people are saying, it has absolutely nothing to do with the $1.6 million he’s being paid to play football and turn his life around,” said Eagles head coach Andy Reid. “In the short time he’s been with us, he’s gone from dragging his knuckles on the ground to scoring three touchdowns on the ground, which is remarkable. The sheer courage it took for him to finally walk upright and the sportsmanship he has displayed as a backup quarterback has been a real inspiration to us all, and hopefully the rest of Philadelphia as well.”
Westbrook cleared to play on Sunday with big-ass helmet
Team doctors have officially cleared Brian Westbrook to play this weekend against the 49ers with the aid of a fairly big-ass helmet.
“He’s been limited in practice this week, but he looked good out there,” said Andy Reid on Friday. “They gave him this massive double helmet to wear which looks completely ridiculous, but at least we’ll have him back on the field.”
Westbrook has missed the past four games and six of his last seven with concussion symptoms after using a normal-ass helmet so far this season.
“Two concussions in a season is rough to deal with,” Westbrook said. “Without this helmet, I’d consider just hanging it up so I don’t kill myself out there, but [the helmet] should help me avoid any more concussions. I’ll look like an idiot and I’m pretty sure I’ll teeter over a couple times, but at least I’ll stay conscious.”
Reid given three more years to make something happen
December 9, 2009 by Zaki
Filed under Analysis & Opinions
Love him or leave him, he’s here through 2013.
This is typically one of those moves that will set more people off than it’ll please but I’m a little indifferent since I think the guys wearing the pads win games more than coaches do anyway.
As much as we get on the guy for throwing the ball too much or burning timeouts, he’s done pretty well in terms of putting the right guys on the field and putting the Birds in a position to win every year since he’s been here (save his first year and the T.O. mess in ‘05).
That said, no matter how many regular season games the guy oversees, give a blind squirrel 15 years and I guarantee he’ll find a damn nut. If Reid doesn’t win the big game here in the next four years, it’s got to be time to move on, regardless of what happens. As hard as it is to have everything align correctly to win the Super Bowl, 15 years is enough time for a decent coach to get a couple things swinging his way, so hopefully he can make the best of the young guys we have coming up right now and win one in the next year or so.
Editor’s Note: Just in case you’re wondering why this isn’t satire and didn’t notice the post on the front page, I’ve decided to start adding non-satirical content to the site. Hope this doesn’t ruin your day too much.
Reid’s pick-and-roll, sac bunt calls nearly doom Eagles
The Eagles managed to pull out a 27-24 win over the lowly Redskins despite Andy Reid’s questionable decision to start the game with an onside kick and a third quarter call for Donovan McNabb to bunt the runners over.
Reid and Marty Mornhinweg have been criticized for their unconventional playcalling and overall tendencies toward making things more difficult than they really need to be.
“We don’t pretend to be the geniuses that everyone makes us out to be,” Reid said of himself and Mornhinweg. “But this is football at its highest level. If it was so easy to remember how much time is left or what the score was, don’t you think everyone would do it?”
McNabb advises Cutler on how to handle overly affectionate fans
Andy Reid shook up the football world on Sunday by allowing LeSean McCoy to run downfield with a football in his arm for the go-ahead touchdown as the Eagles went on to edge the Bears 24-20. The bigger story came after the game, when Donovan McNabb pulled Jay Cutler aside at midfield to discuss their shared experiences as beloved and well-respected quarterbacks.
Though Cutler leads the NFL with 18 interceptions, the Chicago fan base has rallied behind their quarterback in a way that reminded McNabb of his own fans back in Philly.
“Jay and I have a lot in common…we’re two very fortunate guys,” McNabb said in a post-game interview. “Most fans ‘boo’ when their players screw up, but the way our fans ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ just shows how much they love what we do out there. I pulled Jay aside because the Chicago fans have been on his nuts extra hard this season and I just wanted to make sure he stays level-headed about it.”
