Eagles Get Scrooged In DC. No Christmas for the Birds.

Eagles WR Reggie Brown comes up 1 yd short of the end zone

Earlier today, I watched the 1PM football game scores on my iPhone as the visiting San Diego Chargers held a lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When the Chargers ultimately prevailed, it meant that when the Eagles took the field, it would be in control of its own destiny. Win and you’re IN. Lose and you most likely can go home. That simple.

It appears that the 2008 version of the Philadelphia Eagles — who lost to the Washington Redskins 10-3 — will be going home after next week’s home game vs. the also faltering Dallas Cowboys.

All the things that plagued them in losses earlier this season, plagued them today. Inability to sustain drives? Check. Dropped passes? Check. Costly turnovers that lead to points for the other team? Check. No turnovers when you really need them? Check.

In the biggest game of the season, the Eagles offense came up short. The finger pointing will begin now. There is plenty of time — a long 8 months — of offseason to analyze what went wrong and how it can be fixed. All I know is that today, I’m beyond disappointed. The optimist inside me thinks maybe it’s for the best. This is not a playoff team. Perhaps if they had made the playoffs, the coaching staff and management might have thought that major changes and upgrades in certain areas weren’t necessary.

They are. And now there’s no denying that.

.chris{}

Eagles Win Again and Inch Toward Playoffs

Eagles MLB Stewart Bradley celebrates after an interception

It just goes to show that everything changes so much from week to week in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles, in turmoil and pretty much dead just a few weeks ago, have won 3 straight and at 8-5-1 are still in the NFC playoff hunt.

After a rout of a 30-10 victory over the hapless Cleveland Browns last night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the Eagles woke up this morning very much alive in the NFC playoff hunt. Of course, it won’t be easy. The Eagles need to win the next 2 games — @ Washington Redskins and vs. Dallas Cowboys at home. It will also need a little help from the Atlanta Falcons or Tampa Bay Buccaneers, either of whom needs to lose one game in order for the Eagles to make the playoffs.

They way the Eagles are playing now, it doesn’t seem far-fetched to imagine that it could win the next 2 games — a total of 5 straight. The Eagles are playing the best football of the season at just the right time (OK, 2 weeks earlier would have been nice too). For now, after the way they looked just a short few weeks ago, I’m just happy they have games that mean something in December, along with a chance to make the playoffs.

Besides, who knows how next week will look? Might be much different than this week!

.chris{}

Supreme Court Declines Obama Birth Certificate Case

President-elect Barack Obama will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009

In a move that came as a surprise to almost no one, earlier today the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the court case against Barack Obama, charging that he is ineligible to take the oath of office as president on the grounds that he is not a “natural born citizen” of the United States of America.

Despite the Obama campaign having released a copy of his Hawaiian birth certificate on the internet and the state of Hawaii verifying that Obama was in fact born in Hawaii, the nut-jobs continue to cling to this ridiculous internet hoax in the hope that somehow, someone will do for them what an honest and fair election process could not.

Truly sad. Perhaps now these folks will allow the reality of the election results to set in and join the rest of the nation in at least giving Obama a chance as he tries his best to solve our nation’s daunting problems.

YEAH RIGHT!!!

.chris{}

Eagles On LIFE SUPPORT!!!

Eagles QB Donovan McNabb

Just when I had the Eagles dead and burried, they win 2 straight and — with some help from the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons, who both lost today — are somehow still alive in the NFC playoff picture after a stunning 20 – 14 road win over the New York Giants.

Sure, the Cowboys loss still gave the Giants the NFC East title, and the Eagles’ mid season slump gives them no room for error, they must win their remaining 3 games to even have a chance to get into the post-season. But to some degree, at 7-5-1 they control their own destiny. Given that the Eagles, with a blowout loss 2 weeks ago and on the verge of running franchise QB Donovan McNabb out of town on a rail, the fact that they’ll actually be playing for something over the next 3 weeks is absolute progress.

Next Monday, the Eagles host the disappointing 4-9 Cleveland Browns, losers of 3 straight and down to its 3rd string QB. Wins have been difficult to take for granted with this Eagles team this year, however this is a game the Eagles should win. If the Eagles can take care of business and beat the Browns at home, they can keep pace with the Carolina Panthers (9-3) and Atlanta Falcons (8-4) and stay a half game ahead of the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears who are both 7-6 and the Washington Redskins, who are 7-5 at the time of this posting but trail the Baltimore Ravens by 2 touchdowns in the 4th quarter.

It’s tough to imagine but if 2 of the teams between the Panthers, Falcons and Cowboys finish 10-6 and the Eagles finish 10-5-1, they could earn the final wild card spot. This is a long shot but, once again, the birds do control their own destiny. And reason for hope is not only the inspired brand of football they have played the last 2 weeks, handling 2 playoff teams in the Arizona Cardinals and Giants, but the fact that the Eagles under Head Coach Andy Reid have a history of playing very well  in the month of December.

To be sure, I’ll not yet be booking my travel plans to the Super Bowl but at least I don’t have to start thinking about when the Combine will be held or pouring over mock drafts to think about whom the Eagles may select with their 2 2009 first round draft picks. I can also have another month to distract myself from the disappointing start of the more disappointing 9-12 Sixers!

.chris{}

It’s Hillary for Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton was named Secretary of State

As expected on Monday morning, Senator Hillary Clinton was named Secretary of State in President-elect Obama’s new administration.

While the Obama and Clinton camps had feuded during the primaries, this represents a bold leadership move by Obama in appointing a former rival with whom he has not always seen eye-to-eye.

I’m a pretty level-headed guy and I have to admit, I’m not sure I could be as magnanimous as he has been. On this very blog, on Nov. 5th I was calling for Democrat-turned-McCain supporter Sen. Joe Lieberman’s head. And while I like Sen. Clinton and have voted for her twice, I’m not sure I”m mature enough to appoint such a recent bitter rival to such a key cabinet post. A friened texted me last week and marveled that Obama is assembling a “dream team” of advisors to serve in his administration. Of this kaleidescope of stars, few shine brighter than Senator, soon to be Secretary, Hillary Clinton.

.chris{}

Free Fall

Even Eagles QB Donovan McNabb can't look

Lately it’s tough to be a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Really. I’ve been an Eagles fan all my life and I’ve seen them lose plenty of games. But yesterday was tough. But why? I mean, I’ve seen far worse Eagles teams. But maybe that’s the point. I had been seduced by the possibilities of this team. A healthy Donovan McNabb to start the season. An exciting playmaker at wide receiver in rookie DeSean Jackson. A fast, playmaking defense buoyed by a dynamic young linebacker corps, defensive end Trent Cole and newly-acquired cornerback Asante Samuel. But in the end, this Eagles team ultimately is destined to produce what previous Eagles teams have produced before it — heartbreak.

Losing 36-7 to the Baltimore Ravens is an embarrassment, plain and simple. This team should be better than that and on paper — where it does NOT count — they are. But the problem is that games are not played on paper. They’re played on grass and turf and on those surfaces, this is a team that is slightly below mediocre. They now stand at 5-5-1 and I can’t see how this team rallies to win enough games to squeak into the playoffs. Even if they win their last 5 games, I’m not sure that 10-5-1 is enough to win an NFC Wild Card berth when teams like the Giants (10-1), Bucs (8-3), Panthers (8-3), Cowboys (7-4), Redskins (7-4), Cardinals (7-4), Falcons (7-4), Bears (6-5) and Vikings (6-5) all ahead of them in the standings.

Yesterday Eagles head coach Andy Reid benched QB Donovan McNabb to start the 2nd half after halftime. I guess he felt that 2 INTs and 1 lost fumble in one half was all he needed to see. I concur. I was shocked when I saw that 2nd year backup QB Kevin Kolb was starting the 2nd half but I can’t say I was disappointed. And while Kolb hardly faired better in the 2nd half than McNabb did, it’s clear that McNabb has been playing poorly enough to deserve to be on a short leash for the rest of the season.

It’s said that when you jump/fall from a very high altitude, it feels the entire time as if you’re flying, right up until the sudden THUD at the end. The Eagles are in free fall right now. It could be that the thud came on Sunday, shortly after the half. We’ll know more on Thursday.

.chris{}

5 Reasons Why Hillary Will Take the Secretary of State Position

President-Elect Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton

Sen. Hillary Clinton will accept the offer to become Secretary of State. I know that there are many fans of Sen. Clinton who think she either will not, or should not, take the position but I think that even though it hasn’t “officially” been offered, she will “officially” accept it and for these 5 reasons:

1. The prestige of the position — Despite her having come extremely close to winning the Democratic nomination and garnering 18 million votes in the process, Senator Clinton does not have seniority in the Senate. She’s actually years away from being in a position where she has any. Sen. Edward Kennedy has already stated that HE intends to lead the way on health care reform and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has said already that there is no committee chair for her in the immediate future. Becoming SOS, while it would cause her to give up her autonomy as a senator, she will have a much higher position as the nation’s top diplomat than she will as a senator in only her 2nd term.
2. 2012 isn’t likely — Many think Hillary won’t take the SOS position because it would lessen her ability to start running — essentially in 2 years — for the Democratic nomination for the 2012 election. It would take an extremely unusual set of circumstances for the atmosphere to occur in 4 years where it would be politically acceptable for Hillary to mount a primary challenge against then Democratic president Obama. I know that the cries of 2012 began in earnest after she did not become the party’s nominee and there were some democrats who supported Hillary that did not think Obama could beat Sen. John McCain in a general election. Now that Obama is the president-elect, I can’t imagine that the way will be clear for her in 2012 to run against him, without great political consequences.
3. She can make a difference — As I stated before, Hillary is not even the senior senator in her home state of New York, let alone senior in the senate as a whole. She serves on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; the Special Committee on Aging; as well as the Senate Armed Services Committee. She does not chair any of these committees and is not in a position to lead many bold initiatives. As SOS, with her familiarity with many world leaders, Hillary is in a position where she could make a difference in ways she will not be able to do so in the Senate.
4. 2016 — OK I’m grasping bit here but consider this: sure Hillary will be 68 in 2016. That’s younger than John McCain is now. And after 1-2 terms of being what I’ll go ahead and assume will be a very effective SOS in a very successful Obama administration, she’ll have burnished her credentials as not only a Democratic visionary but also a world leader. I think Hillary has the smarts, respect and toughness to become one of the best SOS’s our nation has ever had. Someone who is talked about and studied for decades after she serves. If she wants to run for president after making that kind of impact, it will be easier for her.
5. Pragmatism — Add reasons 1-4 and even though SOS would have to seem like a consolation prize, it just makes the most sense. She win the nomination, she didn’t get the VP spot but SOS is the most prestigious position left out there. I know some have mentioned her name as a Suprem Court justice but that would slam the door on any possibility of a future presidential run. SOS would combine all of her immense talents at the exact time when the U.S. needs its best and its brightest minds. It’s the best thing out there and she’d be great at it.

.chris{}

What’s Wrong With the Eagles This Season?

Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid

Positives? Ummmm, at least they didn’t LOSE? The Eagles, playing for their increasingly dim playoff lives, couldn’t even manage to beat the 1 – 8 Bengals, who are horrible this year and without their franchise QB Carson Palmer.

How frustrating is it to be an Eagles fan these days? For it’s part, the defense is playing OK, managing to rank in the top 10 in the NFL  statistically — yards, points and versus the pass. Even the offense — statistically — is highly ranked, landing in the top 10 in the NFL in yards, YPG, points, PPG as well as passing.

However, those stats can be very misleading! The Eagles rush offense is ranked only 22nd in the league, averaging just under 100 yards per game (98.3). And while the Eagles haven’t had much trouble moving the ball between the 20’s, it’s been the red zone where this team has struggled, and it’s clear that the two are linked. Also, I don’t have the stats but would have to imagine that the Eagles offense has got to be at or near the top of the league in 3 and outs. I would also guess that they are at or near the top of the NFL in dropped passes.

Add all that up and you have a team that is explosive enough to get big plays and score points but struggles, particularly against good defenses, to sustain drives (or at times, even to get a single first down). With the Eagles, it’s either feast or famine. And better defenses can stop the Eagles from doing too much damage on big plays and force the Eagles to put together 8, 9 and 10 play scoring drives — something they have not been able to do consistently.

Thought? RUN THE BALL MORE!!!

.chris{}

GOP: A Generation Lost?

Party Identification Among 18-29-Year Olds

After sifting through all the exit polls and data from last week’s Democratic route of the GOP, someone somewhere was bound to find a silver lining that points to some optimistic microtrend that the GOP could take solace in and build on as they look toward the 2010 mid-terms and the 2012 presidential election. This entry does not contain any such silver linings.

Obama won young voters 2-to-1 vs. McCain, as opposed to 2004 and 2000 when the vote was very close to even. If that’s not absolutely frightening to the Republican brass, they need to have their heads examined.

Forget losing an election, the GOP could lose an entire generation of voters to the Democratic party, as its base grows older and smaller in numbers.

The challenge for the GOP now must become, how do they craft ideas and solutions that are relevant to a young, tech-savvy generation? On the surface, it would seem that the tactics and strategies the GOP uses most effectively are outdated and completely ineffective to younger audiences.

The GOP is all about robocalls while many under 30 don’t even have home phones.

The GOP uses conservative talk radio very effectively to spread its message while many under 30 don’t listen to the radio at all, preferring to listen to their iPods instead.

In Obama, young people had a candidate who connected with them via text messages, Twitter and podcasts while allowing them to self-organize through social networks. In McCain, young voters had a candidate who admittedly didn’t even know how to email.

So I’m sure there are some in the GOP who will come up with the very simple solution of running a younger candidate next time. Maybe that will succeed in lowering the age of the candidate but the problem is that it likely won’t succeed in lowering the age of their ideas.

.chris{}

1/20/09 = The End Of The War Against Science

The War Against Science

After the euphoria of the triumph over the McCain/Palin ticket has worn off and reality sets in, Obama’s victory is almost like the gift that just keeps on giving!

One of the first great things about Obama’s convincing win on Tuesday — no President McCain and (thankfully) no Vice President Palin.

But what sinks in after the fact is that the best aspects of an impending Obama presidency is the undoing of the myriad of misguided and failed policies of current President George Bush. None of these failed policies is as pronounced or as ready to be undone as the unofficial war on science!!!

It’s no secret that the Bush Administration has waged a war against government scientists where science conflicts with the stated theological ideology of the president as well as the extreme religious right. This has led to severe restrictions of funding for stem cell research, the denial of global warming and numerous conflicts with government agencies like NASA.

No more.

As we speak, a team of lawyers from Obama’s transition team are reviewing a number of Bush’s executive orders and are prepared to immediately overturn any and all orders that have been executed for “overtly political” reasons.

It seems like the last three weeks leading up to election day dragged on and couldn’t go by fast enough. I’ll tell you, I think the next three will drag by even more slowly! January 20, 2009 — the end of our 8 year, “long national nightmare” as blogger SusanG of the Daily Kos called it — can’t come fast enough!!!

.chris{}