Week 4 Review of the NFL

Donovan McNabb’s triumphant return to Philadelphia

It came as no surprise to me that the Eagles former quarterback received more cheers than boos in the pre-game introductions. He did lead the Eagles to five straight NFC Championship games. One of those resulting in a trip to the Super Bowl, only the second in franchise history. And it came as no surprise that he received more boos when the game was under way. What did surprise me though was the lack of energy, fight or spirit from the Eagles in that game. I mean, you did remember it’s Sunday right? After an Eagles three and out to start the game it only took three plays for the Redskins to score the first touchdown. Shortly there after as the Eagles started to show some life, Michael Vick suffered a rib injury that seemed to destroy the hopes and dreams of an Eagles victory that day. When you look at the final score (17-12) and at the stats, no one had a great game. The Redskins won a crucial game against an opponent in their division and the Eagles lost their starting quarterback and had to bring in their other starting quarterback. McNabb got the win and that’s all that matters for him, but you know he had a good night’s sleep that day. Sticking it the team that traded you away is always gonna put a smile on that players face. Just ask Brett Favre. Why do you think he’s playing into his 40s? Simple answer: Revenge.

The flaw with the Colts

I can’t believe that a team that had one of the worst run defenses in recent memory won a Super Bowl. Wait this isn’t 2006 is it? No, it is 2010 and the Colts still don’t have a championship caliber defense. Yes, they manned up and fixed their flaw at the right time in ’06, but they’ve started the 2010 season at 2-2. Why? They gave up over 200 yards rushing to Arian Foster of the Houston Texans and 174 rushing yards to the 29th ranked offense in the Jacksonville Jaguars this past week. That’s why they’re 2-2. Now I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the Colts will completely fall apart and not even make the playoffs, but you have to wonder when it will end? Peyton Manning can only carry you so far. That game against Jacksonville proved to the rest of the league one thing about the Colts. If you get the last possession, you still have a chance against the Indianapolis Colts. To be honest the Colts (specifically the defense) never put that fear into another opponent when it was game time. Maybe it points to not having safety Bob Sanders on the field. I’m not an expert, but when you have a guy that has a no fear attitude for every snap, that makes a big difference in how your defense acts. But the problem doesn’t lie with the absence of one player, but rather with the fact that the Colts have never been able to stop the run and the rest of the league is starting to realize that.

Why do the 49ers suck?

I will preface this by saying that I am a fan of the San Francisco 49ers since 1992. I have been behind them in almost every facet of the game except when they hired Dennis Erickson to be their head coach. Those were two long years. Anyway what is wrong with them? I didn’t have them going any better than 9-7 in the worst division in football and they start out the season 0-4? I will say that offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye probably wasn’t the right guy for the job. Why did it seem so difficult to run an NFL offense when you’ve done it for almost 30 years? But that was taking the easy way out. Ultimately Raye was running the offense that head coach Mike Singletary was wanting. A ball control conservative attack that focused on getting the ball to running back Frank Gore. The other problem is that when you do want to pass the ball, the quarterback still is having issues of ball control. I will say that two of Alex Smith’s 7 interceptions were the results of a defender tipping the ball and Michael Crabtree not making a concerted effort of going after the ball, but that still leaves 5 interceptions. It starts at the top. As much as it pains me to say it, but maybe Singletary is out of his league a bit? He will need to bring in a new quarterback and probably will need to change his offensive philosophy. It will be difficult since he is a defensive minded coach and he will have to survive this season before getting a chance at getting a new quarterback. His “cannot play with them, cannot coach with them, cannot win with them, can’t do it” attitude is exactly what the 49ers needed when he took over last year. Now they need someone who knows how to make adjustments on the fly. I still have faith in my team, but I can’t say the same for the other 49er faithful.

2010 MLB Postseason Preview

American League Division Series

New York Yankees vs. Minnesota Twins

Hitting: The Yankees have an All-Star lineup to throw at the Twins. Derek Jeter will be looking to create some more postseason magic in pinstripes for what could be his last season in New York. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira are healthy and will be counted on solidifying the power for the middle of the lineup. Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher have been spectacular for the Yankees all year long. That trend should continue going forward.
The argument could be made for the Twins not winning this series with former AL MVP first baseman Justin Morneau out for the postseason, but the Twins have been winning without him most of this year. Joe Mauer is fully healthy and ready to lead the way in the Twins new ballpark. Orlando Hudson has been an important piece at the top of the order and must get on base. Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel have picked up the slack with Morneau being out. All three must be up to par to keep up with the Yankees. Jim Thome has had a great season and must come up in clutch situations again for the Twins to get past the Yankees.
Edge goes to New York

Pitching: New York will go with a three man rotation that still has C.C. Sabathia and Andy Pettitte. However, A.J. Burnett has struggled too much this year. Joe Girardi will go with Phil Hughes as the third starter. Will it hurt them? Probably not since Hughes is set up to pitch at Yankee Stadium, a comfort zone for him. The key will be getting to Mariano Rivera and the Yankees have two capable arms to do that in Kerry Wood and Joba Chamberlain. Both must not blow a lead when setting up for the best postseason pitcher ever in Rivera.
Francisco Liriano has been superb this season. He seems to have returned to form before having Tommy John surgery. Him and Carl Pavano have carried the starting rotation all year. Pavano interestingly enough is going against the team that paid him nearly $50 million for five years once again in the postseason. Brian Duensing will be given the ball in the third game and is the crafty left-hander who has to work the corners and rely on his defense to get through an inning. Matt Capps has been nearly flawless since he was acquired from the Washington Nationals back in July. With Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes the Twins have three capable closers in their bullpen. Minnesota prides themselves on their pen, but will it be enough?
Edge goes to New York

Outcome: Minnesota has been one of the best teams in baseball this year and it’s no fluke. They play great defense and their pitching has been great. Offensively they haven’t missed a beat playing in an outdoor stadium. New York has been playing in the toughest division in baseball (AL East) and they are the defending champions. When in doubt, look to your established veterans i.e., Jeter and Rivera. That is very comforting for a Wild Card team like the Yankees.

Yankees in 4 games

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Hitting: When in doubt, the Texas Rangers have turned to their offense to win games. It resulted in their first division title since 1999. Josh Hamilton is one of the favorites to win the AL MVP this year and it showed down the stretch when he missed some games that the Rangers need him in the middle of their lineup. Vladimir Guerrero has exceeded all expectations and the Rangers hope it continues in the postseason. Nelson Cruz and Michael Young have been the consistent force in the order. Both are playing in October baseball for the first time. Speedsters Elvis Andrus and Julio Borbon will have to get on base consistently to wreak havoc on the Rays pitching.
It starts with Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford. If they’re on, the Rays are tough to beat. Just look back at their run to the World Series in 2008. Both were big parts of hitting onslaught that postseason. B.J. Upton has been getting warmer in September and he could have a big October for Tampa Bay. Carlos Pena and Dan Johnson are the big power bats that Texas will need to keep in check. Super utility players Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez are always ready to play at an instant and manager Joe Maddon will be doing that a lot this postseason. It’s just his style.
Edge goes to Texas

Pitching: C.J. Wilson has been the Texas Rangers best pitcher all year long. Had Cliff Lee not been acquired, the Rangers would still be in okay shape, but it just looks better with a former AL Cy Young winner. Lee and Wilson form a nice 1-2 punch to start the series, but how is Texas going to finish it? They will need to count on a bullpen that has a veteran left-hander in Darren Oliver and a rookie closer in Neftali Feliz to help seal the deal on their victories this series. Lee can’t pitch every inning of every game and Wilson rarely goes past 7 innings.
Tampa Bay has their Cy Young candidate in David Price ready to go. Funny how he was the secret weapon out of the bullpen two years ago and now he’s there ace on the staff. James Shields and Matt Garza are still around and both are more than capable of getting the job done for the Rays. One thing in Tampa Bay’s favor is their bullpen this year. Rafael Soriano is a stud and will finish games. Setting him up won’t be a problem either with Joaquin Benoit. Who by the way was with the Texas Rangers for his first 8 seasons in the majors. Interesting subplot for this series.
Edge goes to Tampa Bay

Outcome: Ultimately pitching wins in the postseason. It’s a tired, but true cliche. You have to have offense too, but Tampa Bay has it covered. Sure they don’t have the potential to score 5 or more runs on you an inning like Texas does, but the Rays won the AL East. The proclaimed toughest division in baseball. Texas dealt with a sub-par AL West this year and had it in the bag pretty early. The Rays have experience too. It’s pretty much the same team from two years ago. That counts for a lot in the postseason. Just ask the Yankees.

Rays in 4 games

National League Division Series

Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Hitting: Cincinnati has had a great season and they deserve all the credit. Unfortunately they start the postseason against the two time defending National League champions. They are led by MVP candidate Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. Both are the unquestioned team leaders and they lead by what they do on the field. Orlando Cabrera was a great pickup before the season and his leadership on the field has helped turn around the Reds defense and has helped the pitching staff gain confidence. Scott Rolen has returned to his old ways and has been crushing the ball. His glove hasn’t left him yet and teaming up with Cabrera on the left side of the infield has benefited both players.
The quartet of Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth are all healthy and ready for another postseason celebration. That’s a scary thought for the other three playoff teams in the National League. Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco have awoken their bats and the Phillies lineup is as balanced as ever. You add Mike Sweeney to the mix during the season to be a pinch hitter at this time to go along with your top prospect Domonic Brown and you have yourself a lot of quality depth.
Edge goes to Philadelphia

Pitching: The Reds have three quality starters to go against the Phillies order. Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto. The problem with all three is that if they get into a jam, it’s difficult to get them out of it. It’s a lot to ask of Volquez and Cueto who both have no postseason experience to stop the Phillies lineup from scoring at least 4 runs in their respective starts. The wild card in all this is Aroldis Chapman. The 100mph phenom is going to have the entire world watching to see what he can to stifle the Phillies’ bats. Francisco Cordero might not be seen much in this series, but if he does pitch he can save a game with the best of them.
The Phillies have without a doubt the best starting pitching of any team going into the postseason. When you can throw out Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt in succession, you will not lose any sleep if you’re manager Charlie Manuel. Halladay is the only one without any postseason experience. Which in itself is amazing. Hamels has a ring and Oswalt nearly received one with Houston. All three complement each other well and the Phillies are blessed to have this staff. Of course the question will be if Brad Lidge is right going into October. He looked good down the stretch and with the three starters able to go the distance if need be, Philadelphia has nothing to worry about.
Edge goes to Philadelphia

Outcome: I would like to see Cincinnati in the NLCS, but alas it won’t happen. They’re playing the Phillies. It would be a great story if the Reds were able to knock out the defending National League champions, but I just don’t see how it will happen. Unless one of the Phillies starters doesn’t pitch up to par, the hitting quartet doesn’t produce and Brad Lidge blows every single game he pitches in. If just one of those scenarios happens, then the Reds do have a chance.

Phillies in 3 games

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants

Hitting: Atlanta has been right at the top for most of the season, but struggled down the stretch and lost the division title and almost lost the wild card spot in the process. Thankfully for them they get a chance to send manager Bobby Cox out on top and it starts with their infield. Troy Glaus has been exactly what the Braves needed when he was signed. He hasn’t been too bad either on defense. Derek Lee struggled to get acclimated after he was acquired, but has found his niche at the right time. Martin Prado has been one of the best hitters in the league this year and Alex Gonzalez was an instant spark when he was acquired from Toronto. Jason Heyward was the overwhelming favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award, but struggled during the summer. Potentially he could be ready to breakout again in the postseason.
San Francisco waited til the last day of the season to clinch the NL West. The San Diego Padres were leading the division throughout most of the year and the Giants held firm and caught up with them. Waiver pickup Pat Burrell was a magnificent acquisition. He has plenty of postseason experience. He has a ring to prove it with the Phillies. Like what Glaus is for the Braves the same goes for Aubrey Huff and the Giants. They needed a consistent bat in the middle of their lineup and he provided that. Juan Uribe provided a lot of power in crucial situations. Andres Torres was the catalyst at the top of their lineup. Buster Posey, their rookie catcher, is everything they expected from him and more. He handles himself very well with the pitching staff and is the future cleanup hitter.
Edge goes to San Francisco

Pitching: The Braves are thankful that Tim Hudson has fully returned from Tommy John surgery to become the Braves ace once again. He will be counted on to get the Braves through another tough stretch against an equally great pitching staff in San Francisco. Hudson won’t be alone as Derek Lowe will be putting his stuff to the test and take another shot at a getting a second ring. Atlanta’s bullpen is anchored by Billy Wagner who is pitching his final season and he hopes to go out with a ring too. Setting up Wagner is side-winder Peter Moylan who is tough to hit on his bad days.
The Giants have a good rotation that starts with 2 time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. “The Freak” as they call him will get a chance to show his talents in the postseason for the first time. The same goes for Matt Cain who has been in the shadow of Lincecum, but Cain has just as good if not better stuff than Lincecum when he’s at his best. Jonathan Sanchez will be given the third spot over Barry Zito who is too inconsistent to warrant the chance. Sanchez has filthy stuff, but must keep control in order to succeed. Brian Wilson is no fluke. He lead all of baseball in saves while striking out nearly 100 batters. He is quite the character too, but you have to if you want to be the closer.
Edge goes to San Francisco

Outcome: As much as I respect and love how Bobby Cox has managed throughout his career. I can’t see the Atlanta Braves winning this series. Yes, they do have the right pieces together to beat the Giants. Atlanta has the experience, which will go a long way. They have the better story in Bobby Cox. They just don’t have the youth factor. If the Giants didn’t have the kind of pitching that they do, the Braves would win easily. I just don’t see San Francisco losing to the Atlanta Braves especially with the kind of closer the Giants have. The Braves, like the Reds are the better story, but I can’t go against my head

Giants in 5 games

Week 3 Review of the NFL

The Steelers and Chiefs are 3-0?

We’ll start with the established contender in Pittsburgh. I didn’t think the Steelers would be 0-4 without Ben Roethlisberger, but I didn’t expect them to be 3-0. The dominated a great offensive team in Week 1 in the Atlanta Falcons. On the road against the Tennessee Titans and stopping the best running back in the NFL in Chris Johnson. Matched up against another 2-0 team in Tampa Bay they showed who is more deserving of an undefeated record by destroying the Buccaneers. Doing all that without an established quarterback. Dennis Dixon played okay during the first game. Dixon was hurt in Week 2 and Charlie Batch looked shaky in reserve. Batch did redeem himself with a 3 TD performance against the Bucs. The Steelers play host to their division rival Baltimore in Week 4. The Ravens are looking to solidify themselves as the favorite in the AFC North, but the Steelers have put themselves in a great position to be in contention when Roethlisberger returns to lead the offense.

Kansas City is winning the games they should be winning. Aside from the Week 1 defeat of the San Diego Chargers which came as a surprise to most, the Chiefs are winning the easy games. They have the best running team in the NFL through the first three games (160.7 yards). They have the 13th ranked defense in the NFL. They are the talk of the AFC and many wonder if they can keep it up going into November and December. After their bye, their next two games are at Indianapolis and Houston. That will be the ultimate test for them this season. Also will they be able to beat the Chargers in San Diego and stop the Titans at home in December. Aside from that they have a relatively easy schedule to go 10-6 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The defending champs have some competition

It’s easy to say that the Saints should have won that overtime game against the Atlanta Falcons if Garrett Hartley made that field goal. It’s true though. I will instead focus on the fact that the Saints are not the only great team in their own division. The Falcons have great depth at running back. In Week 2, they lost Jerious Norwood for the season with a knee injury and Michael Turner went out with a hamstring injury. Jason Snelling, who is third on the depth chart stepped in and single handedly beat the Arizona Cardinals. With Turner back and Snelling added to the mix, the Falcons bruised the Saints by rushing the ball for 202 yards. It showed in the second half and in overtime when the Saints had no energy in stopping the ball carrier. That is a recipe for success against the Saints. By running the ball and controlling the clock, you can keep Saints quarterback Drew Brees off the field. The Atlanta Falcons have a good team, but they potentially are a great team if they can dethrone the Saints this year.

There is something wrong with the San Diego Chargers

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the Chargers are somehow the most underachieving football team and yet find a way to make the playoffs every year since 2005. Does it start from the top or does it start on the field? It seems to me that it is starting from the top. General Manger A.J. Smith has been called the “lord of no rings” on multiple occasions. Why is that? Smith fired Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 regular season that ended in a divisional playoff loss. LaDainian Tomlinson was shown the door this past off-season. Michael Turner was let go for nothing in return. The same was said for Drew Brees. What’s been more taxing on the team is the handling of the holdouts of left tackle Marcus McNeil and wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Now the players gambled and lost big, but the Chargers front office went about it the wrong way. Philip Rivers has been struggling to get the offense into a rhythm and it could be due to the fact that he is under more pressure because of the absence of McNeil. Or it could be that his deep threat Vincent Jackson is no where on the football field. McNeil will be returning in a few weeks, but Jackson probably is done in San Diego this year via the holdout. Either way you cut it, the luck of the Chargers might be running out this year. They can’t keep shooting themselves in the foot aka giving up two kickoff return touchdowns to Leon Washington of the Seattle Seahawks and expect to win football games. But knowing San Diego they almost always show up in November and December so all might not be lost for them this year.

10. Baseketball

Some won’t classify this picture as a “sports” movie. Why? I don’t know. I mean, yes it does involve a made up sport that has never existed. But when I describe this movie to someone who has neve seen it. I usually say, “it involves two guys who are losers until one day they make up a sport that helps them become sports stars.” Isn’t that the whole point of the movie? The main characters are playing a sport albeit a made up one.

Now before I saw this movie, I never saw a single second of South Park. Even more shocking is that both Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the stars of this movie, didn’t even write or direct this movie. David Zucker directed Baseketball. He directed the first Naked Gun movie, which includes probably the best 30 minute parody of a baseball game ever. See it for yourself. Anyway with Baseketball, you get a good dose of comedy and an interesting cast.

Jenny McCarthy (pictured in the middle) is in the movie. Without giving anything away, she is some pretty funny scenes. Yasmine Bleeth, mostly known for Baywatch is also in the movie. Ernest Borgnine and Robert Vaughn play two of the owners in the Baseketball league. You will also see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Reggie Jackson, Kenny Mayne and Dan Patrick make some cameo appearances. By far the most entertaining part of the supporting cast was what Bob Costas and Al Michaels were saying as the play-by-play guys. Never thought I would’ve heard those say the things they said.

Now to help make my case for this movie I’m going to include a little part of the movie that I think sums it up the best. The character Robert Vaughn is playing is named Baxter Cain and the one Matt Stone is playing is named Douglas “Swish” Reemer.

Baxter Cain: Do you think Shaq got rich playing in Orlando? Hardly, he made his fortune moving to L.A. You know how much he makes now?

Doug Reemer: As much as he made playing in college?

Cain: What? No, a lot more! Big money, and you can too!

Reemer: Would I have to quit baseketball?

Cain: What? No, I need you to get Coop to go along!

Reemer: He’d have to quit baseketball too?

Cain: [Dumbfounded, holding his head in pain] Ehhh… ahh.
..
Reemer: Did I just fart?

Now I should have prefaced this, but this top 10 list is sports movies that I’ve seen. Not what others recommend, but only what my eyes have seen and that I truly enjoy. If you haven’t seen this movie, go to Blockbuster…oh…right, they’re bankrupt. Then netflix it, pirate the movie, however you go about seeing it. Watch it once and let me know what you think. Be forewarned, the movie is rated R, but you will enjoy it.

Week 2 Review of the NFL

Dallas, Minneapolis, you have a problem

It’s true that very few teams have made it to the playoffs when they start the season 0-2. It’s even more rare that they make the playoffs starting the season 0-3. That is what faces the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota seems to be in a more dire situation. Through two games Brett Favre’s stats look like this: 396 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT and a 58.7 completion percentage. Their leading receiver is Visanthe Shiancoe with 10 catches and 162 yards, but only two other receivers (Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin) have more than 5 catches. The problem is two fold. Favre has no chemistry with the same receivers he had from last year, minus Sidney Rice who is on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list. And Brad Childress seems to be lost in running the offense. He was right to give the ball to Adrian Peterson the ball on 4th down at the goal line, but that was the fourth straight run play. Mix in a pass there. Luckily they play host to the 0-2 Detroit Lions in Week 3.
The Cowboys is a bit more predictable. The only surprise to me is that they usually have a good start to the season, but fizzle in November/December. The main problem is their lack of a balanced offense. The Cowboys have three, I say again, three good running backs. Why is Tony Romo throwing the ball 47 and 51 times in their first two games? I could understand it if the Cowboys were losing big, but they lost to Washington 13-7 and to Chicago last week 27-20. When you don’t have balance on offense, you end up looking lost. Tony Romo doesn’t deserve any blame in my opinion, but I can assure you that eventually owner Jerry Jones will snatch a headset from offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and head coach Wade Phillips very soon if things don’t change quick. Their next game is in Houston, which is no walk in the park anymore.

This isn’t the same old Texans

Yes, the Houston Texans exposed a weakness from the defending AFC champion Indianapolis Colts with 257 yards rushing. What everyone forgot about was the fact that Houston can still throw the football to win games. It was a dull week with the exception of the Houston vs. Washington. Both Matt Schaub and Donovan McNabb threw for over 400 yards. Both defenses didn’t look to bad either with the amazing passing performances from both quarterbacks. Houston solidified themselves as early contenders with the Schaub to Andre Johnson connection being put on display. I wasn’t thinking too much about Johnson’s ankle injury late in the game. Why? Knowing him, he was going to play. He is the best receiver in the NFL and showed why with the game tying TD catch on 4th and 10 in the fourth quarter. Schaub showed tremendous poise under constant pressure from a blitzing Redskins defense. It was a good test for a team on the rise. Next they have to continue to show their worth by hosting the desperate, yes they are, 0-2 Dallas Cowboys. If Houston should win that game, they will have an easy line to start the season 6-0 before they play the Colts again.

So many new and familiar faces made an apperance

I don’t think I have ever seen so many starters lose their job in just the second week of the season. Yes, it was only four, but that seems to be a lot. Tennessee decided to bench Vince Young and hand the reigns to Kerry Collins to start the fourth quarter. Carolina losing late decided it was time to unveil Jimmy Clausen for Matt Moore. Jacksonville losing big and David Garrard struggling benched him for Luke McCown. Oakland couldn’t take the inconsistency and went to Bruce Gradkowski to start the second half over Jason Campbell. Buffalo didn’t make the change until after the game, but they are going with Ryan Fitzpatrick instead of Trent Edwards. Out of all those moves, do any help the team’s current state? Jeff Fisher benching Young was more of a wake up call. Pittsburgh has a great defense and the Titans need to better prepare Young for that. The Panthers are in a downward spiral and Clausen will be thrown into the fire a lot sooner than they would like. Garrard is still the starter, but throwing 4 interceptions won’t help his job status for much longer. The Raiders will be hard pressed to avoid creating a quarterback controversy now that they won a game with Gradkowski relieving Jason Campbell. Campbell is the better quarterback, but will he use this to live up to Al Davis’ expectations of him? As for Buffalo’s decision. Are you really surprised they made a change this quickly?

Vick is making a comeback

Okay it’s now official. There is a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. All the blame for it goes to Andy Reid. He put himself into a corner by announcing that Kevin Kolb would start their next game after the Eagles beat Detroit. Just 24 hours later, he started to back track and then named Michael Vick the starter for the rest of the season. What a twist. Yes, Vick has looked like the old Vick from Atlanta. He still has that crazy ability to scramble and make play out of the pocket. His deep throws were incredibly accurate and his receivers were able to make plays after the catch. Again I point out they were playing the Detroit Lions. How will Vick handle the Redskins defense or the 49ers defense, whom the Eagles play in the next few games. It amazes me that the Eagles appeared to have dealt McNabb to a division rival and replaced him with a quarterback who hasn’t played full time in over three years. However, it becomes apparent that this decision was made for only this season. Had Kolb not suffered a concussion, he would be playing. The Giants are terrible. The Cowboys have no identity. The Redskins are still the Redskins. Andy Reid sees this year as an opportunity to make some noise and get into the playoffs. On paper it looks like the right call, but at what price? Kolb’s psyche is shot I’m sure. He has to wait another year to get his shot when he thought this year was it. Reid might get some extra victories, but Vick hasn’t shown what he can do against elite teams yet.