Week 11: Injured Quarterbacks on Contending Teams

It's been a busy week for the quarterback position thus far, and it's only Wednesday. This past weekend four different teams witnessed its starting quarterback go down with an injury, two of which have already been ruled out for this Sunday's match-ups with division rivals.

Three of these four teams are contenders and the fourth team is fighting for its playoff chances.

The aforementioned quarterbacks include Philly's Michael Vick (concussion), San Francisco's Alex Smith (concussion), Chicago's Jay Cutler (concussion) and Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger (right shoulder sprain).

Vick has been ruled out of Sunday's game against Washington, as rookie Nick Foles will make his first career start for the struggling 3-6 Eagles. Foles, filling in for the injured Vick this past Sunday, completed 22 of his 32 pass attempts for 219 yards, 1 TD and an interception against Dallas. The interception was returned 47 yards for a Brandon Carr touchdown.

If Foles can keep the Eagles competitive, who knows how long Vick will end up being out of the lineup. This may have just lost him the starting job if Foles can take advantage of this opportunity.

Smith, before leaving the game, went 7/8 for 72 yards and a TD before Colin Kaepernick took over and threw for 117 yards on the Niners' way to the first tie since the Eagles and Bengals ended in a 13-13 tie during the 2008 regular season.

Smith appears to be doing much better after suffering the concussion on a blow to the head against the Rams. He's been following NFL protocol for concussions, and if he's cleared by a neurologist he could play in San Fran's Monday night game with the Bears.

Speaking of the Bears, news on Cutler in Chicago is similar to that of Smith. It's unclear as to whether or not he'll play but since no significant news has broken that he isn't likely to play, I think we'll see him in uniform. Smith and Cutler's concussions suffered in Week 10 will certainly make for a interesting Week 11 match-up, should they both suit up and play for their respective teams.

The big news this week has without a doubt been Ben Roethlisberger. All of these concussions have been overshadowed by Roethlisberger's right shoulder sprain suffered in Pittsburgh's 16-13 overtime victory over Kansas City on Monday night. His agent claimed that it is an unusual injury, which tells me this may be a little more serious than just a sprain.

Either way, he's been ruled out for Sunday night's game against AFC North rival Baltimore, leaving the door open for former Jaguars starter Byron Leftwich to make his first official start as a Pittsburgh Steeler.

In terms of contending teams being effected by the injured quarterbacks, I don't think the Bears or Niners have much to worry about, even if Josh McCown starts for the Bears and Kaepernick the Niners this Monday. It's the Steelers that have the most to worry about. With no set timetable for Roethlisberger's recovery, it looks as if it will just be a week-to-week basis until team doctors know more.

One thing is for sure, however. If Pittsburgh is forced to rely on the right arm of Leftwich for the long-term, the team's playoff hopes may go down the drain.

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Key to Eagles Success: Less Vick, More McCoy

Week 1 nearly turned disastrous for the Philadelphia Eagles, who narrowly escaped with a victory. Leading 10-3 at the half, Philadelphia blew the lead by surrendering 13 unanswered points in the third and fourth quarters.

It wasn't until quarterback Michael Vick threw for a four-yard touchdown to third-year tight end Clay Harbor with just over a minute to play that the Eagles finally re-took the lead for good. The Eagles may have gotten the eventual W, but in the end the Browns may have gotten more out of this one.

Cleveland's rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden struggled all the way through, completing just 12 of his 35 pass attempts for 118 yards and four interceptions. But considering it was his first NFL start and he received little support from the running game, led by fellow rookie RB Trent Richardson, this was expected.

Philadelphia's offense controlled the game clock, running for 150 yards on 30 attempts and possessing the ball for nearly 36 minutes of play. Despite his 317 yards and 2 TD passes, Vick had one of the worst passing games of his career. Setting a career-high in attempts, with 56, Vick completed just 52% of his passes and tossed four interceptions to Cleveland defenders, including one of which went for a touchdown.

What's most confusing about the game is the fact that Vick threw so many passes while All Pro running back LeSean McCoy carried the ball just 20 times throughout the game. Last season's fifth-ranked rushing offense was extremely effective with its 30 total carries, averaging five yards per carry. Vick's career yards per pass attempt sits at just over seven yards, while he managed just around 5.5 Y/A Sunday against Cleveland's 24th ranked pass defense.

So what went wrong for Philadelphia's offense, and why did they manage just 17 points against a team that ranked third-to-last in scoring offense last season and threw four picks? Simple. The Eagles used too much of Vick, and not enough McCoy.

There are numbers that prove my theory.

Last season, McCoy ran the ball more than 20 times in a game on five separate occasions. He ran for 100 or more yards in four of those games and scored six touchdowns on the ground as the Eagles posted a 4-1 record. In the remaining of McCoy's 15 games last season, he ran the ball under 20 times and recorded just two 100-yard games but, more importantly, Philadelphia managed just a 3-7 record over that span.

Sure, McCoy scored more times on the ground (11) in games in which he received less touches, but overall he was much more productive when comparing yards/game and TDs/game.

>20 carries: 118 yards, 1.2 TDs per game

<20 1.1="1.1" 71.9="71.9" carries:="carries:" game="game" i="i" per="per" tds="tds" yards="yards">

How Andy Reid and his coaching staff has yet to realize this and put this into effect, A.K.A. give McCoy more carries, is beyond me. I'm sure they have realized it and maybe are just too stubborn to take the ball out of Vick's hands and into the 24-year old back's hands.

But I will not stop here. No, I have just a bit more findings to share with you concerning Vick's poor passing day against the Browns. From what I've seen, Vick is actually the opposite of McCoy. He's most effective in smaller doses.

In his eight seasons with Atlanta and Philadelphia, Vick has never thrown more than 50 passes in a single game, which is exactly why this puzzles me so much. Over his career he has passed 40+ times just eight times (including Sunday) and has posted a record of 1-6-1 in those games. Another interesting stat of Vick's is that Sunday was also just his second career 4 interception game, the other coming last October against the Bills, a game in which he attempted 40 passes.

His TD/INT ratio in those eight games sits at 12/14 with a completion percentage of a mere 55. Clearly he has proved ineffective and the results haven't been in his favor when receiving a considerable amount of attempts per game. Other quarterbacks in pass-heavy offenses such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and even Ben Roethlisberger can handle a large workload (in terms of pass attempts/game) and still be effective. But that's just not Vick's style.

His career record as starter, when you take away those eight games, is 54-31. Since taking over the starting role for Philly at the beginning of the 2010 regular season, Vick's record is 16-9. Taking away any games in which he threw for 40+ passes and his record as the Eagles' starter stands at 15-5.

He's 2-4 in the postseason during his career, but 2-0 in postseason games in which he doesn't throw an interception. As quarterback, mistake-free football is vital. And, though it isn't quite evident in his postseason history (hasn't thrown 40+ in a postseason game before), Vick's team, whether it was in his Falcon days or his current Philly days, has the best shot of victory when he's passing between 20 and 30 times.

And McCoy is most effective when he receiving more than 20 carries a game. So why, exactly, has Reid and Co. chosen to ignore this interesting finding? Well, that's beyond me. Does anyone really know what goes on inside of his head?

McCoy's career-high in attempts per game is 30, and that number has been reached just one time. But I'd expect him to see 30+ on numerous occasions this season. He should've reached that feat this past Sunday actually, considering the Eagles held a lead for nearly the entire third quarter of play.

McCoy ran the ball just five times in the third while Vick attempted 12 passes, two of which were intercepted by Joe Haden and L.J. Fort. Reid should have come out of the halftime break pounding the ball with McCoy to run down some clock. With a 7-point lead, why wouldn't you?

Anyways, maybe Reid will get it right eventually. If he wants to improve to 2-0 this weekend he will absolutely need to find the right mixture (30+ touches for McCoy; >40 attempts for Vick). Baltimore's defense––two turnovers forced, four sacks in 44-13 victory over Cincinnati Sunday night––will not be taking it easy on Vick and this offense. And why should they?

McCoy will need to see the ball early and often in order to be successful against a team such as Baltimore.

Note: I do not own the above images. No copyright infringement intended

The Talking Never Stops

Yeah, it's the off-season. So what? That's not going to stop the trash-talking between rivals. At least not when Osi Umenyiora is around...

The defensive end for the defending champion New York Giants took a shot at Philadelphia Eagles running back Lesean McCoy early this morning via Twitter.

As NFC East counterparts, of course the Giants and Eagles rivalry is heated year in and year out. A guaranteed bloodbath every time the two squads share the field. But unlike many other rivalries in the National Football League, sometimes this one gets a little personal.

Umenyiora and running back McCoy have been known to exchange some words while on the playing field, but they aren't shy on Twitter either. Last offseason McCoy referred to Umenyiora as "overrated and soft" on his Twitter page.

This morning it was Umenyiora, 30, in the middle of a contract dispute with New York, who talked a little smack on his rival. Here's what his tweet read:

Happy Mother's day Lesean Mccoy! Enjoy your special day!!

Seems like a playful jab at McCoy, though knowing Umenyiora and his view on the Eagles I wouldn't doubt his sincerity in his tweet.

Normally I wouldn't even acknowledge an antic like this because it's meaningless, but I just found it very interesting and thought I'd point it out to my readers. Fans and news outlets seem to be making a huge deal out of the tweet, but I personally find this an entertaining way of messing with an opponent.

Come on, people. McCoy and Umenyiora are rivals and aren't very fond of each other. Aren't you glad he's tweeting playful trash-talk rather than violent threats? Not to mention McCoy was asking for it when he called Umenyoria soft.

In the words of New England's Chad Ochocino: "Child, please.."


McCoy has owned the G-Men defense (three 100-yard games and 3 TDs in three pro seasons), yeah. But at the same time Umenyiora has the stats (12.5 career sacks vs. Philly) and the rings (two SB wins w/ NY) to stack up against McCoy and his trash talk.

Neither party (McCoy and Umenyiora) have backed away from the smack talk, and this is just the latest chapter in the NYG/PHI showdown. It's almost as if this rivalry desperately needed something to fuel the fire...

Is Michael Vick Right or Wrong About Officials?

Another week gone by, another Michael Vick injury.

Just a short week after Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback Michael Vick collided with a teammate a suffered a minor concussion, Vick suffers what was originally announced as a broken right hand in a 29-16 loss to NFC East counterpart New York Giants.

Yesterday it was revealed that he simply bruised his non-throwing hand, according to head coach Andy Reid. But nonetheless, the usually soft-spoken Vick had some strong words for the game's officials in a post-game news conference (as displayed in the youtube video below).

While he does raise a good point in terms of him taking hits in the pocket that quarterbacks otherwise would draw a penalty flag for, I simply don't think this was a smart move for Vick.

It's apparent that he has yet to come to the realization that NFL Officials (not "refs," because there is only one "referee" on the field at a time) are bound to treat Vick differently. It's rare that Vick sits in the pocket and takes a hit, seeing as he loves to move around and extend plays. He's a whole different breed of quarterback than the rest of the Manning's, Brady's, Brees' and Rivers' out there.

Like Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Vick holds on to the ball a bit longer and is going to be taking some hits. Whether or not they draw flags or not, that's solely up to the judgement of the referee.

There's no doubt he could've drawn a flag or two in Sunday's game against New York, but although he says "I'm not trying to complain or anything," that's pretty much exactly what he's doing here. And I don't think the league will be very happy to hear all of this.

The best thing Mike Vick could do right now, is to just stay quiet and keep doing what he does best: win football games for Philadelphia. If he can get his team back on track and bounce back from this 1-2 start, I think we will be seeing less and less of this. Philly is simply just frustrated by a slow start to the 2011 campaign.

Note to readers: This is my 200th post! Woo, that's a lot. Looking to add 200+ more in the near future! Thanks for supporting.

Video found on Youtube

Why Philadelphia Should not be Referred to as the "Dream Team"

Ever since the Philadelphia Eagles' starting quarterback Michael Vick revived his career last season, the Philly Phans have found hope in their football team.

That newfound hope has gone off the charts after the start of free agency period began last week.

The Vick-led Eagles went 10-6, winning the NFC East by way of a tiebreaker over the New York Giants. But a late interception for Green Bay in the first round of the playoffs sent the Eagles home a bit earlier than they had expected.

There's no question that it was the offense that got the Eagles to the playoffs, but Philadelphia's defense–pass defense to be more precise–ended up costing them in the long run. The front seven failed to get much pressure on Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers, and the weak secondary failed to force any interceptions and gave up three Rodgers touchdown tosses.

Throughout the regular season Philadelphia was ranked 22nd in overall defense, and was in the bottom half when it came to points allowed. What they were able to do is pick off a lot of passes (except in the postseason of course) as they had the third-most in the league with 23, but the secondary also gave up a lot of big plays (31 passing TDs allowed, third-most in league as well).

There's only one thing better than having as high-powered an offense as Philadelphia has, and that's having both a high-powered offense and a stout defense.

So what does head coach Andy Reid (118-73 RS record; 10-9 PS record in 12 seasons) and the front office go out and do?

Well, it's simple really. They focused on stacking up on the defensive side with loads of young talent. In fact, three of the team's first four picks in the April draft consisted of two DBs and a linebacker. Very smart.

And, finally, that brings us to now. The free agency period began near the end of July and the Eagles have made some solid editions not only to the defensive side of the ball, but they added some depth at the quarterback position as well.

After dumping young backup quarterback Kevin Kolb off to Arizona (received CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second round pick in exchange), Philadelphia went out and took a risk in signing troubled Tennessee Titan Vince Young to a one-year contract to back up Vick.

These two deals, however, weren't nearly as big as the moves they made on defense. On Friday, about 10 minutes after the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys were both reportedly out of the running for coveted free agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, the Eagles made a move and signed him to a mega five-year, $60 million contract.

Before the headliner took place, Philly made a huge addition in the front seven, adding (also a former Titan like Young) defensive end Jason Babin. Babin is a shifty pass rusher that would be a huge help to the Eagle's scheme. Although he was a late-bloomer (career-high 12.5 sacks with Tennessee last season), Babin, 31, was also locked up for five years.

As a result of the additions on defense, Philadelphia has been pushed in to the center of attention in not only the NFC East, but the NFL.

Seemingly overnight the Eagles have gone from division favorites to Super Bowl favorites, and rightly so. The talent was there last year, and almost all of it plus some will be back for this season.

But the fans of Philadelphia, and NFL fans and experts in general–hell, even some of the players–have crossed the line in comparisons to the Eagles 2011 squad being a "Dream Team" throughout the league.

Okay, I'm sorry but there is no such thing as a "Dream Team" when it comes to the sport of American Football. It is the ultimate team game and a couple of high-profile free agents cannot turn a team in to a Dream Team. It just does not exist in this league.

If the New England Patriots' 2007 team–undefeated before losing to New York in the Super Bowl and Miami's undefeated squad in '72 are not referred to as a Dream Team, then Philadelphia has no right to even be in the same sentence.

Haven't they learned something from the NBA? It's not a smart idea to hand out a crown before they actually do the dirty work to earn that crown. That's exactly what the NBA world did with the Miami Heat's "Dream Team" or "Big Three" with LeBron, Wade and Bosh signing big-time contracts last season. In a tweet Babin actually even compared his new team to the Miami Heat, saying he feels like they are "the Miami Heat of the NFL."

No. No, you aren't Jason.

I am not saying the Eagles aren't Super Bowl contenders–because you would have to be blind to not realize this team has talent. But there are other teams, such as Baltimore, New England, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets who could all keep up with this Eagles team.

Moral of the Story: Please stop crowning and comparing these Philadelphia Eagles. They are not my pick to win it all, and they will be known to me as the winners of the free agency period of 2011 until proven otherwise. Check back with me in February.

Photo credit

Nnamdi Asomugha: ESPN.com

VY/DRC/Babin: phillysportsdaily.com

Should Philadelphia Pursue Plaxico Burress??

Former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress was recently released from prison after serving approximately two years of jail time for a gun charge.

Personally, I hate how much attention this story has gotten, and by writing this article I am only adding more fuel to the fire and helping to continue my frustration in the overly talked about Burress. But, the truth of the matter is that the 33-year old Super Bowl champion could be the difference between a borderline playoff team and a Super Bowl contender.

There are teams out there that are a few moves away from being in serious contention for a title. The first team that comes to mind is the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland has a very young offense, but if they get what they are expecting from their potential franchise quarterback (Colt McCoy) and can get targets such as Burress to add to McCoy's arsenal, who knows what will happen in Cleveland.

Although Cleveland seems to be a long-shot for Burress in 2011.

Footage of Burress being released last Monday (and being attacked by agent Drew Rosenhaus) shows Plaxico sporting a Philadelphia Phillies hat. Could this be a hint towards him wanting to join the Eagles? I certainly believe it could factor in.

Plus Eagles star quarterback Michael Vick has already shown interest in the 6'5'' wideout. Vick could help in mentoring Plax and aid in his rebound from the jail sentence. I mean, come on, Vick has already done a very good job in repairing his image, for the most part.

With former Indianapolis Colts' head coach, and Super Bowl champion, Tony Dungy mentoring Plax, it looks like he is already well on his way to recovering from his mistake and moving on with his life.

The Eagles sure could use another player such as Burress to complement play-making youngster DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. All Burress really needs to do is run routes and catch the ball, so I really don't think the idea of him being 'out of shape' would prevent the Eagles from pursuing Burress.

I say Philadelphia pulls the trigger and adds Burress once the lockout is lifted.

Photo credit: Associated Press

Peyton Hillis, Michael Vick two finalists for Madden Cover

The Cleveland Browns haven't been to the playoffs since 2002, and have had just three winning seasons since 1990. But, when it comes to Cleveland's fan base, they are as strong as ever.

With the 32-player tournament to determine the NFL player to grace the cover of Madden '12 down to just two players, Cleveland's crazy fans managed to vote their running back, Peyton Hillis, past Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick seemed to be an early favorite to win it all, and I still think he may very do just that by beating out Hillis. Either way, just getting this far is quite the accomplishment for the 240-pound bull-of-a-running back.

Hillis never rushed for more than 348 yards and six touchdowns in a given season throughout his college career at Arkansas, and was a seventh round pick (227th overall) of the Denver Broncos in 2008.

In Denver's system, Hillis ran for 397 yards and six touchdowns on 81 carries (4.9 YPC) in two seasons. Last off-season he was moved to Cleveland in the Brady Quinn trade, and made an impact on his new team right away.

Hillis ran for a touchdown in each of his first four games, which included two games of 100-plus yards. By season's end, Hillis had racked up a career-high 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns on 270 carries.

We all know of Vick's story, as well.

Released from home confinement on July 20, 2009, Vick returned to the league with the Philadelphia Eagles that August. With a limited role, it didn't seem like Vick would ever fully return to Pro Bowl form having been out of the league since 2006.

That was, until this past season. After an injury to starter Kevin Kolb during a week one matchup with the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, Vick took over as starter and never looked back. Before his jail time, Vick was known as an inaccurate passer who was always looking to run. But, apparently he worked on this problem while playing in jail(?) because he then proceeded to set career-highs in yards (3,018), touchdown passes (21) and completion percentage (62.6).

Of course, he still managed to wow everyone with his legs, running 676 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns. Vick's Eagles were knocked off by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the opening round of the playoffs, but that does not take anything away from Vick's phenomenal season. Like I said with Ben Roethlisberger and his off-field issues...winning seems to cure all. Apparently everyone forgets how much they used to hate this guy?

Unfortunately I expect Vick will win the voting, and I say unfortunately because I would love to see Hillis win cover athlete.

The winner will be announced on April 27 on ESPN2 at 4 P.M. Stay tuned.

Photo: Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

To Play or not to Play? That is the Million Dollar Question in Cincy

Amidst all of the lockout talks in the National Football League, the biggest question mark surrounding the 2011 season in Cincinnati isn't whether there will be a season or not. Rather, will Carson Palmer be suiting up in a uniform?

Fellow Bengal Chad Ochocinco (soon to be back to Chad Johnson) has made recent news by deciding to tryout for Sporting Kansas City--an MLS soccer team based in, of course, Kansas City, MO.

But, despite this recent publicity stunt by the All Pro receiver, the Carson Palmer situation continues to be the center of attention for Cincinnati and its fans.

Palmer has shown obvious frustration with the team and in particular the front office of the franchise. He has threatened to retire if the team does not choose to trade him. At this point it seems Palmer just wants to start winning games, this obviously isn't about money.

Bengals' owner Mike Brown has continually stated, and even reiterated it again as recently as yesterday, that the team does not plan to deal Palmer, no matter how badly he wants out.

If Palmer is serious about the retirement, then I don't believe the Bengals will have the Pro Bowl quarterback next season. But, if this is just an attempt to force a trade, then it appears as though he will remain a Bengal in 2011.

If you want my honest opinion on the entire situation, I do not think he will be dealt (or see a Palmer retirement for that matter) and Palmer will reluctantly be back in an orange and black uniform. But, this is obviously a situation to keep an eye on. If Palmer decides to retire before another team makes a move on Philadelphia's Kevin Kolb, should Cincinnati make a move? That is definitely worth a first round pick in my eyes.

The Eagles seemed hesitant to deal Kolb at first because they weren't receiving the right offers. But now that Sports Illustrated's Peter King broke the news of a team possibly offering Philadelphia a first round pick for the 26-year old, I really don't think Kolb will be an Eagle for much longer.

If this lockout ends sometime in the near future, we could see Kolb switch teams rather quickly. As for Palmer? He isn't going anywhere.

Photo: No copyright infringement intended

Wild Card X-Factors

When playoff times rolls around, usually just a couple of key players end up making the largest impact on the game's outcome. Each of the eight teams competing for a spot in the second round of the playoffs have guys who I think will be the deciding "X-Factor" for his respective team.

New Orleans at Seattle, Saturday 4:30 PM ET

Saints X Factor: Drew Brees

With the loss of New Orleans' top two running backs in 2010, Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, both of whom will miss Saturday's game due to injury, even more pressure will be put on defending Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees. If he can't get off to a quick start I don't see him having any trouble carving up Seattle's defense with quick, intermediate passes on the perimeter of the field. A couple of deep balls to Marques Colston could be a lethal weapon in the match-up with the league's 27th-ranked passing defense. On the road this season Brees has 16 TDs/10 INTs (6-2 record).

Seahawks X Factor: Lofa Tatupu

Without an active Ivory and Thomas available this Saturday, and Reggie Bush (150 rushing yards in eight games this season) making the start at running back, Seattle's defense has their work cut out for them. They know Brees will be throwing the football freely and that if they can force a couple of Brees turnovers they would give their offense a shot at putting points on the board. That's why its up to Seattle's defensive captain--and leader--Tatupu to keep his 'Hawks in the game and make sure they are focused on stopping the pass. Tatupu (58 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT this season) doesn't specialize is rushing the passer, but is a great coverage 'backer and is the backbone of Seattle's defense.

New York at Indianapolis, Saturday 8 PM ET

Jets X Factor: Brad Smith

The former quarterback out of Mizzou has had success against Indy before, in fact in last year's AFC Championship game he made a couple of big plays albeit in a losing effort. The Jets' defense as a whole will be a pretty big factor against the Hall of Fame-bound Peyton Manning, but the real x-factor I believe will be the elusive receiver/return man. He can be used with trick plays and formations such as the wildcat and pistol formation. Out of those two formations he has shown he can make an impact both running the ball and throwing it deep. Not only that, but he also has three career kick return touchdowns, two of which he ran back this season. Head coach Rex Ryan has several ways of using Smith, and he will most definitely incorporate him in to his game plan against Indy.

Colts X Factor: Dwight Freeney

We all know the Colts struggle stopping the run, and that the Jets will likely take advantage of that. It's so bad that the Colts may even just allow the Jets to run the ball and completely shut down Mark Sanchez's passing offense. Last year, when Indy knocked New York out of the playoffs in the Conference Championship game, then-rookie Mark Sanchez threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns (1 INT), yet the offense still only managed 17 points against Indy. With Freeney's nine sacks in 11 career playoff games, I don't expect him to lay off of Sanchez this week. Expect a couple of Freeney sacks, and a couple of New York turnovers at the expense of Sanchez, who still has a lot of maturing to do.

Baltimore at Kansas City, Sunday 1 PM ET

Ravens X Factor: Ed Reed

This past Sunday against the Bengals, Baltimore's free safety Ed Reed posted his 11th career two interception game. What's even more miraculous about this feat is that the Ravens are 11-0 when the seven-time Pro Bowler has at least two interceptions in a game. On the defensive side of the ball, it isn't nose tackle Haloti Ngata, veteran Terrell Suggs or even the seven-time first team All Pro linebacker Ray Lewis that KC's quarterback Matt Cassel needs to look out for. It's the roaming ball-hawk Ed Reed that needs to be contained.

Chiefs X Factor: Jamaal Charles

After reading what I wrote about Reed above, it's obvious that if Kansas City wants to win this game they will need to have success on the ground. With the league's top rushing attack, Charles' career-high 1,467 yards on the ground will surely be tested against Baltimore's fifth-best run defense, which allowed just 1,503 yards rushing all year. Despite topping the league in rushing yards, Kansas City struggled to get the ball in the end zone while running the ball. Kansas City will need to get the ball to Charles 25-30 times in order to have a shot at controlling the clock--and the game.

Green Bay at Philadelphia, Sunday 4:30 PM ET

Packers X Factor: Clay Matthews III

On defense, there's no doubt Matthews is the nucleus. After a solid rookie performance in '09 (36 tackles, 10 sacks, 7 PD, 1 FF, 1 FR TD), Matthews one-uped himself with an even better 2010 season, quickly making a name for himself. His 54 tackles, 13.5 sacks and interception landed him a second straight Pro Bowl selection. Not only have his numbers been solid, but he has also imposed fear in his opposition. Quarterbacks now need to know where No. 52 is at all times when they step on to the field. He's not all that large (6'3'', 246 pounds) in comparison to other linebackers, but his speed and strength is baffling. He is the Packers' key to containing Vick and keeping him inside the numbers. Once Vick bounces to the outside it is tough to stop him. Look for Matthews to be running sideline-to-sideline on Sunday.

Eagles X Factor: Michael Vick

Vick says he has recovered from his thigh injury and is "100 percent" ready to go on Sunday. But we should all still keep an eye on Vick's thigh. If Green Bay's defense is all over Vick he could re-injure his thigh at any moment. If he is ready to go like he says he is, though, Green Bay could be in for a long day. That's why, of course, Matthews is my X-Factor for Green Bay. The result of this game will vary depending on who shows up and is ready to play. If Vick can break out for a couple of big plays against Matthews' defense, Philly could take this one at home.

Photo Credit

Lofa Tatupu and Jordan Babineaux: AP Photo/John Smierciak

Brad Smith: AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

Jamaal Charles: AP Photo/Ed Zurga

Clay Matthews: AP Photo/Morry Gash

Eli Manning's Inconsistent Season Puts New York's Playoff Hopes on Life Support

After Green Bay's 45-17 shellacking of Eli Manning's G-Men yesterday at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, Tom Coughlin's crew may need a little help to make the postseason this year.

The loss allowed the Eagles, before even playing their week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings (postponed yesterday and rescheduled for tomorrow night in Philly), to clinch the NFC East title. The loss also puts New York behind New Orleans (10-4) and Green Bay (9-6) in the race for the two Wild Card spots.

Not only will the Giants have to beat their NFC East counterpart Washington Redskins this coming Sunday to have a shot, but they will also need help from numerous teams.

Eli's four interceptions in yesterday's matchup has been the story of their season thus far. At 29 years old, Eli has set a couple of career highs--touchdown passes: 30, completion %: 63.1, and is 263 shy of setting a career-high in passing yards--but the most important stat this season has been interceptions. Yes, that's right, Eli Manning has thrown a career-high, and league-leading, 24 interceptions through 15 games.

There's no question that Eli has had plenty of time to get rid of the football, either, considering he has been sacked by the opposition just 16 times this season. And as a team, New York is averaging 141.2 rushing yards per game, good enough for fifth in the league.

Eli had a tough time adjusting and bouncing back after New York's defense allowed 28 fourth quarter points and watched Philadelphia steal one from them in their own house. That loss snapped New York's three-game win streak and shifted the momentum in Philly's direction.

Over that three-game stretch, New York's defense allowed a total of 30 points (average of 10.0/game), but allowed 38+ in each of the next two games for a total of 83 points.

New York has proven that they can put up points (have had six games with 30-plus points, and two games with 40-plus points this season), but the defense has also been inconsistent, allowing 30 or more points on four separate occasions this season.

One thing is for certain, if New York manages to squeeze in to the NFC playoffs, they will definitely have to step it up on the defensive side of the ball and will need to be dependent on the run game so they can limit Manning's interceptions. What do I think about all this? New York will beat the Skins in the finale, but miss the playoffs with a 10-6 record. Sorry Giants fans.

Photo Credit

Eli Manning: AP Photo/Morry Gash

Must-win for Houston Tonight at Lincoln Financial

Houston has been very lucky this season? If Peyton Manning wasn't having an off year they would not have a shot in hell to make the playoffs right now with a 5-6 record (2-2 in division). But, coming off a 20-0 defeat of division rival Tennessee, Houston seems to be on track to put themselves in the middle of the playoff hunt in the South.

Just one game behind the first place Colts and Jags (both 6-5), the Texans have the ability to put themselves atop the division--temporarily, at least--with a convincing win over Michael Vick and the high-flying 7-4 Eagles.

Tonight, at 8:20 on NFL Network, Michael Vick will test the Texans' 28th-ranked defense in front of NFL fans all over the country. This is Houston's chance to show the nation that they truly do deserve to be considered a playoff contender coming out of the South. Whether they will manage to beat out Indy for this division title is yet to be seen, considering they still have Baltimore, Denver and two more divisional matchups (TEN, JAC) left on their schedule.

Despite having the seventh-best offensive attack in the league (seventh in rushing, 15th in passing) and one of the game's best runners in Arian Foster, I really don't think Houston will manage to contain Vick.

Unfortunately for Houston, Philly is poised to put a beating on Houston. This is actually unfortunately for me as well--I had Houston making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this offseason.

Vick puts the ball in the end zone four times tonight, three through the air and one on the ground. Philly wins the game 38-17. That's my prediction. Bold, I know, but hey someone's gotta do it.

Whatifsports.com says...

Philadelphia 21, Houston 18

Not quite as big a margin as I was predicting, but same outcome nevertheless. Vick didn't have any rushing yards on five attempts (Houston did manage to contain him), but threw for 198 yards and tossed two TDs. LeSean McCoy ran all over Houston for 112 yards and a score.

Jeremy Maclin's 15-yard catch and run from Vick, which he put in the end zone, allowed Philly to extend its lead to 21-10 early in the fourth quarter. Foster ran the ball in from 13 yards out with four and a half minutes to play, but Philly's defense stopped Matt Schaub's late-game surge.

This loss may be the end to any playoff run Houston was hoping to make this season, putting to waste their solid 4-2 start this year.

Photo Credit

Arian Foster: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Vick Picks Apart Skins on National Television; Climbs up Rankings in Process

If there was any doubt in Philly that Michael Vick could lead this Eagles offense, it has surely been erased over the past two weekends.

First, Vick takes hold of the reins as Philadelphia defeats Indianapolis for the first time since Peyton Manning joined the franchise in 1998. Next, Vick picked apart Washington's defense for a franchise-record 59 points at Fedex Field last night.

Vick did it all. He did what he does best--ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns--and he completed 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 333 yards and four touchdowns. He also managed to protect the ball, which was very key in Philadelphia's record-breaking 42 point first half. The 31-point victory (59-28) was Philly's fourth road victory, making them one of the most successful road warriors so far this season at 4-1, along with the 5-0 Jets and 4-1 Steelers.

This game alone, despite the 'Skins 4-5 record, should place the Eagles inside the top five in this week's power rankings, especially with the Giants, Ravens, Steelers and Titans all losing their respective match ups.

Vick wasn't the only player to have a great game last night. Vick's top three receiving threats--DeSean Jackson (2 rec., 98 yards, 1 TD), Jeremy Maclin (4 rec., 79 yards, 1 TD) and Jason Avant (5 rec., 76 yards, 1 TD)--all had spectacular games, and Philly's run game accumulated 260 yards on the ground.

On defense, the Eagles picked off former teammate Donovan McNabb, fresh off his new contract extension, three times. One of those three picks was turned into a pick6 after the interceptor, defensive back Dimitri Patterson, returned the ball 40 yards for the eighth and final touchdown of the night.

Photo Credit

Michael Vick: AP Photo/Gail Burton

Two Weeks Later: McNabb Signs Five-year Extension with Skins

Earlier today ESPN reporter Michael Smith broke the news in D.C.

The Washington Redskins, hours before the team's matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, signed 33-year old veteran Donovan McNabb--the former long-time Eagle--to a five-year, $78 million contract extension. The contract reportedly includes around $40 million in guaranteed money.

The signing came just two weeks after head coach Mike Shanahan benched McNabb in Detroit with two minutes remaining in the game. Washington was trailing by six when Rex Grossman was sent on to the field as McNabb looked on. On the first play from scrimmage, Grossman fumbled the ball, which was recovered by rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and returned 17 yards for a game-sealing touchdown.

It was later discovered that, in fact, there was no sort of injury involved with the benching, and that Shanahan made the decision because of his unfamiliarity with the two minute offense. He never even said that he regretted the decision to sit him.

As much of a head-scratcher as this seems to me, and likely many other NFL followers out there, the Skins seem to know what they want. Even if that does happen to be Donovan McNabb under center for at least another five years. Huge risk which may not be worth the price in the end.

Photo Credit

Donovan McNabb: AP Photo/Paul Sancya

You've Just been 'Vick'-ed: Why Michael Vick Should be Philly's Starter

All the off-season hype of Donovan McNabb's bitter departure from Philly, his arrival in D.C., and the beginning of the Kevin Kolb era is now over. In fact, it abruptly ended when Kolb struggled to get anything going during the Eagles' week one matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Of course, he ended up being knocked out of the game early on after suffering a concussion.

Kolb went 5 for 10 for 24 yards as the Eagles trailed 13-3 at the half.

Vick stepped in after the break and led the first team offense to a 17-point second half, including 10 unanswered in the final quarter of play. If it wasn't for Aaron Rodgers lighting up Philadelphia's defense for two third quarter scoring drives, Vick's comeback bid would have been successful.

Vick stole the show with 175 passing yards and a late touchdown toss to Jeremy Maclin, and his 103 rushing yards on just 11 attempts.

Despite falling short of a victory, Vick's performance prompted Andy Reid to start him against Detroit the following week with Kolb recovering from his concussion. Again, Philadelphia's defense allowed quite a few points--32 to be exact. But, Vick kept up with Detroit's backup quarterback, Shaun Hill, leading the team to a 21-17 halftime lead.

The Eagles scored two second half touchdowns thanks to LeSean McCoy's pair of rushing touchdowns (4-yarder in third, 46-yarder in fourth). Vick finished the game with yet another stellar statline in his first start at QB since 2006: 21/34, 284 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT; 7 carries, 37 yards.

Known for his speed and ability to escape the rush, Vick made an impact in both faucets of the offense, both through the air and on the ground.

When the Eagles signed Vick to a contract last season, he knew he was going to be on the bench quite a bit and only relieve McNabb every couple of series when Reid implemented the wild cat offense. And he gladly took that role, knowing it was what he had to do to make a breakthrough back in to the league after serving his time in jail.

But personally, I think he has done enough to make up for his mistake. He seems to be much more mature now, after serving his time and I really think it's time he gets what he has earned, and that's a shot to be a starting NFL quarterback again.

He has proved that he still has the ability to make an impact at the pro level, and it doesn't seem fair that he's just getting demoted back down just because Kolb, who hasn't really shown that he's ready for this responsibility, has been sitting behind McNabb for a couple of years.

Andy Reid should be doing what is best for his team, and at this point it looks like Vick is what's best for this offense. Reid has been on a short leash for a while now, and if Kolb struggles in his return, Reid's hot seat will be on the verge of melting away. Reid's job in Philly is certainly on the line this season.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya

A Special Tribute to...

When bored, sometimes I resort to hulu or youtube for entertainment.  So as I was watching a couple of youtube videos I came across some Brian Dawkins highlights.  Watching several B-Dawk videos has really made me miss his good ole days as a Philadelphia Eagles.

As a huge NFL fan, you got to admit that the early 2000s were enjoyable to watch with Brian Dawkins running around the field leading the Eagles to victory after victory.

The saying "you never really know what you have til it's gone" is certainly true in this case.  It doesn't matter what your is, everyone has to admit the Dawkins/McNabb/Westbrook days in Philly were great entertainment.  Dawkins is the definition of an NFL player, not to mention a fantastic motivator.  He even has one of the best nicknames in the game: Wolverine (he also goes by B-Dawk and Weapon-X).

At age 36, Dawkins' best days are behind certainly behind him.  But, that shouldn't stop him from running all over Invesco Field at Mile High making spectacular tackles and giving great pre-game speeches to his Denver teammates.  In his prime, the 8-time Pro Bowler was easily making 50-60 tackles a season and countless more highlight reels.

Here are some links to a few highlight/pump-up videos of his:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe5B8W8ZyR4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JizfUAyL_4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM8NbBFUR4k

McNabb and Westbrook, as of this off-season, are gone as well.  Head coach Andy Reid is going completely fresh: new QB (Kevin Kolb), fresh legs in the backfield (second-year running back LeSean McCoy) and a couple of less experienced safeties in the defensive backfield.  Could this new look bring similar results?

R.I.P. Eagles teams from c. early 2000s