Alright. I'm sick of it. I've had a lot to do at work all week and I didn't want to get ahead of myself, which is one of the main reasons I didn't post about the Super Bowl much. But I've had enough. I try to turn on ESPN or the NFL Network to get some coverage. What do I hear? What do I see? The Patriots channel. It's all Pats all the time. Sure, they mention T.O. every now and then, and then they say how it won't matter whether he plays or not. So now, my wrath is full. And I'm going to tell you how the Eagles are going to win this game.
-Pressure: The Eagles had the second most sacks in the NFL this year. That was no accident. Sure, the Pats' offensive line is good. But the Eagles' defense is better. They bring too many people from too many places for them all to be picked up effectively. And if you watched the Pats this year, you saw that Tom Brady's weakness is when he doesn't have much time in the pocket, or when he's under pressure. The Eagles are masters of bringing pressure. Yes, the Colts had the most sacks in the league and couldn't get to Tom Brady. But the Colts got all but six of their 45 sacks from the defensive line. Every defensive starter for the Eagles except for SS Michael Lewis has at least one sack. You never know who's coming and where they're coming from.
-Special Teams: The Patriots are at the bottom of the league in coverage for punts and kicks. the Eagles are at the top. Special teams will be huge in this game. And as far as kickers go, David Akers is the second most accurate kicker in league history. He's been playing for five years. He will become the new trendy clutch kicker by the end of this game. Everyone talks about how Vinatieri never misses the big ones, and he doesn't. But neither does Akers.
-Donovan F. McNabb: If you don't know what the "F" stands for, you'll find out Sunday. The Patriots will be saying it all day long. They can't handle a quarterback like McNabb when he's playing his best game. If you throw out the Steelers game (yeah, they got stomped, but everyone has a bad game--unfortunately their bad game came against a good team), you'll see how McNabb has picked apart opponents all year long. A mobile quarterback will give them fits. Especially one so elusive. If he sees a defender coming, there is nobody in the league that can bring him down alone. The only times he gets sacked are when there's two guys that hit him at the same time, or if he's hit from behind. Also, the Eagles' offensive line will be blowing the Pats' D-Line off the ball. If he gets any amount of time--if he makes time for himself even, he'll get his completions and his TD passes. Speaking of which...
-Seondary vs. Receivers: Go ahead and talk about how the Eagles' receivers can't get off the jam. Try jamming Pinkston and Greg Lewis at the line and see what happens when Westbrook, L.J. Smith, or Freddie Mitchell gets open downfield. And that's only if the jam works. Lewis and Pinky are skinny guys, sure, but Pinkston especially has seen the jam before, and he can work with it better now than he could in the past. The Eagles' receivers are faster than the Pats' secondary. Look for the Eagles to go long, and then open up the short game and the run/play-action. As far as the other way around, try sending any of the NE receivers after the Eagles secondary. Everyone talks about how physical the Patriots' defense is. If anyone catches a pass over the middle, they will miss at least one play afterwards, because Brian Dawkins or Michael Lewis will knock them out of their shoes. Sheldon Brown is no slouch either. And if you try going deep on Lito Sheppard, you'll regret it. None of these guys can out-jump the defensive backs like receivers such as Randy Moss. (I won't even mention that the secondary shut down Moss twice this year. Oh, did I just mention that? My bad.) Watch the Eagles front 7 shut down the run and short pass, then take away the long ball.
Brian Westbrook: I've said it before and I'll say it again. No one in this league can cover him. I don't care how fast the LB's are for the Pats. They aren't as fast as Westbrook. He's shifty, he'll get away from them, and he'll burn them downfield. Look for him to line up at wide receiver a lot. He's number 36.
NE Linebackers: They have arguably the best LB corps in the league. But if you go long and get them to back off the line, that opens up the run, and it opens up the short passes to TE's. They'll get everyone watching Brian Westbrook, then they'll bang Dorsey Levens up the middle.
I feel better now. From the way I was just talking, you'd think I'm seeing a blowout. I don't. I'm just pissed. And I'm tired of hearing how the Eagles won't make it a game. You watch. I wouldn't talk like this if I wasn't confident. I've watched this team for a lot of years, and I know when they're in trouble. I saw the Steelers game coming a mile away. Here's how the Bowl will go: End of the first half: Pats 14, Eagles 10. Final score: Eagles 23, Pats 17. You'll see a great ending, as the Eagles will kick a field goal in the 3rd quarter, followed by a Pats field goal. Then the Eagles will drive at the end of the 3rd and kick another figgie at the beginning of the fourth. It'll be 17-16 at this point. 2:08 left, Eagles ball, touchdown drive, ballgame. And I'll be in Delaware. Woot.
9 years ago
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