Daniel Tolensky

It began with potential.

It was filled with frustration and disappointment.

It ended with hope.

The 2007 season has come and gone in a flash for the Philadelphia Eagles and while there were certainly some moments to remember, in all it was a year to forget.

Game number sixteen was a chance to end the season with three wins in a row, a chance to get back to .500 and the Eagles defeated the Bills 17-9.

Donovan McNabb started and played the whole game with Kevin Kolb somewhat of a surprise backup. McNabb went 29 for 41, throwing for 345 yards. There are surely some plays that he would have wanted to have back - including an interception in the red zone - but for the most part McNabb was poised and efficient, hitting ten different receivers.

Brian Westbrook only touched the ball eleven times in the game (for 99 total yards) but he did enough to set franchise records for yards from scrimmage and receptions in a single season. Westbrook really was fantastic this season from beginning to end and proved once and for all that he could carry the load over the course of a season.

Kevin Curtis finished his excellent year with a team-high seven catches while Reggie Brown led the way with 83 yards receiving. The two players also combined on the Eagles’ second touchdown in the game as Brown caught a long pass inside the five and fumbled the ball into the end zone where Curtis fell on it for the TD. This was the second game in a row where Curtis recovered a fumble for six - a rare feat for sure.

Brown’s season has to be considered a disappointment as he failed to emerge as a true number one that the team needed. This is something to look for going into the summer as the team searches for the true playmaking receiver - something they’ve only had once in the Reid/McNabb era.

The Eagles’ first TD was caught by tight end Brent Celek, with UFA-to-be L.J. Smith out of the lineup once again. The team’s red zone struggles throughout the year could partially be attributed to the lack of consistent production from the tight end position, so this will be another area of interest entering the off-season.

For much of the year Philadelphia’s defense stepped up and made plays in the red zone and this game was no exception as the D held Buffalo to just three field goals. On the downside though was the lack of momentum-changing plays and today the Eagles’ defense had no turnovers and no sacks.

Both Brian Dawkins and Lito Sheppard were out of the lineup with injuries and their replacements J.R. Reed and Joselio Hanson both had strong games. Trent Edwards completed just 16 of 30 passes for 133 yards, the longest pass play going for just 24 yards.

The young linebackers had an up-and-down game, making some big plays but allowing Marshawn Lynch to break a 56-yard run in the third quarter. Also blocked out on that play was rookie defensive end Victor Abiamiri who logged quite a bit of playing time and showed some potential.

Another rookie who played quite a bit was Winston Justice, who replaced Jon Runyan early on after Runyan suffered a concussion. Justice certainly fared better in this game than he did in that Giants fiasco and although he made some mistakes this will give him something to build upon hopefully.

It’s almost not even worth mentioning because it’s such a common theme for this Eagles’ team, but the special teams didn’t come up with any big plays once again. Aside from Brian Westbrook the Eagles just don’t have anyone who is a threat to take a punt/kick back and this definitely hurt the team this year. We’ve seen throughout the league the huge role that special teams play and it’s not enough to just have a player back who can catch the ball and fall down. Next year this is an area that must be improved.

With Donovan McNabb at the helm the Eagles won their last three games to finish 8-8. Will McNabb be back? At this point I would say yes, unless the team is ready to take a significant step back. If healthy (and of course that is a big if) McNabb still has the skills to play at a Pro Bowl level, which is something that certainly can’t be expected from A.J. Feely or Kevin Kolb next year.

Once the quarterback question is answered, the Eagles need to go into the off-season looking for playmakers on all units, much like they did the summer they brought in Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse.

With a big splash in the summer, Philadelphia can build off this strong finish and certainly could be a major player in the NFC once again, the same way the Packers turned things around this season.

Although there is a lot of football still to be played, for Eagles’ fans the summer cannot come soon enough.

Daniel Tolensky

I woke up with a strange feeling before this one, wondering if this would be the last start for Donovan McNabb in an Eagles’ uniform - or at least the last full game he’d play. Afterall, with a loss to the Saints it would surely be possible that Kevin Kolb could see significant action in the final game of the season.

Early on you could tell that this one would be different. On the Eagles’ third play of the game McNabb faked a handoff to Westbrook on a third-and-one and was off to the races. Forty yards downfield, #5 was chased down by Josh Bullocks and he fumbled the ball. In past games the ball would have ended up in the hands of the opposition but in this one Kevin Curtis sprinted towards the end zone and fell on the ball for an Eagles’ TD.

The story on that play, in this game and since 1999 was Donovan McNabb. To see him run like that now thirteen months removed from ACL surgery took you right back to the days where McNabb was a threat to run on every play. The 40-yard run was his longest since 2002, in his third of five straight Pro Bowl seasons.

Aaron Stecker scored twice to give the Saints a 14-7 lead in the first but the Eagles answered quickly. Following a third down penalty, McNabb hit Brown for 10, Curtis for 19 (after a short Westbrook run) and then Buckhalter scored from 20 yards out on a nice run.

After the Eagles’ D held for the first time in the game, McNabb went to work again, hitting Tight End Brent Celek for 29 yards. Westbrook gained 25 on the ground on the next two plays and McNabb then took advantage of Mike McKenzie’s absence (he was out with a strained knee) and found Reggie Brown for 31 yards for the TD.

The teams exchanged field goals in the second (Akers from 24 and Gramatica from 55 - tying his career high) and the score at the half was 24-17.

The next two drives would ultimately be the difference in the game. New Orleans started from the 21-yard line and went right down the field. When Drew Brees hit David Patten right down to the goal line, the Saints were poised to tie the game. But once again the Eagles’ defence made a statement with a goal line stand, stopping three straight running plays - led by rookie Stewart Bradley who was in on two of those stops.

McNabb and the Eagles took over at their own two, and proceeded to move slowly and methodically down the field - 15 plays, 98 yards, 7:01 and three of three on third down. McNabb hit four receivers on the drive - Avant, Curtis, Brown and lastly Greg Lewis for the TD.

With a 31-17 lead the Eagles’ D kept the Saints out of the end zone for the rest of the game, allowing just two Gramatica field goals and McNabb capped off the game with his third TD - this one to Kevin Curtis - after some strong running from Westbrook.

The game officially came to a close when Sheldon Brown hit Billy Miller and the ball popped up in the air and was caught by a diving Stewart Bradley.

Key Stats:

McNabb - 24/35, 263 yards, 3 TD, 119.1 rating

Westbrook - 17 rushes, 100 yards
Buckhalter - 4 rushes, 37 yards
McNabb - 4 rushes, 37 yards

Curtis - 6 receptions, 78 yards, TD (Curtis became the 11th Eagle in team history to go over 1,000 yards in a season)
Brown - 6 receptions, 73 yards, TD
Avant - 4 receptions, 35 yards
Celek - 2 receptions, 35 yards
Lewis - 2 receptions, 25 yards, TD

Third down efficiency: 8 for 13 (62%)

Total yards: 435

Red Zone efficiency: 2 for 3 (67%)

Injuries:

Brian Dawkins has an MRI scheduled for tomorrow to examine his foot. Omar Gaither left the game with a quad contusion.

Game Balls:

Offense - Donovan McNabb (300 yards in the air and on the ground)
Defense - Stewart Bradley (6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception)

Postgame Quotes (from PhiladelphiaEagles.com):

“It gives you, at least, a positive (going into next year). Every year is different. It gives you a positive atmosphere around the office. We’ve got good character in the locker room, good coaches.” - Andy Reid

“It’s good that now we are clicking out there and I hope we can use this winning feeling into next year. I had a lot of time to throw and make plays and today we made plays to win. Winning on the road in this league is always tough and we’ve proved the last two weeks that we are a winning team.” - Donovan McNabb

“We have a team here that should be in the playoffs. We haven’t played like that, but today we did. And when you learn how to finish the season like we have in the past, we will return to the postseason. I hope we are like Green Bay last year when they finished strong last season and look where they are today. This is something to look forward to.” - Brian Westbrook

“I thought he (McNabb) was going to take it to the house. I was blocking my man on the play and then I saw the ball pop up. And then it seemed a bunch of guys were all right there and the ball moved at the same time. I jumped in to get on it (the ball) and then it squirted away. I was just trying to make a play and just got lucky!” - Kevin Curtis

Maybe in the big picture this game won’t have changed anything. The wheels were set in motion at the draft and there may be too much between McNabb and the Eagles to get things right.

But for one Sunday it was a throwback to the way we were.

And it was great.

Danny - dtolensky@hotmail.com

Daniel Tolensky

In what has to be the most bizarre of bizarre seasons in NFL history, there’s more big news coming out of Atlanta tonight. ESPN is reporting that Arthur Blank has offered Bill Parcells the role of Vice President of Football Operations.

Whether Parcells takes the job or not, Rich McKay will not return as General Manager, although he may stay on as team president. Clearly if Big Tuna is in the mix, McKay’s influence over the team would be drastically reduced - which is an understatement.

If I’m Parcells I say thanks but no thanks. This is a franchise that will need to build from the ground up, starting with a new QB to lead the team and is years away from being a contender.

But after their franchise player ended up in jail and their coach packed up and left after thirteen games, nothing will surprise me with this year’s Falcons.