Are They Still Hungry?

Same place, one week later. A.J. Feeley held court in front of his locker on Friday afternoon after practice and said he is ready for whatever comes his way. Judging by the fact that Donovan McNabb did not practice all week, and that he is officially listed as doubtful for Sunday's game, well, you draw you own conclusions as to what awaits Feeley. "Nothing has changed," said Feeley. The truth is, that isn't necessarily the case. Feeley's play against New England raised the expectation level the fans have for him. Internally, the Eagles know what they have in Feeley should he get the start. Feeley, the most disappointed guy in Gillette Stadium late on Sunday night, can't wait to get back on the field. He has taken all the reps in practice during the week and is prepared for a tough, fast and skilled Seattle defense. Feeley made his mistakes against the Patriots, yes, but he also directed four long scoring drives, moved the football up and down the field, put a real scare into New England and made believers out of doubters. Now there is a full head of steam behind Feeley and the team as it looks to get things rolling back in the right direction for the stretch run. Feeley's performance gave us all a deeper understanding of his abilities within this offense. The question unanswered is this: Will the Eagles be as aggressive and daring as they were on Sunday night? It's likely they will be as aggressive. Daring? I don't know if the Eagles will go for the first down if they face a fourth-and-1 snap deep in Seattle territory in the first quarter, as they did on Sunday night. I don't know if an onsides kick is in the works, or if a wide receiver option pass will be dialed up. Those were daring moves. Aggressive, however, appears to be on the menu. The vibe around the NovaCare Complex all week has been positive, upbeat, confident. The Eagles understand the importance of this game, of the thin ice they have underneath their feet. The Eagles have to win. The coaching staff has to push the envelope and attack Seattle's weaknesses. That's the mentality the Eagles must have: Attack. Don't lay back. The sand in the hour glass is draining. So I want to see the same aggressive approach as Sunday night. I want to see Feeley -- or McNabb, should by some outside chance he plays -- drop back and throw the football and spread the ball around the get after Seattle vertically. I want to see a physical offensive line opening holes for Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter. I want to see no unforced errors -- no false starts, no dropped passes. Defensively, I do believe that Jim Johnson liked what he saw on Sunday. He liked using Chris Gocong in a bunch of different spots and seeing how Gocong responded to the challenge. I think Johnson liked what he saw from Lito Sheppard when he got up on the line of scrimmage against Randy Moss. I think J.R. Reed had a strong game as a starter at strong safety. Juqua Thomas and Trent Cole had some success off the edges, and the front seven played well against the run. Emotion is the intangible we can't account for until the game begins -- will the Eagles play with that necessary urgency? -- but at least the coaches can help set the tone by having an aggressive scheme. There isn't much to say at this point, really. Seattle has a good team, but the Seahawks have holes. Matt Hasselbeck is a fine quarterback when he has time, and so the Eagles have to make sure they get after him. Shaun Alexander is back on the field and he is a dangerous player when he's right. The Eagles have to stop him before he gets started. Seattle's defense has great speed from sideline to sideline, and the Eagles have to find seams and make big plays and use the offensive line and establish the running game. This has been, looking back, an extra-long week. Who didn't want to turn around and play the day after the loss to the Patriots? To wait a full week has been agonizing. Now, though, we're on the verge. The season is on the line again. Will the Eagles play with the urgency we saw against the Patriots? Will they play with the precision and the focus? There is no national hype for this game. There is no expectation that the Eagles are out of their class. Instead, we all think the Eagles are going to take the momentum from loss to the Patriots and use it to drive the team down the late-season road. You are going to know very soon on Sunday, just how prepared the Eagles are to take things up a notch. Things have changed since Sunday. Things have stayed the same. It is time, once again, to see what the Eagles are made of in this ultra-important game, the one with the season on the line again.