http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/1705 Recent articles about Brian Dawkins en-us Andy reid's play calling and screw ups screwed over the Eagles Season already! It's been 2 seasons now that we have missed the playoffs because of bad play calling and poor recievers. Use the whole damn field! top five fastest recievers and no deep pass all game? Use em' or get rid of em' If we are not gonna use Westbrook and Mcnabb to win a superbowl then i'd rather see Mcnabb win the superbowl with another team! I don't care just fix the Defense and offense!! 10- 6 is now the goal for this season. Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:31:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345146 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345146 HERE WE GO BIRDS FANS! Week 5 in the NFL and our Philadelphia Eagles are back home to take on the Washington Redskins. Last week some bad play calling at the end cost us what should have been a W in Chicago, but I've good a good feel about this one. Donovan came out in the yard this week and made it known "There was a stat last year that we played more games within 8 points than any other team in the NFL. " then "Playing close games is not important - winning them is! " Very inspiring by 5. Now my Keys to the game WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL: Attack deep and attack often the deep ball stretches the field and can open up that middle for us so later we can have a slot guy hang out in there (or run the ball like normal teams). Plus they are thin at DBs, Next we need to control time of possesion and make that Redskins Defense very tired. What this also does is keep our defense off the field last week I felt as if our D was stellar until the end because they were on the field all night and became fatigued. Didnt mention B-West I dont know what kind of role he'll play today maybe he's just a decoy maybe he goes out there and get 200 total yards from scrimmage who KNOWS! WHEN THE REDSKINS HAVE THE BALL: Jason Campbell was very impressive last week and I give him alot of credit for picking that Dallas D apart. However now he gets to play a real DEFENSE this week. our keys to success on this side of the ball all relies pressuring Jason and never lettin him get into a rythm. Jim Zorn runs a west-coast offense just like Big Red and is from the same coaching tree as big red. This means our D should recocgnize some plays and formations with that said I see about 2 picks. Yeah I know Jason hasnt thrown any but that front 7 is going to force it out of him. When it comes to Portis we have no worries just do what we've been doin all year clog them holes and those RB's hard. THATS BUNKLEY AND PATTERSON and I know thye'll do that! SPECIAL TEAMS RETURN: I havnt really been impressed by it yet I know Demps and Desean are usually a block away from taking it to the house but other times they look like they just don't have it. WE NEED GOOD FIELD POSITION! Desean can't make the same mistakes he did last week COME ON DESEAN I STUCK MY NECK OUT THERE with others WHEN I BEGGED THIS CITY TO GET YA NOW Youre makin all of us get agitated with some of these mistakes. Special TEAMS KICKOFF: Cartwright is a pretty good return guy especially when he plays us. Everytime I've seen him return on us he's always breaking like 5 tackles. Let's keep these guys in bad spots. Sav Rocca played like the Pro-Bowler he'll be last week with those beauties he let inside the 10. This week I cant expect anything less of a repeat. MY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME QB: Donovan McNabb -He set the tone all week with a weak defensive backfield I see Donovan slingin' for maybe 285 2TDs WR: Hank Baskett- This will be the week we finally see the fade. 3 catches 96yrds 1 td. RG: Max Jean-Gillis- Anyone who knows me knows i havnt been big on him since the season started but then again anyone compared to Shawn Andrews has some big shoes to fill. I see him lighting guys up today and if he doesnt I'll rip him 1st lol MY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE GAME DE: Jaqua Parker- The guy is on a tear all the double teaming going around him has gotten him some easy sacks DE: Trent Cole- The man is reason we get so much pressure he's always double teamed and you cant leave anyone with one on one with our front 4 they are all playing at a Pro- Bowl level LB: Stewart Bradley- He has been the anchor and will continue it today CB: Lito Sheppard- I know you guys are like WTF he hasnt done sqaut all year and cant stop running his mouth. I thought about it last night and asked myself before Asante who was our main guy? ANSWER: LITO Who was the guy who'd always shutdown the opposing #1? LITO so with all this nickel coverage this guy has been playin I get a feeling he'll get not 1 but 2 picks today and after the game he'll be happy with his game time I KNOW I SOUND CRAZY BUT I CAN DREAM PREDICTION: I Can't see the Skins winning two divisonal games on the road in a row. I can't see Donovan letting this one slip. I can't see Andy and Marty doing anyworse than last week. So since it is a divisonal game I'll say 20-17 EAGLES Sun, 05 Oct 2008 07:41:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345009 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/345009 The Eagles Cowboys game last night was one of the entertaining games I have ever witnessed. In this crazy battle there were 78 total points scored, 7 lead changes, a fumble recovered for a TD, a 51 yard field goal, a kick return for a touchdown, a touchdown tossed away by a rookie WR, a [...] Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:36:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342728 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342728 The Eagles defense dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. After a rough game last week, Jim Johnson devised a terrific scheme to stifle the Steelers offense. Johnson dialed up the blitz all game long, and it was extremely effective. The "D" notched 9 sacks, forced two fumbles, intercepted a pass, shut down the Steelers ground game, [...] Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:36:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342725 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342725 Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:36:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342726 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342726 5 GOOD NUMBERS THAT MATTER * 9: The number of turnovers the Eagles have forced thus far. The only team in the league with more is Tennessee, which has 12. Not bad for a team that finished 2007 last in the league in takeaways (19). Particularly promising are the five enemy fumbles they've recovered. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson hasn't had a fumble-forcing unit in a while. The last time the Eagles had more than 13 takeaways via fumble was '02 when they finished with 23. The Eagles are on a 36-takeaway pace through four games, which would be the third most in the Johnson era and the highest since '02, when they had 38. * 95.7: Donovan McNabb's passer rating. The 31-year-old quarterback is off to an excellent start. Despite the fact that he's been without his top wideout, Kevin Curtis, he's eighth in the league in passing, has a .651 completion percentage, is fifth in the league in passing yards (1,100) and tied for seventh in touchdowns (six). McNabb, who owns the lowest interception percentage in NFL history, has thrown just two picks in 146 attempts. * 62: The number of receptions by Eagles' wide receivers in the first four games. The focus of the passing game thus far has been on the wideouts, even though Curtis has missed all four games and their other '07 starter, Reggie Brown, was sidelined for the first two. The wideouts have 24 more catches and 389 more yards than last year at this point. In fact, they have 18 more catches and 55 more yards than the Terrell Owens-led '04 WR corps had a month into the season. Rookie DeSean Jackson has had a profound early impact as a receiver (22 catches, 14.9 yards per reception). The fear that the little guy would get manhandled at the line by press coverage has been unfounded. Corners have been so fearful of his speed that they've been playing off of him. He even has safeties playing deeper than usual. * 2.6: The average yards per carry by opposing ballcarriers this season. It's early, but not too early to suggest that this probably is the best run defense of the Jim Johnson era. The Eagles are first in the league in both yards allowed per carry and rushing yards allowed per game (53.8). Their athletic, young linebackers still are a little rough around the edges in coverage, but they've been outstanding against the run. The Eagles have held their first four opponents to three yards or less on 59 of 84 rushing attempts, including zero or negative yards 21 times. They've allowed just five runs of 10 yards or more and only one rushing touchdown. * 17: The Eagles' league-best sack total. With the exception of the Dallas game, when Tony Romo had time to shower and chug a glass of Chablis before throwing the ball, Johnson's blitz-happy defense has made life miserable for opposing QBs. And that's been without any contribution whatsoever from the guy they brought in to beef up their pass rush, Chris Clemons, or the projected season-opening starter at left end, Victor Abiamiri, who's recovering from a wrist injury. The starter at left end, Juqua Parker, who had just two sacks in the last 13 games last season, already has a team-high 3 1/2. The linebacking corps, which had just three sacks last season, already has 3 1/2 in four games. 5 BAD NUMBERS THAT MATTER * 12: The number of points the Eagles have managed to score off their last seven takeaways. The Eagles are tied for second in the league in takeaways with nine. But they have just four David Akers field goals to show for the last seven of those nine. In Sunday night's 24-20 loss to the Bears, they had four takeaways, but turned them into just six points. It was the first time the Eagles have lost a game in which they had at least four takeaways since Dec. 28, 2002, when they forced four turnovers in a 10-7 overtime loss to the Giants. Their 26 points off of turnovers is the 10th most in the NFL. But they are 22nd in points per turnover (2.9). * 18: The total number of second-half points the Eagles have scored in the last three games. Fifty-four of the 72 points they've put up since Week 2 have come in the first half. Take out their Week 1 route of the Rams and they've averaged 5.6 yards per offensive play in the first half and just 4.0 in the second half. McNabb has a .724 completion percentage and has averaged 8.3 yards per attempt in the first half of the last three games, but a .582 completion percentage and 4.6 yards per attempt average in the second half. Maybe Reid needs to hire somebody to give halftime pep talks. Or increase the Red Bull intake. "We have to get better there,'' he said. "That's my responsibility to make sure that we are dialing things up the right way so our players can have some success there.'' * 3.5: The Eagles' rushing average through four games, tied for fourth lowest in the league. As long as Reid is the head coach, the Eagles will be a pass-first team. He firmly believes that's how you win. But while the Eagles don't run the ball a lot, they usually run it fairly effectively. Only twice in the Reid era have they averaged less than 4.3 yards per carry - in '99 (4.1) and '05 (3.9). Interestingly, those are the only two losing seasons they've had under Reid. One contributing factor to the low rushing average is that fact that McNabb no longer is interested in running with the ball when the opportunity presents itself. His 10 rushing attempts are the second fewest through four games in his career. The only time he ran less in the first four games was in '05 (eight) when he was playing with a sports hernia. * 6: The number of touchdown passes the Eagles have allowed. Despite spending $56 million on a Pro Bowl cornerback in the offseason, the Eagles have given up the seventh most TD passes in the league through four games, and one more than they gave up at this point last year. If there's any good news in those six touchdowns, it's that there have been no repeat offenders. Linebacker Chris Gocong, safety Quintin Mikell and cornerback Asante Samuel each gave up one in the loss to the Bears. And linebacker Stewart Bradley and safeties Brian Dawkins and Sean Considine were the guilty parties in Romo's three TD passes against them in Week 2. Still, they're on pace to give up 24 TD passes. The Eagles have given up more than 20 only twice under Johnson - in '99 (22) and '05 (24), the Eagles' only two losing seasons under Reid. * 4: The number of receptions by Eagles tight ends in the last 11 quarters. When L.J. Smith had five catches in Week 1, including four inside the 20, it appeared that all was finally right again with the Eagles' red-zone world. But the Eagles haven't had a tight end catch a pass for a first down or touchdown since Brent Celek' 19-yard reception in the first quarter of the Dallas game. Smith had one catch against the Cowboys, none against the Steelers and missed the Bears' game with a back injury. After converting seven of 11 red-zone opportunities in the first two games, the Eagles are 2-for-7 in the last two games. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:30:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342363 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342363 It was a horrible loss, a missed opportunity, a combination of bad play calling by the coaching staff and even worse execution by the players. And now it's over, but the Eagles' season isn't. You can analyze the 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears from now until the Eagles line up again Sunday to play the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field, and a lot of people will. "Obviously, we are disappointed by the game," coach Andy Reid said at the start of his day-after news conference Monday. "We didn't perform the way we need to on the offensive side, which is my responsibility." After that, he said blah, blah, blah . . . blah, blah, blah. All stuff we've heard before about responsibility, learning from mistakes, and moving on to the next game. The good news is there are a lot of reasons to be encouraged by this 2-2 Eagles team, which is at the bottom of the NFC East one quarter of the way through the season. First of all, the Eagles are in much better shape than they were a year ago. The 2007 Eagles were 1-3 after a 16-3 loss to the New York Giants, and that result was more about getting thoroughly beaten than beating themselves, as they did at Soldier Field on Sunday night. Second, this Eagles team is far more talented than the one Reid had a year ago. Finally, this team has an immediate opportunity to erase the memory of Sunday's miserable loss with a victory over a division rival that just knocked off the Cowboys in Dallas. After four games last year, the Eagles were truly lost on offense. Throw away the fluke game against the Detroit Lions, who defended with the ferocity of the Cowardly Lion, and the Eagles had scored just one touchdown while facing Green Bay, Washington and the Giants. It's true this Eagles team has had red-zone problems in the last two games against Pittsburgh and Chicago - one score in six trips inside the 20-yard line - but the offense has scored 11 touchdowns, the seventh most in the NFL among teams that have played four games. The most significant point is the second one. There's every reason to believe that this Eagles team is better than the one a year ago, and that it will get better as the season progresses provided some players get healthier. Health, of course, is critical for every team. Quarterback Donovan McNabb is clearly better than he was a year ago, when he was still recovering from major knee surgery. In fact, Reid was too protective of McNabb on the Eagles' final failed trip inside the red zone Sunday. A quarterback sneak or a pass should have been called at least once when the Eagles had the ball on the 1-yard line. Let's hope the head coach learned from his mistake. The other thing Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg should have learned Sunday is that even when Brian Westbrook returns from his ankle injury, there is a place in the offense for Correll Buckhalter, who had just four touches in the Eagles' first two games. Used properly, the combination of Westbrook and Buckhalter can be every bit as good as Dallas' celebrated Marion Barber-Felix Jones combination. McNabb, in fact, has more than enough weapons to make this an elite offense before the season is over. Rookie DeSean Jackson had some miscues against the Bears, but he's going to make more plays than mistakes. Reggie Brown appeared to be recovered from his hamstring injury and was open often against the Bears. Kevin Curtis should be back from his sports-hernia surgery no later than Week 8, when the Eagles return from their bye week. Jason Avant and Hank Baskett have also proved to be valuable contributors. Nobody wants to hear this, but the Eagles are also better with a healthy L.J. Smith at tight end than they are without him, and that's not meant as a knock on Brent Celek, who played a solid game against the Bears. Guard Shawn Andrews' back is a concern, but remember that the Eagles reached the Super Bowl with Artis Hicks starting at guard in 2004. Max Jean-Gilles is at least as good as Hicks and probably better. The biggest difference between the 2007 and 2008 Eagles is on defense. This team has already created nine turnovers, just 10 fewer than it had all last season. Only the Tennessee Titans, with 12, have more. The Eagles lead the NFL with 17 sacks, and no team has proved it can consistently run against them. It's true that the Eagles are in an ultra-competitive division, and they can ill afford to lose games like the one they gave away in Chicago. But the Redskins proved earlier that day that the Cowboys are not unbeatable, and the Eagles still have five more NFC East games, starting Sunday with Washington at the Linc. Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:25:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342361 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/342361 I don't know that I've ever seen a better start to an NFL season. Week four featured upsets galore, some key injuries, and much much more. Without further ado, I present the week 5 NFL Power Rankings. 1. New York Giants (3-0) - Sure they ascended to the top spot by virtue of a bye, but they are undefeated and are defending Super Bowl Champions. They haven't seemed to miss a beat on defense despite the losses of Michael Strahan to retirement and Osi Umenyiora to a season ending injury. They coasted to wins in their first two games, but were just barely able to get past the lowly Cincinnati Bengals in week 3, winning by a field goal in overtime. They'll be without Plaxico Burress (suspended) in week 5 in what should be an interesting matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, who may have their top two receivers returning from injury. 2. Tennessee Titans (4-0) - Best defense in the league thus far, hands down. Albert Haynesworth is a beast and Cortland Finnegan is gaining prominence as one of the league's top cover corners. Chris Johnson is a lightning bolt. Kerry "Cocktail" Collins makes this offense more stable, allowing the defense to do what it do. 3. Dallas Cowboys (3-1) - Their dominating performance in Cleveland in week 1 was followed up by a week 2 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. In week three they traveled to Green Bay, where they had never won a game, and took it to the Packers for an impressive victory. Rookie Felix Jones has proven to be a dynamic playmaker, but inexplicably didn't receive a single touch in the week 4 loss to the Washington Redskins. Some knuckleheads will argue that the Redskins should be above the Cowboys since they have the same record and Washington beat Dallas, but you can't forget that Dallas has scored victories over both Philadelphia and Green Bay. (continued at pcpsports.com) Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:44:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341782 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341782 As we all know the philadelphia eagles suffered a lost to Chicago last nite, now i dont say go into a panic or anything but an area that concerns me is David Akers inability to make field goals past forty yards. There were many flaws in the eagles loss last nite such as playcalling, the offense not being able to punch the ball in from the one(this is a spot where the eagles missed Andrews) 3rd down effiency and more. So Akers is not the main reason for the loss, but to me he is a big part ,as an nfl kicker and someone the eagles have stayed with and relied on, I expect more from Akers. His leg strength is not my concern it is his accuracy, outside of 40 yards Akers is 2 for his last 10 since 2007. This may not seem like a big concern now but when playoff time comes and were in the NFC Championship again and he misses some more field goals then every eagle fan will be crying. I dont say fire Akers now but if this inconsistency continues the Eagles need a new kicker. Every kicker can hit kicks from under forty yards so if Akers cant make a field goal beyond that what are we paying him for. With Akers I used to feel a sense of relief, a relief that even if the Eagles couldnt score we could at least get three no matter how far the kick is, now when Akers is getting ready to kick a field goal i feel doubt. Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:29:30 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341554 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/341554 as we all saw yesterday the Eagles are in need of a number one receiver i know what you all are gonna say "Desean Jackson" but he is still a rookie that we can use in the slot not a number one. Get Reggie Brown out of there, Kevin Curtis he isn't bad but not the kind of receiver Mcnabb can use Jackson is a big play man but he is made for the slot or as a number two receiver. Mcnabb made some bad mistakes like throwing into a good zone to a receiver that isn't turned around and kept throwing to a rookie that is good but lacks experience but other than that he is amazing. I don't care if we have to trade or first round pick for Roy williams or Anquan Bolden but we need a number one receiver to compensate for the loss of Mcnabb's legs, because he can't take off like before. Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:33:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/340944 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/340944 Here are some of the keys to the Eagles - Bears game on Sunday night. 1. Health- Are the Eagles going to be healthy enough to compete throughout the game with a tough, physical Bears defense. Donovan McNabb should play, but could aggravate his injury at anytime. Brian Westbrook, if he goes, will be less then 100% and probably will be more of a decoy then a factor. Shawn Andrews will miss the game barring a miracle and Max Jean Gillies was disappointing in extended time verses Dallas. LJ Smith doesnt look good right now, meaning Brett Celek will have his role increased. Can they win under these conditions, sure, but it will make for a game that will much closer then it should be. 2. Pressure on Orton- The Eagles blitzed the heck out of the Steelers last Sunday and knocked Big Ben Roethlisberger out of the game. On Sunday, a QB with much less composure and game-experience will jump under center and if the Eagles can get to him like they got to Big Ben, it could be a laugher. (more at pcpsports.com) Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:20:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/339523 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/339523 It has been three weeks since the Eagles regular season opener, and our favorite sports team in the city of Brotherly love has not disappointed this Eagles fan one bit. Sure the loss against the Cowgirls hurt. A lot of people said that there was a bright side to that loss on Monday night. I just don't see the bright side to losing, never did. Like coach Andy Reid said "There are no moral victories in football". But there are lesson to be learned, and the lesson learned by the entire NFL was something that we as Eagles fans already knew. And that was that if the Cowboys are the class the NFC then the Eagles are right there with them ready to take over! Even though the Dallas game showed the world that the Eagles offense can go head-to-head, touchdown-for-touchdown with any team in this league. The one thing that game did not show was the play of our defense and just how good they truly are. Every where I looked after that Monday night game, whether it was on the television or in the newspaper, someone had something negative to say about Jim Johnson's defense and their inability to stop opposing offenses. It didn't matter that they just held the St. Louis Rams offense to under 200 yards of total offense the week before. Sure the rams are a bad team, but Steven Jackson and Torry Holt are two of the leagues best at their position. And what the Eagles defense did to them should have made a statement. But in the world of 24-hour sports coverage the Eagles are like Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect, no respect at all! So they are just going to have to take it. And too bad for the cross-state "rival" Steelers and I use the word "rival" loosely, because if a team isn't in the NFC east then they aren't a true rival of ours. But the Birds defense still attacked the Steelers as if they were a division rival. Many sports writer's said after the Monday night game that our defense couldn't get any pressure on a real offensive line. But the Eagles D tore apart the Steelers offensive line like they stole Jim Johnson's money; sacking "Big" Ben Rothlisberger nine times. The Steelers pro bowl running back Willie Parker rushed for 250 yards and 3 touchdowns in two games against the Texans and Browns. But the all-pro rusher only managed 20 yards against the Eagles. Now that's a statement. The Birds are becoming a "pick your poison" team, one week they may throw and rush for a bunch of yards and touchdown's in order to beat a team. Another week the offense might just sit back and let the defense completely destroy an offense. The Steelers personally witnessed that on Sunday, as their two main contributors, Big Ben and Willie Parker had to leave the game due to injuries. But the Eagles didn't leave that game untouched. Our number one and two weapons Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook took hard hits and had to leave the game. Donovan bruised his chest and later came back into the game. B-West on the other hand was not so lucky after he hurt his ankle trying not to step on a teammate as he was running with the ball. Both have yet to practice, but sources say Donovan will be able to play in his hometown of Chicago, where he has historically put up good numbers throughout his career. Brian Westbrook on the other hand is still day-to-day with that ankle injury. If you ask me I say sit B-West for his and the teams own good. And that is hard for me to say, seeing as I have 36-West on nearly every one of my fantasy teams. But I still say sit him, he is much too valuable to this team to rush him back out there. Hell, even if he is recovered I still say sit him just in case. You can never be too careful with franchise running backs. We need Brian at full strength for the rest of the season. So no way would I risk his health against a team like Da' Bears. As you probably can tell I am extremely confident that the Eagles can win in Chicago against a team who isn't even a shell of what they were the season they went to the super bowl. Their defense can be steady, but nowhere near that shutdown status that they had a couple years ago. Their much vaunted special teams aren't so special without Mr. Miracle Devin Hester. And their offense; Forget about it! They have a rookie running back who looked promising against the Colts, Panthers and Bucs, but those teams have some of the worst run defenses in the NFL. Remember the birds currently have the BEST run defense in the league, only giving up 45 yards on the ground per game. If we shutdown Willie Parker, who was averaging 100 yards rushing in his sleep before he met up with Jim Johnson's defense, then I am damn sure that they can shutdown Matt Forte. The rest of their offense looks like something a community college coach put together. I know a lot of bears are excited about how Brandon Lloyd looked against Tampa Bay. But trust me Lloyd will be lucky to touch the ball once the way this Eagles defense devours quarterbacks. If we can get to a quarterback like Ben Rothlisberger for nine sacks with the tough offensive line that he stands behind, Just imagine what Kyle Orton is going through this week…… Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:37:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338671 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338671 Despite having only played three games so far this season, it is not too early to be excited about the way the Eagles have played this season. Quarterback Donovan McNabb looks as good as he ever has, despite being without his top two receivers. Rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson has put the entire league on notice that the Eagles do, in fact, have a serious threat at that position and that they will be just fine without Terrell Owens. After getting shreaded on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys, a game in which they allowed 41 points to the hated rival, the Eagles' defense, led by the apparently not so old veteran Brian Dawkins, responded this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers by sacking quarterback Ben Roethlisberger eight times, recovering two fumbles, and made one interception. Oh, and they're the top rushing defense in the National Football League. After three weeks, the Eagles are first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (45.7) and yards allowed per carry (2.4). They are second in rushing first downs allowed with eight. This is a defense that just two years ago allowed 200 rushing yards or more in a game five different times. During this offseason, the Eagles retooled a bit, making their defense one of the quickest and fiercest in the league. And they're young too, but that only means they're going to just get better. "To be honest, I'm a little surprised," cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "When you've got young players, especially at linebacker, you may have some guys not in the right gap in Jim's defensive scheme. But so far, everybody's been mentally sound. If you watch the films, you've got guys in the correct gaps doing what they're supposed to be doing." Even more impressive is that the Eagles defense has shutdown three of the league's premier running backs: St. Louis Rams' running back Stephen Jackson (40 yards on 14 carries), the Cowboys' Marion Barber (63 yards on 18 carries) and the Steelers' Willie Parker (20 yards on 13 carries). All three of those guys are top ten fantasy picks, but not against the Eagles. The Eagles' defense faces another challenge on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, with rookie running back Matt Forte, who is third in the league with 304 rushing yards through three games. "The d-linemen and that whole rotation in the middle [at tackle] . . . they're getting after those cats," Dawkins said. "And then Stew and those guys are coming downhill. I don't know if you think this is a 'just now' thing. But those cats are coming up front." According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, there is very reason to believe that this is not a "just now" thing. There is every reason to believe this is not a "just now" thing. [Mike] Patterson, the Eagles' 2005 first-round pick, and [Broderick] Bunkley, their '06 first-rounder, have developed into one of the league's better run-stopping tackle tandems. Bunkley had three tackles for losses on Sunday against the Steelers. Under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, the Eagles' philosophy has always been that the only two numbers that matter are points allowed and takeaways. During his nine years as the head of the defense, the Eagles have regularly been in the top 10 in points allowed. Add to that list rushing yards allowed. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 11:42:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338291 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338291 After getting beat on several long pass plays to Terrell Owens against the Dallas Cowboys on September 15, it was widely debated whether Eagles' veteran safety Brian Dawkins had lost a step or two at the ripe old age of 34. The Eagles' defense as a whole was ravaged by the Cowboys' potent offense, giving up 41 points on the night. During the week, B-Dawk gave an impassioned defense of his skills. "I told you guys - I understand how it works," said Dawkins. "You get a certain age, every play that I'm not making this year from here on out, it's going to be the same way - 'he's getting old.' I can't worry about that." As Dawkins has done his entire career, he backed up his words with his play of the field. After not recording a single sack against Tony Romo, the Eagles defense got to Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger eight times, including six times in the second quarter. At one point, Roethlisberger was sacked on five consecutive plays. Big Ben also fumbled the ball twice and was intercepted once. Dawkins alone had seven tackles, including two for losses, a sack, and one forced fumble. The defensive highlight of the night came in the fourth quarter on a third-and-15. With just 3 1/2 minutes left to play and the Eagles up by less than a touchdown, Roethlisberger dropped back to pass. Dawkins blitzed Roethlisberger with Steelers' guard Kendall Simmons in his way. Instead of going around the guard, or through him, Dawkins launched himself over Simmons, coming down and striking the ball out of Roethlisberger's hands, forcing the quarterback's second fumble of the game. Dawkins looked much like the superhero Wolverine, whom he has plastered all over his locker. Dawkins immediately jumped onto the loose football, essentially sealing the game for the Birds. Several plays later, kicker David Akers would add to his franchise high points total with a nail in the coffin field goal. "I don't know what a 34-year-old is supposed to feel like or play like. I just know I had to get to Ben; he was scrambling, and I had to make the play . . . As I got off the [initial] block the back tried to block me," Dawkins said. "I pushed him back, saw Ben trying to step up, I knew I had to get to him, and I felt somebody at my feet. The next thing I knew, I was in the air. I knew I knocked [the ball] out. I didn't know where it landed . . . basically, it was right up under me. I just had to cradle it in." Was it all the talk over his age that inspired the aggressive play Sunday? Or was it just Dawkins being Dawkins? Either way, it's obvious that B-Dawk still has it. Need more proof? Dawk will be named NFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday for his play against the Steelers. It's the third time in his career Dawkins has received the honor. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:04:23 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338021 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/338021 Let's face it, when Tom Brady went down, the entire NFL opened up. AFC teams like the Steelers, Titans, and Broncos all became that much more viable to contend for a Super Bowl. However, in my humble opinion, it is the NFC that benefits most, specifically, the NFC EAST. Widely considered, and without much argument, the NFC East is footballs most dominant division. In week 3 of the 2008 NFL season, the teams that make up the NFC East, (Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, and Redskins) went a combined 4-0, improving their season record to 10-2. Is it possible that four of the top five teams in the NFC reside in the same division? Even more so, is it possible that three of the NFL's top five teams reside in that very same division? ? ? ? Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:54:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/337745 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/337745