November is the Eagles’ chance to become birds of prey

By Lou DiPietro  |   Thursday, October 23, 2008  |  Comments( 6 )

Philadelphia Eagles
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This weekend, I guarantee you that at least one NFL team nicknamed after a bird will come out a winner.

OK, so that proposition won't exactly ever appear in Os Davis’ "Odds on the Odd" column, especially considering the Philadelphia Eagles play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. But while their Avian namesakes are flying south for the winter, the NFL’s Eagles need to use the next six weeks to head north - as in to the top of the NFC East standings.

Pundits assumed coming into the season that the first six weeks of the Eagles’ season would be an interesting test; they played three 2007 playoff teams in the first five weeks, and adding in a cross-country trip to San Francisco, they had a tough road to hoe.

They came through OK at 3-3, still in the hunt for one of the NFC’s six playoff spots. They’ve had injuries to key contributors -- Brian Westbrook hasn’t played much, Shawn Andrews less and Kevin Curtis not at all -- and seen their defense range from giving up 40-plus points to nearly double-digit sack totals in one week. Heck, they have a defensive tackle starting at fullback while an All-Pro cornerback rides the pine.

But again, the next six weeks will make or break the Eagles’ season. Even at 3-3 (0-2 in their division), they have a golden opportunity to claw their way to the Promised Land of the playoffs.

And the Falcons are the perfect foil to start that migration.

The Falcons have admittedly played better than anyone thought they would. At 4-2, they’ve equaled their 2007 win total and scored impressive victories the last two weeks over the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers -- the latter at Lambeau Field, no less. However, they’re 0-2 in their division, which says they still have a long way to go.

It seems, however, that the best way to stop the Falcons is to bottle up running back Michael Turner. Looking at his stats, he’s been Superman one week and Clark Kent the next. Granted, Detroit and Kansas City’s defense probably couldn’t stop Temple’s rushing attack, but over half of his rushing yards came in those two wins. Two weeks ago, the stingy Bears defense held him to 54 yards (and a 2.2 per-carry average) in a game where the Falcons narrowly squeaked out a win.

Depending on how you like your superstitions, Turner could be either Jekyll or Hyde this week. It being his seventh game, he’s due to unload; however, with Week 8 technically upon us, he’s just as likely to go into Hyde-ing. Hey, it happens to the best of them; Alex Rodriguez drops off horribly in even years as of late.

And quite frankly, it’s hard to believe that teams haven’t been able to do that. It’s not as if Turner, quarterback Matt Ryan and potential Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White are the famed Dallas Triplets of the 1990s; Ryan is a rookie, Turner spent his entire career prior to 2008 as LaDainian Tomlinson’s caddy and while White is well on his way to becoming an elite receiver, it’s not exactly a secret that he’s Ryan’s favorite (and perhaps only consistent) target.

White’s 35 receptions are one more than the total of the other five wide receivers on the Falcons’ roster combined, and his 566 receiving yards are nearly half of the team’s passing offense. Laurent Robinson, Brian Finneran and Michael Jenkins aren’t going to beat you.

This year, the Eagles have done a good job harassing quarterbacks and shutting down receivers -- just ask Ben Roethlisberger and J.T. O’Sullivan. With three former All-Pros at cornerback, they should be good at that. They’re also in the top 10 in both rushing and passing yards allowed, so their defense has been quite balanced.

Looking at their first six games, the Eagles also don’t have to worry about perhaps their biggest bug-a-boo: Covering a tight end.

Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson thrives on being able to blitz at will, sending his speed rushers around the edge while perfect two-gap stoppers Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson clog up the middle. With a rookie quarterback and a poor group of receivers on the other side of the line, Johnson’s game plan should be simple: Stick Asante Samuel on White, put eight in the box to shut down Turner and make Ryan’s seventh NFL start an unlucky one.

Given how the Eagles operate, that should be easy enough. And with both Curtis and Westbrook back to face a team in the bottom third of the NFL in defense, it could be a long day for Mike Smith and his southern birds.

The Eagles certainly need the momentum, because as mentioned earlier, the next six weeks will make or break them. Outside of the Nov. 9 clash against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field, they have five very winnable games. After the Falcons, they head cross-country to face a banged up Seattle Seahawks team. Given the way that last year’s game against Seattle ended, you know the Eagles will be out for blood -- something the defense may see in the water if Seneca Wallace is still under center for the West Coast wingmen next weekend.

Then come the Giants, but after that, the Birds play two straight road games -- against the currently winless Cincinnati Bengals and the offensively challenged Baltimore Ravens -- before they host a Thanksgiving night clash with the Arizona Cardinals, who are currently 0-2 east of the Mississippi and got waxed by the New York Jets when they tried to avoid making back-to-back cross-country trips last month.

December? Well, waiting there are three divisional games -- two of which are on the road -- sandwiched around a Monday night showdown with the Browns. While that may seem like an ideal scenario to make up ground, remember that the NFC East is the toughest division in the NFL and the Eagles are already 0-2 in it.

Thanksgiving is their next national showcase -- if you can consider being on the little-carried NFL Network national. But if they can’t rise above their easy schedule between now and then, turkey won’t be the only bird Philadelphia fans will be tired of come Black Friday.
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About Lou DiPietro

Lou DiPietro is an accomplished freelance writer who is fascinated with all things sports. In addition to his duties at RealFootball365.com, Lou contributes to TheBleacherReport.com and Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, and has been featured on "The Sports Buffet with Matt West" on 1080-AM ESPN ...
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