Back Atop NFC East

Let’s be completely candid, okay?

Although it is only the first games of a long season spanning four months, Week One could not have gone much better for the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn’t so much the efficient play of #5 or the smart, the smart healthy corps of skill position players or the professional effort of the defense leading to a workman-like road win. No, it was the performance of our divisional rivals- who all came out and lost.

First up, the Washington Redskins. I can't remember enjoying the last six minutes of a pro-football game as much in a long time. Bad quarterback, shaky kicker, a defense that catagorically can't make clutch fourth quarter stops, endless penalties (many mindless), alternately ill-disciplined and unlucky. I know that Redskins' team!

It is a great loss from the Eagles’ point of view because- for the Redskins to win ten games- they have to beat the Minnesotas of the League at home a lot more often than not.

One kinda has to give Minnesota credit. You could see the Brad Childress’ Eagles all over this effort: a pretty damn good road game, zero mistakes from the quarterback (and really the entire offense), make your field goals, play solid defense inside the 20s. Turn a game you should lose into a contest of who gets luckier/makes fewer mistakes in the last seven minutes (where Minnesota has got the proverbial puncher’s 50-50 chance).

Unfortunately, I really didn't think the 'skins played all that badly. At least on defense. Can't put them down for six wins yet. Minnesota only scored one TD- despite playing about as well as they can on offense, right? But again, Childress had a good game plan, Johnson played that saavy veteran game at the most important position in football- and to their credit, the Vikes stole one. Good win for the Vikes more than a bad loss for the 'skins.

The Giants' loss was the least "bad" one of the bunch. Nevertheless, the New York Post offers heartening reading today- featuring the first whiffs of the awful stench of doubt:

What's also new and different about the Eagles is that McNabb is healthy and Terrell Owens is gone. What McNabb brings to the table is indisputable, and when sizing up the quarterbacks and the division race the Eagles come out on top. The Cowboys with Drew Bledsoe and the Redskins with Mark Brunell go to battle with aging warriors on the downside of strong careers, and the Giants with Eli Manning possess a young gun oozing with ability that's not yet fully harnessed. McNabb looked better than ever in this year's opener.

Similarly in Dallas:

So we spend an entire training camp focusing on a certain wide receiver, and it turns out the real controversy is at quarterback. I mean when Peter King showed up on NBC talking about how Tony Romo would unseat Drew Bledsoe early in the season, it just seemed like a pleasant diversion from the T.O. news cycle. Now, it appears King may have been on to something.

Tomorrow is Prediction Thursday- so I’ll return to Tulane football concerning the Mississippi State pick.