Style Points = 0

Honestly, there is no assigning of style points for play-off wins, particularly in professional football. No one in Section 204 was disappointed as they filed out the exits. I too am glad to be alive another day.

Sigh... sometimes you forget the Eagles are doing this all with the back-up quarterback. And the drawbacks of this approach- run the ball, don’t make mistakes at the quarterback position- were on display last night at the Linc.

I mean, the Eagles ran the ball great, right? Got a bunch of yards, stayed committed to it, got a big, dazzling run from it. Really couldn’t have had a better day running the ball.

And it got them, what, two touchdowns? One was a stupendous run from Brian Westbrook- which at a shade over 50 yards, was the biggest post-season run in Eagles’ history- because you see, it is oh so very hard to generate big plays in your running game in pro ball. The other score came in the hurry-up drill before the end of the half, featuring a near thirty yard strike from Garcia- a TD drive categorically about the pass.

Tell you what: do you think if the Eagles had a great day passing the ball, including the longest pass play in their play-off history, they’d have been stuck on two touchdowns? But that is what a commitment to rushing the football does for you in the NFL- rewards excellent execution for 25-30 snaps with a one touchdown afternoon.

Obviously, the Eagles were unfortunate enough to sort of run into a Giants team that played its best football of the season the first fifteen minutes- scoring early, forcing the Eagles to start their first three drives inside their 20 yard line. With such poor field position, the Giants were able to sort of get after Garcia with some extra rushers, disrupted the early passing game, took away Garcia's ability to hang in the pocket to throw deeper routes- and the Eagles never got the confidence, the mojo, to try to throw the ball downfield again.

I think that was a mistake- as it sentenced the team to play a game in the teens, low 20s- and Philadelphia’s defense is not the sort of unit that is going to play an entire football game allowing only two TDs. Further, it was not so much Garcia had an indifferent game- but more they never gave Jeff a chance to have a good one. Garcia is not an all-pro quarterback- he needs help- a chance to throw in favorable down and distance situations, particularly first down- to get to semi-gaudy passing numbers. Certainly the consistent "run first" approach allowed the Giants to hang around- and that, coupled with only one takeaway and a good day by Barber, made it a sixty minute affair.

Of course, the Giants also ran the ball too much- more through necessity perhaps- thus also condemning themselves to a day where they would have to work oh so very hard to get the two requisite scores to be in the game.

People are already saying the Eagles have to run the ball to beat the Saints. But you know what, they better take some time, particularly on first down (the big play down) to chuck it around some. The quarterback is not a turnover machine, they need to score the ball- and in this League, to score the ball, you gotta throw it often. The defense is not holding the Saints to 20 like the Giants- and scoring four touchdowns is hard to do without 280+ yards passing.